this is a pretty bitter winter here in new england, so having hot heat is a very, VERY good thing.

the heat still WORKS, the blower is fine, the heater core is fine (i presume, usually when that goes doesnt it pour water into your car and cause a huge steaming scene?), etc...but it doesnt get very hot, not like it did 2 weeks ago. just, you know, warm. i worry that it will get worse and, frankly, this past week it's been about 10-15 degrees here and "warm" just isn't cutting it.

any suggestions? i'd heard once that this can be caused by the coolant-to-water ratio being too low? thermostat maybe? the temperature gauge stays a little below normal as well.

note that my wife's '90 camry has the same problem, so if i can figure out the EF i can make her a whole lot happier as well.

thanks

 

if i was you i would take a look at the thermostat and see if it needs replacement i put my bet on that as being the problem by the way you have explained it. if it is stuck open you wont get hot heat if it is stuck close than it would overheat so due to you saying that the temp gauge is lower than normal check that. but before all of that check you coolant level and see if its at normal level.

 

yeah def check the thermo

 

thermostat is new, <6 months old. coolant LEVEL is fine, though i don't have any kind of a tool to check the mixture. could the mixture be the problem? i've heard of this, but the sudden change from regular heat to about maybe 50% as hot doesn't support this theory; the level could change if there were a leak, but the MIXTURE couldn't possibly change.

 

Well first a thermostat (even a new one) can go at any time maybe you got a bad one?? And no if your heater core was bad it wouldnt just leak all over it could be partially clogged. There are 2 hoses leading into the engine bay into your heater core (about the middle of your engine bay in the back) grab onto both of those and see if they are the same temp if not your heater core maybe partially clogged if they are the same temp definately check out the thermostat again. As for the mixture that wouldnt make any kind of difference on the temp of your heat it would only affect how cold or how hot it will protect to. Either freezing up your radiator when its too cold or starting to boil if it was too hot.....

 

yes, vinceg99 is 100% correct in saying that even a a new once can be shot from the start i've it man times happen like that

 

cool, i'll definitely check that out then.

where might i find technical documents that explain just how these things work, a heating system for example? it would help if i had more background and i'd like to read up.

 

Check the manual there should be some info in there about it.

 

Sounds to me like the thermostat is stuck open. Happened to me too, nothing to do but get a new thermostat. If there was a leak anywhere, you 'd know it....lots of green fluid on the ground, or in your floor carpets.

 

hondas are cars know to run ina cool (190ish) temperature on hot weathers...
imagine how cold its going to get on a 0-15 deg weather.. the engine its goint still going to cool down even tho has a 180 deg thermosthat..
i got a good thermostat but my car still runs very cold...
one remedy that will help u its... (ghetto but functional)
stick a piece of cardboard covering the half front of ur radiator...
right now i have done that and actually helps ur car get warmer faster... and since ur cooling system works normally theres nuttin to worry about....
try it and tell me if it works

 

It was VERY cold in Connecticut(below 0 a lot of the time and way below 0 with the wind chill. When it gets that cold out side your heat will always run cooler no matter what you do. The cardboard is a good idea, But I wouldn't worry about it with the constant weather changes we get here(It maybe 50 degrees tomorrow). I would only change the thermostat if it becomes a problem even when it is warmer outside. Hope this helps!

 

yeah, today it was burning the **** out of my hands and all i did was flush the coolant system and replace it with a 70/30 mixture...hopefully it won't be so finnicky in the future.

 

Nobody pointed to another possible solution. Check the heater valve to see if it is opening all the way when your turn up the temperature control. the valve is located on the firewall just below the throttle body. I have had to adjust the control cable so the heat would come on all the way. See a helms manual for the adjustment procedure.