I recently had my 1996 Chevy Blazer in the shop for transmission repairs. The mechanic noticed something that I had just began to notice myself, that my car was not getting heat. The engine gets up to temperature, and the coolant level is right where it needs to be.

I drove the car on the highway for about 25 miles and the heat started to kick in a little bit, but when I slowed back down it got cold again.

The mechanic thought there might be an ice blockage in the heater core. Is there anyway I might be able to disolve that blockage quickly?

Thanks.
DC

Have you checked the freeze protection level of the anti-freeze? Never mind the heater, this is real trouble for the engine. Radiator and core would freeze first. Block will take more exposure and time as it hold heat longer.

If this icing is external just warm up the Blazer an cover the front with a blanket or tarp as the cooling engine will make enough heat to melt away external ice.

If you got caught in the wicked cold with the rain as it did here that can happen. Take the vehicle in to a warm garage would be the fastest way out of this. This external ice problem doesn't happen often one the vehicle has warmed up once and works. Just shutting if off breaks up ice on my own where air comes in up by the wipers and can collect.

Good luck. You must be with the millions of folks out there with this ice/snow/freezing rain mess that just happened,

T
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/

I don't know too terribly much about cars, but I do know what the transmission mechanic told me. I had a crappy repairman do my cooling system when I got the car, and they forgot to fill it with antifreeze, just water, so naturally water freezes....He said it was inside the heater core, but nothing else in the cooling system was frozen....

Would sitting it in a warm garage loosen up the ice if it's internal?

Thanks so much for your input

YES - AND DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TODAY GO GET SOME CONCENTRATED PRESTONE LIKE ANTI-FREEZE AND SUCK OUT COOLANT OR DRAIN ENOUGH TO ADD A WHOLE GALLON. THAT WOULD BIDE YOU OVER FOR NOW - MAKE SURE IT'S FULL AT RADIATOR CAP NOT JUST TANK. IT NEEDS TO BE WARMED UP WITH CAP OFF RAD TO GET MOST OF THE AIR OUT - WATCH OUT AS IT CAN BURP AT YOU WHILE IT DOES THIS.

This will buy you time if you need it. Otherwise if warm enough to make a run for it go get it drained and changed now to the prescribed 50/50 = -34F protection. You don't need to keep it Dex-Cool if you don't want - it is red and most are green. They can even mix but the color looks brown if that happens but still works as anti-freeze.

This is a bad week for car problems so get right on this. If it's way too cold to drive it again then get help. You may not have damage now and can ward that off if you act NOW! If it's cold enough where you are I wouldn't even have it towed right now as if it gets left out or takes too long it will hurt it. It's better off running, heat full without fan, and cardboard over radiator but watch the temp gauge if you make a run for it in the cold. That's sounds extreme but the problem is extreme.

It was -2.8F here west of Boston last night and that's too much!

Good luck and do take care of this now.

READERS OF THIS POST: THIS IS FOR AN EMERGENCY WHEN MECHANICAL HELP MAY NOT BE RIGHT AT HAND. ALL THIS SHOULD BE AVOIDED AHEAD OF COLD WEATHER,

T
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/