Weird heat issues...?

B

Bastian

Member
:
2003 Mazda Protege5
So I've been having problems with my heater recently, (just in time for winter (boom06) ) where it's only been working when it feels like it.

However, it does seem that it only works when I have the vents set to recirculate. Therefore, when putting the defrost on turns off recirc, I have to choose between seeing out the windshield and having feeling in my fingers.

Anyone had anything like this before?

Thanks

EDIT: Found solution, go to post #14 for How-To to see if you had the same problem and how to fix it.
 
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my heat didnt work at all, but i forgot for what reason i flushed out my anti freeze twice, ever since then it works fine, oh and i modded my knob so that when i put the defrost it doesnt turn off the recirculate
 
My guess is that it only works on recirculate because you have poor flow through the heater core. This can be caused by a blockage or an air bubble.

When you have it on recirculate how well does it work? When the engine's warm and you have the heater control turned clockwise all the way it should get really hot in the car. I rarely have the knob turned all the way for that reason.

If it's not really getting that hot, take Fresco's advice and do a flush. Any car parts store will sell a variety of radiator "flush" chemicals that you pour in while flushing which can help remove blockages. At the same time it might not be a bad idea to replace your radiator hoses, they're probably old and dry by now.
 
When I have it on recirculate, it only works moderately well. And this will be halfway through a half hour of highway driving. The knob will be turned all the way to hot, and it's only really luke-warm.

I'll take a trip to the autoparts store today, thanks.
 
Make sure you're not leaking coolant, my brother had the same symptoms on his car and it was fixed by simply adding coolant to the rad while the engine was running (the lower hose was leaking).

Also, the service manual has a pretty good procedure for flushing on page 01-12-3, you might want to check it out before starting.
 
I am HAVING THE SAME EXACT problem. I had it in my local shop for a flushing and only to come up with just a few little specs coming out my core. I am at a loss for words as well. Do the controls work on a vacume? I was kinda wondering if this has something to do with the flickering a/c switch problem as well. I have just recently done a bunch of work on motor to keep up with mantance and changed lots of parts. Water pump, thermostat gaskets and what not. I know I am all over the map in explaining this but I am just as baffled as the main poster. What to look at next??????
 
boyirish6 said:
I am HAVING THE SAME EXACT problem. I had it in my local shop for a flushing and only to come up with just a few little specs coming out my core. I am at a loss for words as well. Do the controls work on a vacume? I was kinda wondering if this has something to do with the flickering a/c switch problem as well. I have just recently done a bunch of work on motor to keep up with mantance and changed lots of parts. Water pump, thermostat gaskets and what not. I know I am all over the map in explaining this but I am just as baffled as the main poster. What to look at next??????
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you're just low on coolant. Take it back to the shop and tell them that the heater isn't working anymore, they're responsible to fix it.
 
Just an update: I noticed that my coolant was low and I topped it off. Didn't notice any improvement. I'll check to make sure I don't have a coolant leak later today.
 
Check that the climate control cables are routed correctly. If they pop out of the clamp about 6" from where they attach to the white plastic wheels those wheels may not turn when the console controls turn. When you stick your head under the dash and look at the plastic wheel it should turn smoothly as the corresponding control knob turns. If it stops turning while the knob is still moving, the cable has popped loose.
 
swag wagon said:
Just an update: I noticed that my coolant was low and I topped it off. Didn't notice any improvement. I'll check to make sure I don't have a coolant leak later today.
Click to expand...

When the engine is cold (wait 30min after turning off the engine) take off the radiator cap and fill it from there, if the overflow tank is low then you don't have enough coolant in the system (or you're leaking coolant from somewhere).
 
Could be a thermostat issue. They get weak after awhile, and even though your car is warming up it might not be warming up enough to heat your cabin, because the coolant is constantly flowing. Also Check the clips already refered to,and you can jump track on the wheel that knob turns. And it won't actually be set to hot. I know cause mine is jumped, and I have to fix it, mine also is (only bairly warm on recirculate). sux hard in the mornings
 
I have plenty of coolent in system. I have purged system twice. There are no leaks in cab, hoses,joints or under car. When control is set on heat for in cab I have great heat. But as soon as I put control to defrost air goes cold. This is freaking weird. Totaly at a loss of words. Think I am going to pull radio bezel and look at controls and soder lines like on the a/c flicker isssue MAYBE something is connected to this issue. Again allo over the map on this!!!
 
Mine does same thing. But I have a leak in my head gasket, my coolant is flammable, and I have stop leak in the system lol
 
So I found the solution, it turns out the problem was stupidly simple. There's a clip on the cable that goes from the heat knob to the actuator that came undone. This allowed the cable to move loosely around. Therefore, when I had the knob turned all the way to hot, it was actually only at about 10% heat. I took a few pictures and created a bit of a walk-through on seeing if this is your problem.

DSC_0052.jpg

DSC_0051.JPG

DSC_0049.JPG

DSC_0050.JPG


And bingo! You should have heat back. If this was your problem. Which it very well may not have been. (stash)
 
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swag wagon said:
There's a clip on the cable that goes from the heat knob to the actuator that came undone.
Click to expand...

Exactly the failure mode suggested in post 9 - this is a common problem. The odd thing though is the color of that clip. Mine are fully painted black, whereas yours looks like it was either painted improperly, or more likely, has had the paint worn off by being shoved back onto its mount repeatedly with a pair of pliers. Keep an eye on it, the clip may be bent up so much that it doesn't hang on tightly enough.

Also, the primary reason these come loose is if somebody pulled the climate controls and misrouted the cables when they put it back together. Look in the manual (link in the sticky at the top of the forum) for the proper routing paths.

Warning for anyone who messes with these clips - expect cut fingers. They are sharp, and there is other sharp metal near by.
 
pasadena_commut said:
Exactly the failure mode suggested in post 9 - this is a common problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion by the way, saved my extremities (2thumbs)

pasadena_commut said:
Warning for anyone who messes with these clips - expect cut fingers. They are sharp, and there is other sharp metal near by.
Click to expand...

This is why I used a small plastic object to force it on. Be sure to have flash lights handy :)
 
Swag Wagon this was my problem!! thank you very much for the info!!! Thats why these forums are great!!
 
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