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No warm air in cabin

Stevearcade

Stevearcade

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Location
Eastbourne
Car
2003 Accord CM2
Alright guys,

In terms of cold air, directional adjustments, blowing power etc, all works fine. I just don't get hot air, which as the rain's coming down a lot is a nightmare as I'm having to clear the mist with cold air, freezing my nuts off, inducing mist on the outside of the glass due to it being so cold and then needing to use my wipers... Happy times!

I can't see a fuse relating to the heater element in the handbook. I don't know if there is a relay instead. Does anyone have any experience of this and can they advise me on next steps. I've looked on LINGS to see for any possible obvious points, but can't see any particular part that I'd say, "ah, I bet that's gone!"... :unsure:

Like I said, it's not like a temp sensor issue, it's not an issue with the fan or motorised vent adjusters. Everything works exactly as it should aside from the lack of heat. It's a total lack of heat too. Not not being warm enough. It's just cold! I'm 99% sure it's purely that the heater element isn't heating.

Thanks in advance.
 
Have you checked the piping leading to the cabin, if they actually carry warm coolant? There is a part where cold and warm air mix are controlled by a flap. I would guess that this clap fails to move and is stuck closed allowing cold air only to flow. I had this problem on my EP3 as well, and it was resolved with a little WD40.
 
As George says, possibly the motorised flap is stuck in the cold position

alternatively, there's a valve on the hot water feed, on the bulkhead in the engine compartment. That valve is either open or shut, there's a thread somewhere on here with a picture that I put in the thread, showing the valve and I mention how the heating works, no idea where the thread is though Steve
 
Cheers guys.

So check the coolant level first.

***uming that's ok (which I imagine it is as I have no issue with engine temperature), I should then check the feed into the cabin. Do I find this in the engine bay?

And this flap that could be stuck and need freeing with WD40? That's inside the cabin, behind the blower etc I imagine?

If anyone can point me in the right direction for this, that would be awesome. Thanks.
 
I found the pics in my photobucket

one of these pics is the open position, the other is the closed position, but I can't remember which is which

Move the temperature control to cold and look at the valve, then move the temperature control to hot and look at the valve.
If it hasn't moved, then either the valve is jammed, or the controller that moves it is fecked. Either way that will not be a nice job.

IMAG0555__zps0f8598e7.jpg


IMAG0556__zpsffadb3f7.jpg



if you find the thread somewhere, I explain things quite well IIRC :)
 
Cheers man. I'll have a look tomorrow.
 
pics are still in my phone !!!

date they were taken is 13 August 2013, so the pics would be in the other thread on or just after that date. I can't remember who started the thread or what the issue was btw.
 
No worries man. I'll have a look at the car tomorrow and if this thing seems to be functioning properly then I'll get searching for this thread.
 
Steve also look in the footwell of your car passenger side I think for water.
Also check driver side as well.
Reason is Iv heard lots of heater matrix leaking and packing up on 7th gens.
Hopefully it won't be this and be what others has said.
 
Yep as Brian said steve your coolant will be low.
 
I'll check tomorrow. Hopefully it's not a coolant issue. Does coolant have a strange smell at all? I mean, would I have noticed a smell if there was a leak?
 
yeah you would, and if there's enough coming out (which there would be) it would soak into the carpet and then rot the floor


edit:
I reckon it's either
1. a blocked matrix (indicating potential problems in the rest of the water circulation passages too)
2. a seized valve (possibly indicative as 1)
3. a problem with the cable in the picture (most favourable outcome)
4. a fecked "transistor" thing (next most favourable outcome, but still a bit difficult to get to)
5. a jammed flap or motor (same trouble as 4)
 
I reckon it could be your matrix valve closed off. Check the coolant level and see if you have had any loss. Also get the car warm and check both pipes that go into the bulk head and see if they are both as warm as each other. If one is cold then its either blocked matrix or the valve is not working.

When was the last time the coolant was flushed on it?
 
Sorry you're having this problem Steve... hope it's something simple like the cable-operated valve being stuck. Maybe it can be freed off if you disconnect the cable, spray it with PlusGas and waggle it about. Or, if you disconnect the cable and it does move, at least you can set the heater to be back on permanently. And a blocked matrix can often be reverse-flushed using a hosepipe.

But it doesn't matter what I think, Brian's on the case now!
 
Cheers guys. As it would happen, I woke up feeling dog rough this morning. Had a cold building for a few days and it's reared it ugly head today. Spent most of the day in bed, off work. Not sure I can be bothered to brave going outside right now to have a look. The wind and rain seem pretty high spirited today.
 
Jon_G said:
Sorry you're having this problem Steve... hope it's something simple like the cable-operated valve being stuck. Maybe it can be freed off if you disconnect the cable, spray it with PlusGas and waggle it about. Or, if you disconnect the cable and it does move, at least you can set the heater to be back on permanently. And a blocked matrix can often be reverse-flushed using a hosepipe.

But it doesn't matter what I think, Brian's on the case now!
Click to expand...
I think Jon is equally up to this case judging by his remedies :)

Stevearcade said:
Cheers guys. As it would happen, I woke up feeling dog rough this morning. Had a cold building for a few days and it's reared it ugly head today. Spent most of the day in bed, off work. Not sure I can be bothered to brave going outside right now to have a look. The wind and rain seem pretty high spirited today.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a serious case of man-flu :D
 
Alright guys. Well, the coolant is near the minimum mark. Although I've not noticed any kind of puddles or leaks. Is it the kind of thing that can disappear over time or do I likely have a small leak somewhere?

Also, that thing you pictured Brian doesn't change when I switch from cold air to hot air in the cabin. I let the engine get up to temperature when I did this, just to be doubly sure.

What do you guys recommend? Should I give that thing a squirt with WD40 and top up the coolant? Will any coolant do? Or do I need something specific?

Cheers.
 
Hard to tell by looking if the actuating system has failed somewhere, or the valve has jammed solid. So I'd disconnect the cable and see if the valve is jammed, then you'll have a better idea of where to look next. And, if the valve has jammed, then it would definitely be worth trying to free it with WD40 and gentle waggling.

I wouldn't worry too much at this point about the coolant level... it's above minimum, so isn't causing the heating to fail. But obviously keep an eye on it.

Topping up the coolant is a thorny issue. Unless you know what type is already in there then you run the risk of cross-contamination with something incompatible, so for a minor top-up I'd simply use tap water. However, if you have a leak and have to keep topping up, then the leak will have to be repaired and then I'd flush the cooling system and replace with something known to be acceptable for the K24. Certainly I'd avoid a silicate-based coolant, but I'm not sure what Honda recommend (OAT or phosphate based stuff, presumably?).

Hope you're feeling better and good luck!
 
Personally I'd top it up with water ideally deionised just as a short term measure and see if you get your heat back.

Then I'd get the system pressure tested at a garage to see if it leaks.

If it got the all-clear you can refill with the proper stuff but if you don't then you haven't wasted £20 odd on coolant that might be thrown away shortly if it needs work doing.
 
I'll have to look at the level in my car because, like your car, I suspect the coolant has never been changed in its whole life, despite the FHSH that I used to get done until a few years ago (note that I've owned the car since 12k miles, Jan 2006, and that although its a 54 plate, from the serial number the car was made in 2003).

IMO an 11 year old car that's never had any attention to the coolant, either a change or a flush or a top-up, then for it to be in minimum is to be expected. Everything is permeable to anything: gas mains are permeable to gas; tyres are permeable to air; and an engine cooling system must be permeable to those naughty little H2O molecules.

Your main concern (and mine too, because "change the coolant" is on the to-do list for my car) is the reason why the valve is stuck. See my #16 earlier, we've now zero-ed in on issues 2, 3, or 4. Try what Jon said, but by experience of many cars, it's most likely to be the valve that is actually stuck, and the reason for that is that the coolant desperately needs changing and possibly flushing. But do not take my negativity as gospel, it could be 3 or 4 instead.
 
I've just been out and taken a look ....first time I've ever checked the coolant level on this car !!!!

It's just below minimum, still enough for that little rubber hose to be in the fluid though.

Colour of fluid is a nice green colour.

FYI ....reason for the additive is three-fold: it raises the boiling-point of water (so the coolant can run at higher temp which raises the efficiency of the engine); helps prevent rust; helps prevent freezing (which is why it was originally known as anti-freeze)

PS ...strike out "negativity" in previous post and put "pessimism" ....my thesaurus brain-cell was not working in the previous post :lol:
 
Worth waggling the valve itself like Jon suggested I think.

If your coolant has never been changed like Brian's I'd agree it's probably just evaporation over time and not worth wasting cash on a pressure test either.
 
Nice one. Well, I've just gone out and given the valve a good soak in WD40. Will leave it over night and see if I can wiggle some life into it (cue an innuendo or two...)

Indeed Brian, I'm thinking maybe it's time to drain and replace the coolant, just to be on the safe side.
 
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