I got a 1991 Plymouth Acclaim LX V6 and the heat isn't workin and wanna figure it out so i can get it fixed! There is air comin' out the vents but it doesn't heat, cools but doesn't heat. Could i need a heating element replaced or something. Unfamiliar to this stuff.
Engine coolant is not moving through the heater core===start car with hood raised at idle and normal operating temp. feel of top Radiator hose,it should be hot;
Check your heater hoses going to your heater core by the firewall. If one is hot and the other is cool your heater is pluggged up. This does not mean the heater core needs to be replaced. It may be flushed out and you will get good heat again. This service will need to be done by a qualified shop. Reverse flushing the heater core needs to be flushed with water and air pressure. If both heater hoses are hot it may in the air distribution box which may be a cable or actuator. Unfortunately there is no easy answer, get it checked before the cold weather hits because then its tough to get into a shop. I hope this helps.
Your heat comes from the hot water that cools your engine. There is the big radiator (the rectangle at the front of your engine with the fan on it) that removes the majority of heat from your engine and inside your car (usually above the passengers feet) is another little radiator that's hooked up to the same water flow as your main radiator. When you switch the heat on, it just puts the engine warmed water through the radiator (also called a heat exchanger) and air through the radiator which gets warm. This is why cars heaters take a few minutes to get working, they have to wait till the motor gets the water hot. I'ts possible some idiot has made reverse cycle air con for cars but I'm unaware of it. So you either don't have the little radiator inside hooked up (look for roughly 17mm black squishy pipes going from your block through your fire wall and into the cabin) , the vents aren't working and the air isn't getting through the little radiator or you have a blockage in the pipes. Fixing a leaky little radiator is a pain as its hard to get to so some folk who have a leaky one (and need to fix the leak or the car will overheat) just bypass it. Hope this helps.
Did some one in the past bypass the heater core due to overheating issues or something? I don't know about a 91 plymouth, but most vehicles use the hot water from the motor to heat your air, not an element.
and wanna figure it out so i can get it fixed If this means you are not going to fix it, just take it in and tell them the heat isn't working. You don't have to tell them why the heat isn't working, because then they might only fix what you tell them.
