Stoopid car Stop blowing cold air

[TurtleMeister]

Over the past 20 years or so I've had this exact same problem with two different vehicles. The culprit in both cases was trapped air. This happens sometimes when the system is not bled properly after a coolant flush. Have you had the cooling system serviced or flushed recently? One common point where air becomes trapped is where the line goes through the firewall to the heater core. There is usually a bleeder at that location and it's the first thing I would try since it is usually easy to get to. But I have heard that there are other points in the cooling system of some vehicles where air can become trapped.

 

[snowghost]

Trapped air usually happens when the heater core is higher than the fill on the radiator. Minivans and some SUV's have this as a common problem. The vehicle here is a grand prix and this should not be a problem. If they have been driving the car without leaks (so no air gets into the system) this shouldn't be the problem. If they had changed coolant or replaced a component recently then air could have been introduced. One quick test you can try is to open the radiator cap (WHEN COOL!) and start the engine and while some one revs the engine, look for swirling or movement in the radiator. Its a down and dirty test but you should see quite a bit of movement. A bad pump may still move it some not just as much. Once again, make sure the engine is COOL. Sometimes there is a bleeder on the head near a rear coolant passage or near the thermostat housing but i don't think the grand prixs had them. Least I don't remember seeing any there.

 

[FtlIsAwesome]

Stoopid car! Stop blowing cold air :(

Um... why would cold air bother you?

You're from the Antarctic, right?

 

[edward]

Try to grab both heater hoses in you hands when the engine is hot and heater turned on.

They should both feel hot. If one is much cooler than the other there is nothing or very little flowing through your heater core. The extra engine speed 3000 rpm, forces more water through.

I think someone already mentioned the blend door.

 

[rhody]

For the record the OP, Peng has told me that:

They replaced the radiator, hose, thermostats, and something else, and it's working fine for now.

His original issue has been addressed. So, where do we go from here ?

Rhody...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For the record the OP, Peng has told me that:

His original issue has been addressed. So, where do we go from here ?

Rhody...

Replace the engine, body, drivetrain, and chassis, with Toyota parts?

Sell it before it breaks again?

Burn it and report it stolen?

 

[Proton Soup]

Try to grab both heater hoses in you hands when the engine is hot and heater turned on.

They should both feel hot. If one is much cooler than the other there is nothing or very little flowing through your heater core. The extra engine speed 3000 rpm, forces more water through.

I think someone already mentioned the blend door.

hmm, if there were a leaky vacuum, might the extra engine speed help there?

when I've had vacuum problems though, it always screws up my A/C.

 

[snowghost]

water pump
The high rpm before feeling the heat is a typical sign of a water pump going bad.