Car heater does not get hot

My car heater does not get hot. When I turn on the heater on high it will only get luke warm. When I drive it, it goes cold. Ran water through the system and it goes through fine. Checked the switches and they seem fine.

Ford Taurus 2002 Model.

Please help!

Assuming the car also has A/C, there is a “blend door” in the heater air-flow system that might not be working properly. Does your temperature gauge read normal?

make sure the engine is getting up to normal temperature. You may have a stuck thermostat.

Feel the heater hoses where they go through the firewall. After the engine is warmed up, both hoses should be too hot to hold on to. if both hoses are not hot, there are a few possible reasons.

  1. the heater core is restricted
  2. there is air trapped in the cooling system (low coolant or leaky head gasket)
  3. bad valve in the hose going to the heater core.

Replace the thermostat now. Get the quick and cheap out of the way first.