No heat, '04 Forester

[4-2LGW]

The heater control is all the way up, the fan is on high speed, but the air coming out is mostly cool even after the car is warm. What are the things I should check for?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[S]

Hi 4-2!

The heater control is all the way up, the fan is on high speed, but the air coming out is mostly cool even after the car is warm. What are the things I should check for?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Wow. We have the opposite problem with our Forries; the heater will fry your eyeballs. Is the engine at normal operating temperature? Replace thermostat. Is the coolant level OK? Add coolant. Are the heater hoses hot where they hit the firewall? Can you change where the air is going (heat, defrost, bi-level)? Has it worked recently, as in yesterday or the day before? Has it been unusually cold? Perhaps one of the damper flaps or vacuum lines has picked up some moisture and frozen. This will self-heal when you get the car interior warm. Put an electric heater in the passenger foot well for awhile. Has anything else changed recently? I have a service manual for the '04 Forester and can send you the appropriate sections if that will help, but (altho I've never had a Forester apart) the heater/AC system is typically pretty difficult to work on beyond the simple things listed above, as you pretty much have to pull the dash to get access.
ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[4-2LGW]

Thanks very much for your suggestions. It's my daughters car and until yesterday everything was fine. I'll check things out tomorrow when the car is home. She said normally the heater would burn your feet.

 

[synthius2002]

We suspect my airconditioner of running by itself on rare ocaisions.

Nils