what causes a heater to go bad?

[AsianA408]

my heater blows ECON air from outside, it doesnt warm up, maybe for like 30 seconds its hot and then just air. any help?

[MacDaddy]

you mean your A/C isn't working? either a sensor or low charge.

[Ruggedboy]

I don’t think he mean’s his A/C.
Your heater core could be clogged & not able to circulate your coolant.
Has it worked before?
What color is your coolant, is it dirty? These are the things you need to look for.

[Audi Skate Snow]

heater core. all a heater is is a blowfan infront of a heater core. the heater core allows coolant to pass throw it and the fan blows through it venting hot air.

so really somethings probably up with your heater core. Any smell of mildew or anything?

[MacDaddy]

whats he talking about "econ" (a/c off) for?

[obijohn22]

it could be a number of things based on your brief description. An auto climate control unit uses in cabin temperature readings and uses "trap doors" to force airflow through the heater core, air conditioning condensor, or outside air. Or any combination of the three. Typically when this type of problem happens, it is a control unit problem, or a mechanical problem with the trap doors. I am not sure if it will throw a code but check with Vag Com and see. If it starts out hot and then turns cold i would rule out the heater core. good luck

[Audi Skate Snow]

could be your blend door is inop.

[JDM EJ1 95]

whats the engine temp gauge do while this is happening?

a thermostat that is stuck open can cause this issue as well.

[MacDaddy]

whats the engine temp gauge do while this is happening?

a thermostat that is stuck open can cause this issue as well.

lol, reminds me of my old t-stat, car took forever to warm up, got really hot when it did warm up and icey cold on a long drive down the freeway.

[AsianA408]

sorry guys, basically
the heater turns on for a good 30 seconds of hot air then dies, and it only blows air. temp wise it feels like its outside air.
the gauge on my car is round 225 degrees constantly.
my coolant is greenish.

does this help guys?

[Silver Bullitt]

Yeah mine was the same. Just fixed it last weekend though.

I think if you are getting cold AC and then short periods of heat for 10-30 seconds that kinda proves your blend door is fine. You can also hear the door moving. And if your temp gauge is reading normal and your car is running fine that kinda eliminates the thermostat theory, IMHO. For me I had cold AC, and heat for like 10 seconds when the engine was warm. Both inlet and outlet hoses from the heater core felt hot. I did a simple core flush (took like 30 minutes total but could do it in 10 now) and now my heat is working like a champ. I would say I got about 4 tablespoons worth of deposits to come out with flushing it both ways back and forth with a rigged up garden hose.
As far as the greenish fluid goes, someone can correct me, but it sounds like you are not running G12 which should be reddish. From my research running non G12 will cause things to gunk up (ie clog your heater core)

Good luck.

[MacDaddy]

i would flush that cooling system if there is green coolant in there, even if its the green color coolant that "mixes with all makes" they don't always mix.

I didn't use G12, i used the red turbo power stuff, which is what you want because its free of nitrates, sulfates, etc etc which is all stuff found in green coolant that can damage gaskets and seals in the audi's engine. The red turbo power uses organic acid technology which makes it safe for any cooling system.

[JDM EJ1 95]

dex cool is fine too