Info on dashboard heaters

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Is there a decent dashboard heater out there (the kind that plug into the cigarette lighter)? My fan quit working (so no heat or defrost) and am trying to find a temporary fix until I can get it replaced.

2

Not really.

Have you looked into possible easy fixes for the blower? It could be just a fuse, switch, or resistor block, if so equipped. If it IS the blower, it’s not an easy repair.

3

Have had two reliable mechanics look at it and it definitely needs to be replaced. Wish an easy fix was an option. So none of the dashboard hearers on the market are any good?

4

The problem with them is the loads they pull through the little cigarette lighter. Most will pull close to the 10 amp limit for the cigarette lighter circuit, and, if there is any crud on the lighter socket, like it has been used for actually lighting a cigarette, the internal resistance will be higher, leading to a lot of internal heat in the socket. This has caused melted sockets and melted plugs that have left a lot of people wishing they never did it.

BTW, cigarette lighters themselves pull a fairly decent load, but for a short time. The plug-in heater pulls a similar load for a much longer time. The socket was designed for the short duration of the lighter, not the long duration of the heater.

5

Most lighter sockets have a 20 amp fuse…Check yours…If so, it can deliver 240 watts max. That’s enough to defrost your windshield but not heat your car…A 150 watt unit would leave you with a safety margin and not be blowing the lighter fuse all the time…

6

If the fan isn’t working, but the coolant is circulating throught the heater core, this might work:

  1. purchase two inexpensive 12 volt fans in the automotive section at a place like WalMart. These fans will have either a suction cup or adhesive mounting base.

  2. Mount one fan in front of the dashboard vent and set the heater controls so that air is directed through this vent. The fan might be able to pull enough air through the system to give you some heat.

3)Mount the other fan so that its airflow is directed to the driver’s side of the windshield.

Both fans can safely be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket They draw very little current. If the coolant is going through your heater core, you are taking advantage of the heat that is being produced by the engine. Be certain to set the controls so that fresh air is coming in from the outside rather than the recirculate mode. This should boost the air flow when the car is moving.