jim010

Lol. Yup, I'm in Edmonton

I will try that. Monday I will pick up a air vacuum from somewhere. Worth a shot before I do the thermostat.

Cosmo Kramer

I edited my post above, to show the one I got from Amazon. It works really well.

jim010

Pricey ...

fpb111

jim010

Ok. I replaced the heater core, which seemed a waste of time, but it at least was husband and wife time on her car. Burped the co plant system.

Then we did the thermostat, which was sticking it seems.

STILL no actual heat. Warm, but no heat. the hoses to the heater core fee, nice and warm, but NOT hot. I am at a loss as to what to do next.

Anyone have an idea? Frustrated ...

Jaycote

Jim, i'm in the same boat as you. The air gets "warm", but not hot. I have a new thermostat and it did nothing to alleviate the symptoms. I'm curious as to how I would diagnose and repair this issue if it was the blend doors/foam. Is that something a regular guy like me to tackle, or does it involve removing the dash and getting into the guts of the car? If anyone has any ideas or tips, please post! Thanks!

jim010

I'm changing out my dash to a leather one with glovebox, so that will be the perfect opportunity to check all the blend doors and ducting. If you are not afraid to disassemble the interior, this is not a big deal, but pulling out the dash is a 2 person job.

There is nothing else to check for me. Either this is how the heating in these cars is, or a blockage in the line? Lines were checked, though. Would love to have another 996 to compare with.

Tyler H

Mine has crappy heat too, even in Tennessee. Turn your blower on high -- do you get showered with foam? If yes, blend door foam is deteriorating. If no, blend door foam deteriorated and is now gone.

Here is a thread on the issue, with links to tackle the issues with or without dash removal:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...oam-at-me.html

jim010

Yes, my foam is deteriorating. I figure I will clean it all up when I pull out the dash.

So heat really is just crappy in our cars?

Tyler H

No, they have excellent heat and air. The metal blend doors are full of speed holes. Once the foam that coats them is gone, these holes allow the hot/cold air to intermix. The fact that the heat or AC works at all is testament to how potent they should be.

jim010

Then that is my last step.

Oh well. A new heater core and thermostat. Guess I can try and sell my heater core. Thermostat was working but crusted up, so probably would have needed one anyway.

I will be ripping out the dash later this month or early May. Thank-you Tyler! This gives me hope. Its cold up here in Alberta ...

Azraely

Hey Jim,

I'm pretty sure you had a look at the my car in the Fall with your wife and son. Anyway I'm in Edmonton and drive my 99 year round, Cabin heat is very effective regardless of outside temperature, so the problem you're experiencing is not due to poorly designed heating or AC

fpb111

jim010

Well at least the sensor may be one more thing to check at least.

I am definitely checking the foam next though. Just need a weekend free to do it.

Azraely, yes that may well have been me! Ok. Good to know that it should put out real heat. So the blend doors foam are making more sense to me as i read the posts.

however, I will say that the hoses leading into and out of the heater core are very warm, but not hot. I can hold them with my hand.

DBJoe996

I'm going to chime in on this - years ago on my car the foam started coming out the vents. I cleaned the little bits out of the vents for months and finally it stopped. I read up on the issue and fixes and decided there was no way I was going to pull the whole dash apart to get to the HVAC unit. And you know what? I have found that it makes no difference. I get very hot air when the heater is on, and very cold air when the AC is on. Before you tear into your car, there has to be some reason that the car is running "cold" (your posts about the engine temperature) and the heater hoses are not getting much more than warm. I have no suggestions on what to look for next, but there has to be a correlation between engine not getting very warm and pathetic heat from the heating system.