Heater performance on my Camry

[Riley]

Tech help: Heater performance on my Camry

Hi Guys - Looking for a little auto tech advice:

On my 92 V6 Camry I swear the heater used to work much better than it does today. The car has got about 200K miles on it, same rad and heater core ect...

The temp gauge seems to be running in the same zone as it was when new but that's probably not saying much if they have designed in a dead zone.

Here's what I was thinking that could be causing the low heater output:

- clogged heater core. I'm not thrilled about pulling the core because of the hassle factor but maybe I have to. How about back flushing it in place?

- defective thermostat. Seems to come up to temp quick enough but perhaps the gauge is deceptive. Never been changed that I recall. Could it be likely that it closes off when cold but then not modulate when warm to keep at a proper temp?

- Valve doesn't open fully. This I was going to check tomorrow since it's the easiest.

Any other ideas or suggestions guys?

Riley

 

[semlin]

sure it's not just the cold spell we've just been having. my heater feels weak too so i've been warmning it up. maybe start the car with heater full blast for 5 mins before you getr in?

 

[Riley]

Well I thought of that Simon but my drive to work is 50 minutes and it's keeping the car barely warm even at the end of my commute.

Perhaps I'm just getting old. My dad used to complain about being cold as he got older.

However my 80 is toasty warm with the heat on.

 

[wesintl]

THe core may be covered in dust and hair too not letting air flow over it.

 

[76FJ40]

Add some Red Line "Water Wetter". It will improve the heat transfer for both your radiator and your heater core.

 

[Rich]

After confirming that the heater valve is fully opening I would then next suspect clogged heater core.

Find the heater lines that go into and out of the heater core. Disconnect each from engine. Extend the input line using a hose barb and connect addtional hose and run the extension to a large container. Using a garden hose adaptor with barb connect a garden hose to the heater core output line and run full flow through the heater core. Do be certain that heater valve is out of the loop to prevent any over pressure of the heater core. If you capture the flush water in a container you will be able to examine the crud that get flushed out (for sake of curiosity).

While you can't get enough flow from a typical home sillcock to effectively flush a clogged radiator, I expect you should be able to get enough flow to effectively flush a heater core.

For my cruiser I was able to find appropriate hose, brass barbs, and brass garden hose adaptors at my local hardware store for both 5/8 inch and 1/2 inch hoses, which were close enough in size to match the front and rear cruiser heater lines. I would guess that one or the other size would be a match for camry heater hose.

 

[Riley]

After confirming that the heater valve is fully opening I would then next suspect clogged heater core.
...

Thanks guys, this is the direction I'm heading. I checked the valve today and it seems to open all the way.

I was thinking about using some rad flush chemical just on the core. Mix it with some water and fill just the core and let it sit before flushing the core. Any thoughts on that stuff?

I'm off to search this topic on the 80 forum.

 

[60wag]

Test the inlet and outlet hose temps for the heater core. If you don't have a temp probe, just try touching them. If they're really hot, them you likely have an airflow issue under the dash. If the hoses are just warm, then the core might be plugged up or the heater control valve isn't working correctly.

 

[Riley]

Excellent advice guys. I flushed the cooling system yesterday and hooked up the garden hose full blast to the heater core outlet (reverse flush). Hard to tell how much junk came out but it was dirty.

Also note that the inlet hose was running a lot hotter than the outlet (by far), good tip.

Also note that since I hate trying to get my hands in the engine compartment of the Camry, I had the dealer do some PM last year. A rad flush was on the list. I'm convinced that all they did was drain and refill and didn't flush anything. I guess it serves me right for not doing it myself. Working on LC is fun but working on the car sucks. None of the hose clamps have ever been touched.

Gee those OEM spring clamps are a bitch to get off

I was going to replace the thermostat but it too was a bitch to get at so I skipped it as I was running out of time.

I didn't use any chemicals at all.

Anyway the heater is working great now and many thanks.

R

 

[semlin]

Riley, good to hear it is working. if the camry is anything like a honda civic in terms of accessibility and general pita, I feel your pain and I have an unused thermostat in a box in the basement to prove it

 

[projektdotnet]

Glad it is workin better...was too late to provide advice but with the inlet being hotter than the outlet I am gonna say you're not getting accurate flow (untill you flushed it). My mother-in-law's van has a problem keeping the Engine warm in the winter. You can run the heater for 10-30min or so and the engine gets too cold to run the heater and you're back to being cold. I hate that van