I drive a 1999 Mercury Cougar. I have taken it in to a few different mechanics and they have no clue as to what is wrong with it. The heater does not heat up. They hooked it up to a machine that scanned everything and it all tested fine.
look in the yellow pages for radiator repair, or air conditioning repair.
those are they guys to take the car to.
dont just call your local mechanic, (who you have evidently tried) and ask them if they can fix radiators, or AC, everyone will tell you SURE, I can fix anything; BUT, but go to the guys that specialize in this stuff. you will get fixed fast and correctly.
If I understand your post correctly the car reaches operating temperature according to the gauge, the blower fan is operating, the air out of the vents is cool/cold correct?
My first instinct is the blend door motor. This small electric motor located behind the glove box is responsible for moving the blend door from cold to hot. Do you hear a clicking noise from behind the glove box?
Has anyone verified that the cooling system is full?
Did any of the mechanics verify wether or not both heater hoses are getting hot?
Does the temperature gauge actually indicate the car is operating at the proper temperature?
~Michael
Cappy:
I have to disagree with your post. A heater problem is one of the easiest problems to diagnose. Some heater cores (Taurus, etc.) can be a pain to replace but the diagnostic part is nowhere near rocket sience and any half witted mechanic should be able to determine the problem.
~Michael
The coolant is not circulation through the heater core or the air is not coming into the pasenger compartment. Agree that a specialty shop will find the problem quickly. The temperature control valve regulates how much coolant is coming through, I believe. The shop will determine this quickly as well.
without driving Francine away with an argument:
it is evident the mechanics she is taking it to either aren’t capable (waste of money and time) or arent “real” mechanics (another waste of time) thus my advice to find someone who IS reputable.
also, Francine I would also suggest asking friends, co workers and neighbors for advice on a shop to take this to; since personal recommendation is really important too.
I agree 100% with this post.
~Michael
since this was taken somewhere and they hooked it up to a ‘machine’, what would YOUR first thought be? Mine was; if they need a “machine” to diagnose this, go somewhere else.
For AC the specialist should be the first call, but for a basic cooling system problem, most any good mechanic should be able to handle it well. On the other hand there is nothing wrong in taking it to a radiator shop.