No Hot Air Coming Through Vents When On Full Heat

[Mrdoody]

I wonder if anyone can help or has experienced this at all but I have an Avensis X reg Vermont VVTi version. Had the car about 7 weeks now but over the weekend I noticed the blowers have stopped blowing any hot air even when the car is warmed up. I understand the middle vents only blow cold unless you set the direction to your face only or face and feet so it's not that I have it set up wrong or anything and the aircon isn't on either.

What I can say tho is, at the weeekend it was in the garage because the exhaust was blowing noisy at the front and they tightened a loose bolt up, coud this have affected it? I'm not sure how the hot air gets into the car and though the vents or where it comes from so can't really make sense of it really. How could it suddenly blow cold or lukewarm even, when running for a long while and the engine is hot.

I also noticed that when driving down the motorway doing 60 or 70 etc the heat does rise slightly but nowhere near what it used to be before it packed in at the weekend. Could that be because when running faster the air blows harder through wherever it comes from, and maybe blows more hot air through than when driving more slowly?

It's definately not right and not even warm really ever kind hot. Anyone got anything that could help or suggest what the problem could be???

[moonstone mart]

Interior heater get the warmth from the engine coolant running through pipes into a little radiator behind the dashboard. Sorting the exhaust shouldnt have any bearing on the heater probs.

Does the car lose any water over the time you have had it? If there is a leak then the heaters wont be as good as they should be, had one at work with poor heaters last week - ended up expansion tank cap was faulty and not holding the pressure in the coolant system letting it leak out.

Mart.

[Mrdoody]

Interior heater get the warmth from the engine coolant running through pipes into a little radiator behind the dashboard. Sorting the exhaust shouldnt have any bearing on the heater probs.

Does the car lose any water over the time you have had it? If there is a leak then the heaters wont be as good as they should be, had one at work with poor heaters last week - ended up expansion tank cap was faulty and not holding the pressure in the coolant system letting it leak out.

Mart.

Hi, to be honest not checked the water, topped up once since I had it in Jan. There's no heat at all to be honest, I've just been sitting in minus 3 outside in the car, whacked the heaters on full bearing in mind engine was hot as was running for 30 mins but it was freezing air, no heat.

So doesn't the hot air come from the exhaust then and get guided into chambers for hot air in the interior? Could it be a simple case of no water in the tank then if it worsk in the way you've described??? OMG cylinder head gasket blow!!!!

[T600]

So doesn't the hot air come from the exhaust then and get guided into chambers for hot air in the interior? Could it be a simple case of no water in the tank then if it worsk in the way you've described??? OMG cylinder head gasket blow!!!!

The heat comes from the water that is circulating the radiator and engine.

What readings do you get on your water temp gauge? Could be a thermostat problem - i.e. the water is going through the radiator when it's not hot enough to require it - hence too cold for your heater.

What kind of heater control do you have - a mechanical slider / knob or is it an electronically controlled system. If the former, which I guess it probably is, the slider operates a valve to control how much water is diverted into the heater. When I got my Celica the mechanism for that was broken so turning the knob was having no effect on the temperature.

[mikemp]

You probably don't want to hear this but I had a similar problem last spring with a 2002 Avensis VVTi - turns out that the interior heater box was broken. Dealer repaired for about 300 euro but it went after a couple of months. Needed a new heater box - Toyota Ireland list price of said item was approx 1400 euro. Unbelievable.

Wrote a stinky letter to Toyota cos this is just one of a long line of problems I've had but got a standard reply (you're the exception to our wonderful quality etc etc) and they also told me my steering couldn't be squeaky after checking my chassis number - I guess all this time I must have been imagining it :censor:

Happily the dealer was able to source a second hand heater box which is working fine .. touch wood. Trouble is it took 2 full days to take out the old box and put in the new one so I was still looking at a huge repair bill with all the labour.

I hope your problem isn't the same....

[Mrdoody]

Hi Everyone,

Thankfully it isn't what you described mikemp. I went and checked the water level, the header plastic tank where I fill it up was just about at the bottom and I could only just see the water level.

I filled it up, and was advised to squeeze the pipes around the engine where the water flows and leave the engine running without the cap to disperse the air in case of airlock in the system.

Lo and behold, the heaters warmed up just nice and all was restored. However, later on, it diminished again so I checked the water level again and it had gone down to half way in the header tank. I thought maybe it was just filling up the system since my top up. So I filled it again and it seems fine now, it hasn't faltered since. I will check level of water again later to make sure it hasn't dropped again.

I've also bought some radweld and some anti freeze/heat too, cos I'm sure I have mostly water in the system atm which could freeze and expand the pipes, causing splits etc.

Anyways, thank you for all of your help. Perhaps someone in any similar situation reading this can try what I did. It's by far the cheapest fix lol, not a penny. Did it all myself. Thank you all!

[Johnnyraz]

Hi Everyone,

Thankfully it isn't what you described mikemp. I went and checked the water level, the header plastic tank where I fill it up was just about at the bottom and I could only just see the water level.

I filled it up, and was advised to squeeze the pipes around the engine where the water flows and leave the engine running without the cap to disperse the air in case of airlock in the system.

Lo and behold, the heaters warmed up just nice and all was restored. However, later on, it diminished again so I checked the water level again and it had gone down to half way in the header tank. I thought maybe it was just filling up the system since my top up. So I filled it again and it seems fine now, it hasn't faltered since. I will check level of water again later to make sure it hasn't dropped again.

I've also bought some radweld and some anti freeze/heat too, cos I'm sure I have mostly water in the system atm which could freeze and expand the pipes, causing splits etc.

Anyways, thank you for all of your help. Perhaps someone in any similar situation reading this can try what I did. It's by far the cheapest fix lol, not a penny. Did it all myself. Thank you all!

Hi Mrdoody,

I seem to have developed the same problem as what you had , Can you just clarify to me where exactly you were topping up the water .

It's no fun driving in this cold weather with no hot air .

Thanks

Johnnyraz

[Mrdoody]

Hi Everyone,

Thankfully it isn't what you described mikemp. I went and checked the water level, the header plastic tank where I fill it up was just about at the bottom and I could only just see the water level.

I filled it up, and was advised to squeeze the pipes around the engine where the water flows and leave the engine running without the cap to disperse the air in case of airlock in the system.

Lo and behold, the heaters warmed up just nice and all was restored. However, later on, it diminished again so I checked the water level again and it had gone down to half way in the header tank. I thought maybe it was just filling up the system since my top up. So I filled it again and it seems fine now, it hasn't faltered since. I will check level of water again later to make sure it hasn't dropped again.

I've also bought some radweld and some anti freeze/heat too, cos I'm sure I have mostly water in the system atm which could freeze and expand the pipes, causing splits etc.

Anyways, thank you for all of your help. Perhaps someone in any similar situation reading this can try what I did. It's by far the cheapest fix lol, not a penny. Did it all myself. Thank you all!

Hi Mrdoody,

I seem to have developed the same problem as what you had , Can you just clarify to me where exactly you were topping up the water .

It's no fun driving in this cold weather with no hot air .

Thanks

Johnnyraz

All I did was top up the water in the header tank and let the water go through and keep topping up until the level doesn't drop, it then blows the warm air again. Also remember that your middle blowers will blow cold air if you've got the air dial set to blow on the windscreen. You need have it facing for blowing air into the car through the middle for the air to turn to warm.

Cheers

[Johnnyraz]

Cheers Mrdoody ,

Just checked it now and it is bone dry will top it up and let you know how I get on

[Q.S.]

Cheers Mrdoody ,

Just checked it now and it is bone dry will top it up and let you know how I get on

I can't believe just how many people simply never look under their bonnets until something goes wrong ! If the coolant is going down, it is going somewhere, leaking externally or internally. Check your oil and water at least once a week, it could save you an expensive repair bill.

[Johnnyraz]

I am one of those people who never look under my bonnet , thats what I pay a mechanic for .

Anyways topped it up and problem has been solved , thanks again Mrdoody .

I'll keep an eye on it as I reckon I may have a leak

[Q.S.]

I am one of those people who never look under my bonnet , thats what I pay a mechanic for .

Anyways topped it up and problem has been solved , thanks again Mrdoody .

I'll keep an eye on it as I reckon I may have a leak

There is a big difference between paying the mechanic £50 to repair a leak and £1500 to repair your engine when it overheats, blows the head gasket and warps the cylinder head simply through the lack of coolant or kanckers the crankshaft from lack of lubricant.

[Johnnyraz]

I am one of those people who never look under my bonnet , thats what I pay a mechanic for .

Anyways topped it up and problem has been solved , thanks again Mrdoody .

I'll keep an eye on it as I reckon I may have a leak

There is a big difference between paying the mechanic £50 to repair a leak and £1500 to repair your engine when it overheats, blows the head gasket and warps the cylinder head simply through the lack of coolant or kanckers the crankshaft from lack of lubricant.

Fair point Q.S. , I can't argue with that , I'm just not mechanically minded .

I will in future make a point of checking these things on a weekly basis .

[Mrdoody]

I had the same problem and used radweld. Not sure if I should have done beause these cars don't have the pressurised water in the fill up tank, they have a header tank which the engine feeds from. I ended up with a lot of floating bits on the bottom of the header water tank, but it seemed to have taken the worst of the leak away and now I just top up every 2 weeks.

I'm sure you can put radweld straight into the actual radiator when the engine is cool, at least then it's straight into the water system to repair any holes. Be sure that you run the engine after putting it in tho, so it reaches all the right places before setting and sealing.

[irishjay]

HEAD GASKET IS GONE similar thing happened to me ,, i do loads of miles a week as im a taxi driver ,, if your coolant level goes down , bring it straight to MR T for a pressure test , hopefully is might be a faulty expansion tank (coolant bottle) if youre lucky , but mine was head gasket

[moonstone mart]

HEAD GASKET IS GONE similar thing happened to me ,, i do loads of miles a week as im a taxi driver ,, if your coolant level goes down , bring it straight to MR T for a pressure test , hopefully is might be a faulty expansion tank (coolant bottle) if youre lucky , but mine was head gasket

Just because it is using coolant it doesnt automatically mean the headgasket has gone Jay.

With it being a 1.8VVTi i would suggest checking around the waterpump for a coolant leak if it still uses coolant.

Also a good check of the rad,hoses and heater matrix would be good.

Mart :)

[AdReNaLiN_RiCo]

Same with my celica 190, exact same probs with no heating, loosing coolant i keep getting it bled and topped up and it will work for a day then tell tale sign everything has went pear shaped is when the heater blows cold. I've had it pressure tested and all seemed fine according to the mechanic :s but i'll let youz know what the final outcome is, i think there must be a leak somewhere.........

[steven8489]

Same with my celica 190, exact same probs with no heating, loosing coolant i keep getting it bled and topped up and it will work for a day then tell tale sign everything has went pear shaped is when the heater blows cold. I've had it pressure tested and all seemed fine according to the mechanic :s but i'll let youz know what the final outcome is, i think there must be a leak somewhere.........

Same with celica 190.. Realised no hot air so i got my brother to have a look at it and i'm losing water from my thermostat gasket (o-ring seal). This has caused air to get into the system so i've had to bleed the system just to get the water running through the rad pipes properly...New thermostat and gasket ordered..I will keep you posted..

[AdReNaLiN_RiCo]

Same with my celica 190, exact same probs with no heating, loosing coolant i keep getting it bled and topped up and it will work for a day then tell tale sign everything has went pear shaped is when the heater blows cold. I've had it pressure tested and all seemed fine according to the mechanic :s but i'll let youz know what the final outcome is, i think there must be a leak somewhere.........

Same with celica 190.. Realised no hot air so i got my brother to have a look at it and i'm losing water from my thermostat gasket (o-ring seal). This has caused air to get into the system so i've had to bleed the system just to get the water running through the rad pipes properly...New thermostat and gasket ordered..I will keep you posted..

well according to my mechanic my thermostat was shot, whilst getting that out he said my pump was on its way as well so now i have a new thermostat, new pump, new coolant and new auxillary belt and low and behold........its still goosed, leak somehere is the next issue, another £100 down the toilet :ffs:

[Q.S.]

Same with my celica 190, exact same probs with no heating, loosing coolant i keep getting it bled and topped up and it will work for a day then tell tale sign everything has went pear shaped is when the heater blows cold. I've had it pressure tested and all seemed fine according to the mechanic :s but i'll let youz know what the final outcome is, i think there must be a leak somewhere.........

Maybe you should get a new mechanic? Pressure test should show up a leak even if you can't see where it's leaking from. If it's the head gasket, a hydrocarbons check of the cooling system should show something, other than that there may be signs of water in the oil, oil in the water or excessive water vapour in the exhaust gases.

Your water has got to be going somewhere.

[AdReNaLiN_RiCo]

well the mechanic must have been talking **** because i have chucked 2 bottles of rad weld into the coolant at the little cost of a tenner and its slowed down if not stopped the coolant loss, (atleast that gives me something to work on), he previously told me the coolant was being lost due to it boiling over