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Heater Core Information

Automotive Heater Cores
If your car is water-cooled and has a heater will have a heater core at its means of heating the interior of a car or truck. A heater core is like a miniature radiator. Hot engine coolant us pumped from the water pump through the engine, radiator and heater core.

When you turn the heater on air from the blower motor is forced through the heater core where it gets heated up from the engine coolant and is passed into the cabin. To adjust how hot the cabin gets is a lever or valve that adjust the amount of coolant passing through the heater core. On cars equipped with a heater valve, the more coolant allowed passing through the heater core the warmer the air coming form the heater would be.

On cars equipped with acc computer controlled heaters, the air temperature is controlled by a multitude of flaps, and the heater core always has hot coolant running thru it. Over time, like your radiator, the heater core can eventually develop leaks and stop working. If you notice a loss of heating and a sweet smell from the vent this is an indication of a leaking heater core. It is important to get this fixed quickly because like a leaky radiator this could lead to the engine overheating and causing possible damage. Replacing a heater core is usually a difficult process as it is located behind the dashboard.