Sometimes We Just Need Some Heat
This winter here in N. Charleston has not been severe, but it has been chilly in the evenings and mornings. There are times when we just need to have some heat inside our car!
Pushing a button or turning a knob on the dash isn’t the whole story about your vehicle’s heating system. To make sure you get warm air inside your car, it is best to allow the engine to warm up first. Once your car or truck’s engine has warmed up, your vehicle’s heating components can do their job and will provide the warm and fuzzy feeling you’re looking for.
Where that Heat Comes From
The pistons in your vehicle’s engine are designed to allow in a mixture of gasoline and air then sparks an “explosion” in the cylinder. The walls of a cylinder are thin and the engine block is mostly hollow so these cylinder “explosions”, along with the friction your engine creates while working, builds up heat.
We certainly don’t want our heating system to pour out as much heat as your engine can produce as combustion chamber temperatures in an engine can get as high as 4,500 F (2,500 C)! Much of this heat is directed outside through the exhaust system. Then most of the hollow space inside the cylinder head and around the valves is filled with coolant to keep your engine from overheating. Working engines cannot go without cooling for very long or they could seize up.
Coolant For Heat
Not only does the cooling system of your vehicle need coolant but so does the heating system. When engine parts get too hot they can get warped and damaged. When coolant is circulated through the engine it absorbs the heat and then the warm coolant passes on through to the heater core.
The task of the heater core, a small radiator-like unit that usually fits under the dashboard or HVAC housing of your vehicle, is to work like a heat exchanger. This unit allows the “warmed” coolant from the cylinder head to flow through the heater core and then returns it to the pump.
Calling For Heat
When you turn on your vehicle’s heater, the system calls for the blower-motor fan to blow over the heater core and then brings heat inside your vehicle to keep you warm and comfortable during winter driving.
If the air outside is especially cold and the engine has not warmed up, the heater actually blows cold air into your vehicle. Allowing your engine to heat up helps it produce the heat you want and allows your thermostat to open and allow coolant to circulate. When the car is adequately warmed up, the heater core retains and builds up heat so when the fan blows over it, you get nice warm air.
A+ Auto Service’s ASE Certified Technicians are experts in your vehicle’s heater system inspection, diagnosis and repair. If you suspect that something is not right with your heating system, give us a call. You can be confident that your vehicle will get professional heating/cooling service at A+ Auto Service!
