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How does the heating system work in a car?

Author: Liang

May. 06, 2024

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How Do Your Car's A/C and Heater Work?

How Do Your Car’s A/C and Heater Work?

Weather is normally fairly temperate here in Western Washington, but there are definitely days when you want your car’s air conditioning and heating to work. The best way to make sure your equipment is ready when you need it most is to keep up with a regular automotive HVAC maintenance schedule, as well as, repair problems as soon as possible. It also helps to understand a little bit more about how your heater and AC work. Learn more about the two systems below to increase your chances of spotting problems before they get too severe.

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How Does a Car’s A/C Work?

At one time people used to use ice to help keep their cars cool, but the technology that pushes delightfully cold air out of your vents today is more sophisticated than that. The refreshing air you feel on a hot day actually started out as hot air, but has had the heat removed from it during a process with multiple steps. You don’t need to get too much into the science to understand a high-level explanation of how this process occurs. To start, it’s good to know which common parts make up your car’s air conditioning system and work to put the refrigerant to use.

  • HVAC Control Panel
  • Compressor
  • Condenser
  • Accumulator
  • Expansion Valve
  • Evaporator
  • Blower Motor

Those parts all spring into action when you turn on your car’s AC unit through the HVAC control panel. The compressor constricts the refrigerant, and it begins to lose heat as it passes through the condenser. The receiver and dryer remove contaminants and moisture, then the refrigerant enters the expansion valve or accumulator.

All the while, the refrigerant is becoming depressurized and getting cooler. Finally, refrigerant makes its way to your evaporator, which removes any remaining moisture and cools the temperature even further. From there, the ventilation system’s motor blows air over the evaporator, making it cold before pushing it out of your car’s vents.

 

How Often Should My Car’s AC Be Recharged?

As you can see from the process above, the refrigerant is absolutely critical for a functioning air conditioner. Over time, however, your system is likely to lose some refrigerant and eventually start running low. At that point, you will start to notice that the air coming out of the vents is not as cool as it was before. That’s a sign that something has gone wrong in your AC system, and the refrigerant has started to escape.

Bring your vehicle in for an inspection, and an experienced auto mechanic will be able to determine the cause of problem that has allowed your vehicle’s refrigerant to escape. From there, they’ll be able to fix the problem so it doesn’t happen again. Finally, they’ll add more refrigerant to your system, and your car’s AC system will be restored. Then you’ll be prepared for a cool, refreshing day the next time things heat up here in Washington.

 

How Often Should I Get My Car’s A/C Inspected?

If you want to be as sure as possible that your car’s air conditioner will be working next time you need it, it is a good idea to get the system inspected whenever you take your car in for other regular checkups. As with just about anything else, preventative maintenance can help you avoid bigger, more expensive problems down the road. Otherwise, you’ll know it is time to get your car’s air conditioning system inspected whenever it starts failing to keep you cool on the hottest days of the year. This could mean that your car takes too long to get cold, or that the air conditioner simply never gets cool enough.

 

How Does a Car’s Heater Work?

Your heater is part of a system that accomplishes two things. In addition to heating your vehicle, it also helps to keep the car’s engine cool. In other words, your car’s heater is connected to some very important functions that go beyond just keeping you and your passengers comfortable during your commute. There are a few key components when it comes to understanding how your vehicle’s heater works:

  • Heater Core
  • Blower Motor
  • Heater Hoses
  • Heater Control Valve
  • HVAC Control Panel


Additionally, your heater interacts with the coolant, thermostat, radiator, and water pump in your vehicle’s cooling system. The heat generated by the engine needs somewhere to go so that the engine doesn’t get too hot, while you want to be warmer. This makes your car’s heating system somewhat of a win-win situation. Majority of the heat generated from your engine goes out of through the exhaust system. However, the rest of it is transferred into the coolant inside your HVAC system. This coolant is transferred much in the same way refrigerant moves to create cool air when the air conditioner is on.

The warmth from the engine goes from the radiator to the heater core, which basically acts as a heat exchanger. It allows coolant to flow through, and this flow of coolant is regulated by the heater control valve. As the engine’s heat is carried by coolant into the heater core, the device starts to get warm. Depending on the levels at which you set your HVAC control panel, the blower motor will force air over the heater core and into your cabin at the appropriate speed.

 

How Often Do I Need New Coolant in My Car?

It’s very important for the coolant level to stay full, and to make sure there are no leaks in your heater hoses. It’s also a good idea to have your coolant flushed and refilled regularly to make sure that your engine can be cooled, and your cabin can be heated efficiently. Typically, we recommend changing the coolant in your car about every 30,000 miles, but it certainly can’t hurt to check on it more often than that.

 

How Often Should My Car’s Heater Be Inspected?

Since the heater is connected to the car’s engine cooling system, it’s important to stay on top of things. As soon as you notice a problem with your vehicle’s heating capabilities, take it to a shop for an inspection to figure out what the problem is. Even if you aren’t having problems, it might not be a bad idea to have the engine cooling system and heater inspected whenever you take your car in for regularly scheduled preventative car maintenance. These consistent checkups will help you rest assured that your car is healthy and everything is functioning as it should be.

 

Maintenance for Japanese Cars

At Greg’s Japanese Auto, we’re committed to providing the best car maintenance in Seattle and throughout Western Washington. We only service Japanese imports, which has allowed us to become extremely specialized. Our team has access to all the tools and experience they need to follow best practices and keep your car in great shape for as long as possible. We know which signs to look for when we run diagnostic tests for your vehicle so that we will be able to solve problems quickly, and get you back on the road as soon as possible. Whether the problem is with your heater, air conditioner, or something else entirely, we’ll get to the bottom of it. Contact us today or schedule your appointment online.

Photo credit: By Alexandru Nika

How It Works: Your car's heating system - Driving.ca

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How It Works: Your car's heating system

With winter on its way, you'll want to make sure the heater in your vehicle is in good shape

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When the weather turns cold, few things on your vehicle seem as important as its heater. Its controls may be on the dash, but the heart of how most of them work begins inside the engine with its cooling system.

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Regular maintenance on that system not only benefits the engine, but can keep your vehicle’s heater in good condition as well.

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How It Works: Your car's heating system

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An engine generates so much heat from combustion and friction that if it isn’t continuously cooled, it can suffer serious damage. Virtually all modern vehicle engines are liquid-cooled, using water blended with antifreeze to reduce corrosion and keep it from freezing.

The coolant is pumped through channels in the engine, called water jackets, where it absorbs heat. It then travels into the radiator where it cools down before going back into the engine in a continuous loop.

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Some of the hot coolant makes a detour from the engine through a water valve and over to the heater core. This is a miniature version of the radiator, with tubes for coolant circulation and cooling fins to dissipate the heat.

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When you turn on the fan, a blower motor sends the air warmed by the heater core into the cabin. To regulate the temperature, small “blend doors” open or close to regulate how much hot or cold air enters the cabin from the heater core or air conditioning unit. There’s also a flap that regulates how much fresh air comes into the climate system from outside.

Setting the system to “Recirculate” closes this outside flap, and the climate system receives only inside air to be heated or cooled. This helps it to reach the desired temperature quickly, and can also prevent outside odours from getting in (flip it closed quickly when you see the dead skunk up ahead!), but leaving it in that position too long can build up condensation and cause the windows to steam up. If too little fresh air comes in, it can also create higher carbon dioxide levels, which can make you drowsy.

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If your vehicle has automatic climate control, it uses sensors to monitor the cabin, and then opens or closes the blend doors and outside flap as needed to maintain the temperature you’ve set. Dual-zone systems, which allow driver and passenger to set different temperatures, operate individual blend doors on either side of the dash.

A series of flap doors also determines where the air goes, and these open or close to adjust the airflow when you change the vent modes between the floor, dash, or defroster vents.

Of course, your heater doesn’t blow hot air as soon as you start the car. The colder it is outside, the longer it takes before you start to feel the warmth – and that’s primarily because of the thermostat, a temperature-sensitive valve located in the cooling system between the engine and the radiator. Engines have an ideal operating temperature that’s generally between 90 and 104 degrees Celsius; below that, they don’t run as efficiently and they emit more pollution. To get there as quickly as possible, the thermostat closes to keep the coolant inside the engine from travelling through the entire cooling system. Once the engine warms up enough, the thermostat opens. That now-warm coolant circulates into the heater core to keep you toasty.

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Coolant eventually breaks down and should be flushed out and replaced according to your vehicle’s maintenance schedule. If it’s ignored for too long it can cause rust and corrosion build-up in the system, which can clog the heater core’s inner tubes and restrict the flow of coolant through it – and that means no heat. If there’s a problem with the heater core, you might also see coolant dripping from below the dash onto the passenger side of the floor, or notice a strong, sweet smell. Prevention is always better than the cure. Many heater cores are buried deep in the dash, and while the part itself isn’t all that expensive, pulling everything apart to replace it drives up the labour cost.

If your heater isn’t heating, other problems can include a failed blower motor, or defective actuators that aren’t operating the blend doors correctly. Other causes can be a faulty engine thermostat, leaks or low coolant level in the cooling system, or a malfunctioning water pump, all of which will also affect the engine’s operation. Many vehicles include a cabin air filter, and if it’s clogged, it can reduce the heater’s efficiency. Most filters are located near the glovebox and your owner’s manual will show you how to replace it.

Lacking a hot engine, most electric cars use electric heaters. Since this cuts into the battery’s range, most can be pre-warmed (or pre-cooled) while they’re charging from a wall outlet. Some include heated seats and steering wheel, and while these are energy hogs, drivers tend to turn down the even-more-power-hungry cabin heater if their hands and butts are warm. Nissan has also developed an energy-efficient heat-pump system for cabin heating and cooling in its battery-powered Leaf. Heaters have been around for a long time, but automakers are always looking at ways to improve them.

Jil McIntosh

Summary

Jil McIntosh specializes in new-car reviews, auto technology and antique cars, including the two 1940s vehicles in her garage. She is currently a freelance Writer at Driving.ca since 2016

· Professional writer for more than 35 years, appearing in some of the top publications in Canada and the U.S.

· Specialties include new-vehicle reviews, old cars and automotive history, automotive news, and “How It Works” columns that explain vehicle features and technology

· Member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) since 2003; voting member for AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Awards; juror on the Women’s World Car of the Year Awards

Education

Jil McIntosh graduated from East York Collegiate in Toronto, and then continued her education at the School of Hard Knocks. Her early jobs including driving a taxi in Toronto; and warranty administration in a new-vehicle dealership, where she also held information classes for customers, explaining the inner mechanical workings of vehicles and their features.

Experience

Jil McIntosh is a freelance writer who has been writing for Driving.ca since 2016, but she’s been a professional writer starting when most cars still had carburetors. At the age of eleven, she had a story published in the defunct Toronto Telegram newspaper, for which she was paid $25; given the short length of the story and the dollar’s buying power at the time, that might have been the relatively best-paid piece she’s ever written.

An old-car enthusiast who owns a 1947 Cadillac and 1949 Studebaker truck, she began her writing career crafting stories for antique-car and hot-rod car club magazines. When the Ontario-based newspaper Old Autos started up in 1987, dedicated to the antique-car hobby, she became a columnist starting with its second issue; the newspaper is still around and she still writes for it. Not long after the Toronto Star launched its Wheels section in 1986 – the first Canadian newspaper to include an auto section – she became one of its regular writers. She started out writing feature stories, and then added “new-vehicle reviewer” to her resume in 1999. She stayed with Wheels, in print and later digital as well, until the publication made a cost-cutting decision to shed its freelance writers. She joined Driving.ca the very next day.

In addition to Driving.ca, she writes for industry-focused publications, including Automotive News Canada and Autosphere. Over the years, her automotive work also appeared in such publications as Cars & Parts, Street Rodder, Canadian Hot Rods, AutoTrader, Sharp, Taxi News, Maclean’s, The Chicago Tribune, Forbes Wheels, Canadian Driver, Sympatico Autos, and Reader’s Digest. Her non-automotive work, covering such topics as travel, food and drink, rural living, fountain pen collecting, and celebrity interviews, has appeared in publications including Harrowsmith, Where New Orleans, Pen World, The Book for Men, Rural Delivery, and Gambit.

Major awards won by the author

2016 AJAC Journalist of the Year; Car Care Canada / CAA Safety Journalism award winner in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013, runner-up in 2021; Pirelli Photography Award 2015; Environmental Journalism Award 2019; Technical Writing Award 2020; Vehicle Testing Review award 2020, runner-up in 2022; Feature Story award winner 2020; inducted into the Street Rodding Hall of Fame in 1994.

Contact info

Email: jil@ca.inter.net

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jilmcintosh/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JilMcIntosh

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