Icy roads sent my truck into a ditch this morning, only a couple feet of snow, but it was enough to bust my radiator and turn on my Check Engine Light. I got a new one, installed it and now my heater won’t work. Help! I have to get to work tomorrow, but will need my defrost to do it in this weather. Thank you
If the coolant level is low it wont make heat and or Air in the system
I replaced the radiator, and just put all new coolant in there.
Did you bleed the air out of the system?
A trick I use is to drive up on ramps to get the radiator cap higher than the engine. Remove the radiator cap and start the engine with the heater turned on. As the engine warms up the air in the cooling system will escape via the radiator. Top off the radiator as needed, the level may drop as the air escapes the cooling system.
Ed B.
Yeah what he said. Theres probably air in the system. You might be able to get away with just taking the cap off…start it n fill as needed after it heats up enough to open the thermostat
yeah like he said…with the heater on high
Thank you so much for the suggestions. I will find a ramp tomorrow and try and and do this. I will update you and see if this works!! Thank you. I have also thought it might be the thermastat, and I am wondering how hard this is to replace myself. I am pretty decent around my engine but def. not an expert.
Prestone markets a flush kit that includes several T fittings. If the highest section of heater hose is cut and the appropriate T installed the cap can be removed with the engine idling (cold) and the trapped air will escape the outlet. When coolant rises and begins to overflow the outlet install the cap. It may be necessary to increase the idle speed to get enough output from the water pump.
Thermostats are usually pretty easy
When I ended up at a BMW shop after spending alot of time in a GM shop I was looked at oddly when I had the car running in order to bleed the air. With BMW you open the bleeder and fill with the engine off until the fluid comes out of the port. I have never really figured out why an “engine off” procedure was prefered with the BMW except that it is almost certain cylinder head damage on the earlier BMW sixes if you forget to bleed it.