No heat on panel setting

[scottxd45]

I just picked up a '89 festiva after years of being without one. I've got an issue with it. The heater is not very hot on any setting but when I set the mode all the way to the left on panel vents there is no heat at all. What can cause this? I check to make sure the blend door isn't moving with the mode lever for some weird reason. No problem found there.


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[bravekozak]

Thread 6901.

Heat only comes out the floor ducts.

Could also likely be that your rad is plugged up.

[Chobobulous]

This topic is stickied somewhere. You know that heat only comes down to your feet and up to the Window right. No heat will come out the front facing vents.

[old yellow]

This topic is stickied somewhere. You know that heat only comes down to your feet and up to the Window right. No heat will come out the front facing vents.

may have not understood what you just said Choboulous, but heat will only come out in defroster, defroster/floor and floor modes only.... that was not a defect of the Festiva it was intentional

as for not much heat, check to see if you have a single stage thermostat as it is the wrong one... also make sure it is not part way closed/opened.... and If you see that you need to replace it, be sure the replacement one is a two stage thermostat or you will have the same problem, little amount of heat!

[Chobobulous]

no, heat will only come out in defroster, defroster/floor and floor modes only.... that was not a defect of the festiva

That is what I was saying Lol.

[GenevaDirt]

may have not understood what you just said Choboulous, but heat will only come out in defroster, defroster/floor and floor modes only.... that was not a defect of the Festiva it was intentional

as for not much heat, check to see if you have a single stage thermostat as it is the wrong one... also make sure it is not part way closed/opened.... and If you see that you need to replace it, be sure the replacement one is a two stage thermostat or you will have the same problem, little amount of heat!

I see people post this all the time, but I have found it to be incorrect. I have had numerous Festy's and I have only had one with a dual stage thermostat. The one I currently own....and it by far has the worst heat I have ever had in a Festy. If you have a proper working system (clean heater core and good flowing radiator and working water pump) you will have no problems with heat. I have had a couple that I could not turn the heat up all the way in or you would roast and they had regular thermostats

[gottafesty]

My dual stage worked fine. I don't have any experience with a single stage in a festiva.

[scottxd45]

No heat on panel setting

Ok I had forgotten about the heat only coming out the defrost and floor. Thanks. As far as the thermostat, that is the first thought I had and after reading the sticky about dual stage thermostats (something I have never heard of and I was ase master certified at one point) I went to napa and they had only one and it said it was original equipment. The employees there never heard of a dual stage thermostat either. Anyway, I bought it and put it in. The other one wasn't bad but was rated 190 and this new one is 195. It get slightly warmer now. Still just barely gets over the line about the cold mark. I will look at it more later but for now it's sufficient heat considering its -3 this morning.


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[bravekozak]

Dual stage thermostat is almost inconsequential for more heat. It's purpose is only to regulate the temperature within a narrower range. It does slow down he flow a bit because the holes are smaller. Flush your system in both directions and install a new rad. In the past rads used to have brass reservoirs and could be boiled out with caustic at high temperature. You can't do that with plastic reservoirs.

[skeeters_keeper]

installing a new rad won't help the heat in the car. If the tstat is working properly (dual stage or not) coolant will flow through the heater core before the tstat opens. Just because your temp gauge is reading low doesn't mean that the coolant temp is low either, mine gets to 195* and the gauge reads the same as yours in the picture - it could either be a bad sensor or connection, or gauge (least likely). Cleaning the connection on mine helped a little...

The best thing you can probably do is the cascade flush. Forward and reverse through the heater core. This topic has been beaten to death in the other thread.

[TominMO]

+1 on just using a single-stage thermostat. Get the slightly more expensive of the two Stant ones. For some reason this is a big controversy here. Just make sure it's a 190* or higher thermostat.

Other things you can do:
1. partially cover the rad with cardboard.
2. cover the air intakes in the bumper and grill. In the winter, i just leave the upper driver's side slit open in the grill.
3. wait until the car warms up while idling, so you get to operating temp.

[bhazard]

Full grill block. Including the bumper.

[neanderpaul]

Full grill block. Including the bumper.

Jim says this exacerbates the problem creating hot spots in the engine. The solution is the cascade flush according to Jim.

[bhazard]

Well I didn't say not to flush. Flush flush and flush, then block. Has never caused me an issue on any car I do it on. If it gets too hot, the fan will pull from wherever. Usually when its 0 out its not needed.

[GenevaDirt]

You can flush all you want but if the heater core is plugged from the outside...debris from years of sucking in dirt and stuff, meeces...ect. Then you have to get to the core and unclog it somehow...either dash removal...or I read another thread where the person was able to go through the vent tubes and suck stuff out. What ever it takes.