‘Is my car’s heat broken, or not?’
The Car Doc weighs in.
Boston.com Cars is your go-to resource for coverage of local car news, events, and reviews. In the market for a car or truck? Check out our new car specials and used car specials curated by our local dealer network.Q. I have a 2007 Honda CR-V. The heat suddenly stopped working a couple of weeks ago. It blew only cold air. After a few days of driving the car, I took it to a mechanic who poked around a bit but didn’t find anything amiss. Then the weirdest thing happened: As I drove away, the heat worked fine. I plan to do a lot of driving over the holidays and don’t want to get stuck without heat. I’m worried that this turn of fortune won’t last. Any thoughts? A. The heater system uses a cable-operated heater control valve and a power temperature air blending door. The heater valve is a quick check and is easily verified if it works or not. The blend door control is a little trickier to check. It is possible the blend was simply stuck and the bang of closing the hood allowed it to move and work. It will take about an hour to inspect the air door motor for proper operation. The biggest problem now is, how do you fix something that isn’t broken?
John Paul, AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor, answers questions from drivers every week. He has 40+ years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE certified master technician.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com