Technical Heat- or the lack of it - UPDATE

I thought I was read for winter this year after installing a interior and a Vintage Air init in the old beater, I drove the car to the Saturday hot rod breakfast this morning and with the temperature hovering around 36 degrees I decided to try the heat out, I drove about 15 miles and the air never got even warm.

I have a block off to keep the hot water from running through the unit during the summer and I opened the valve, still no heat.

I believe my thermostat may be the problem, the temperature on the gauge never got about 160 degree and I'm just spitballing here but I probably have a 180 od higher degree thermostat.

There is plenty of water & antifreeze in the radiator.

Is there anything else I need to look at? HRP

 

Thermostat stuck open.

 

Check your flow through your heater hoses. I’d think even at 160 degrees you’d be feeling quite a bit of heat.
Is the switch for unit actually turning the unit to heat?
Pull the units outflow by removing the heater hose going back to the engine and check to see if the switch is activating the unit.
Poor southern boy cold. Omg.

 

Where are the heater hoses connected on the engine? And what does the AC unit use to control the heat? Some modern ones have a control valve that's integrated into the control system, and you turn the HEAT knob up to get more water flow. But there are several different systems they make, and we'd need to know exactly what you have to make better guesses.

160 degrees engine heat is plenty to keep you warm, if the heater is working.

 

all the old accessory heaters had a bleeder on top , they wont circulate with air in the system, do you have a bleeder?

 

I've never seen a bleeder on a heater. One hose in, one hose out, the water from the "hot" side of the engine has more pressure than the water going out of the heater into the water pump inlet. The pressure difference is what makes the water circulate through the heater.

 

Agree.

 

My first guess would be cavitation...air in the heater hoses...especially if you heater core inlets/outlets are high up on the firewall. They would have a hard time getting water if they are high enough and the water level in the radiator was a little low. Just a thought.

 

Put your hand around the heater hoses. Is one hotter than the other one? If it is, flush out the heater core. A buddy of mine would just drive into a car wash bay, unhook the heater hoses and blast through with the wash wand. Of course, this is in Canada in the dead of winter and that was a semi-warm place to work.

 

I have a Zip's riser which has a bleeder valve at the top of the riser, this setup uses a Chevrolet 6 cylinder water pump. HRP

 

Some old heaters, such as Hadees, had a bleeder valve at the top to vent the system and not have an air lock or bubble in the core. As suggested check both hoses for equal heat, make sure any water heat valve is open, if it is a a/c -heat combo is it doing the correct function.

 

I just installed a Vintage Air heat and air unit in my 47 Buick. Is your heater valve on the hose an electric one? Lippy

 

goldmountain, HRP doesn't have a heater core in his Deuce. He has a brand new Vintage Air system. Reread HRP's original post. The heat/cool coil is in the Evaporator unit.

 

He just telling us how cool his ride is....

 

New heater or old heater they all have a heater core, if it is at the highest point it can have an air lock.

Old Hadees heater - with air bleed at the top;

 

Air can be trapped in a high point,
on a closed system.
I've cracked hose connections open and bled air on 'custom' read: higher mounted heater cores.

 

That would mean he’s bragging again...

r


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Is it an under dash unit? Lippy

 

Jim, I have the Vintage Air Gen Air II

One hose is attached to the water pump the other hose is attached to the intake. HRP

 

The unit is new and shouldn't have any obstruction. I also flushed the radiator while I was installing the system. HRP

 

I installed it in the dash, the controls are under the dash. HRP

 

Where on the intake is the line attached? Post a picture. Like was said earlier, is one hose hotter than the other going to the heater?

 

LOL,you live in bumphucked ejiup,I never have those prob.s
I just hind if it feels like I should have socks on for one day a year,it's Miami,we don't do socks.

 

Rick, that's exactly why we live in the South, I hate winter and cold weather. HRP

 

I took a photo but it's pretty crappy, I'll try again after dinner. HRP

 

this valve is supposed to have a cable connected to control it? Did you manually move it from one position to the other and check for heat? and back again the other way and check for heat?

 

If the inlet / return hoses are hot/warm, I would check to see if the "blend" door in the unit is moving when you operate the temperature control. If it isn't moving/ stuck, then air is not flowing over the heated coils. Might be an air problem rather than a coolant problem.

 

When did Vintage Air start using Blend doors? that's news to me

 

Yes sir, it didn't make any difference, I do realize I neglected to add the cable to control the valve and intend to do that in the future but it didn't seem to make any difference, BTW, the air worked great back in July & August. HRP

 

If you are running around 160 degF, you will get heat if you are circulating fluid. Are BOTH hoses hot where they enter the firewall? One may be a bit warmer but both need to be quite warm. If they are not, you are not moving fluid through the core. Obstruction or air lock. (We are pretty particular about heaters where I live......)