no heat, 83 subaru gl wagon

[tompalushock]

I have the dial turned to heat[orange], put on the defroster or heater, and i hear the fan[also the a/c compressor kicks on], but cold air is blowing out of the vents, except for the lower ones by my legs, the air is warmer, but not hot, any body have any ideas or suggestions? It seems like all my hoses are connected, but i did not check the one near the passenger side[could this be the problem? Any suggestions, please reply thank you!!

[subiemech85]

the usual stuff

cardboard in front of rad

coolant mixture

thermometer

check operating temp

[Carter]

You're in Florida, and you need heat? Anyway, if the blower motor is working, the biggest culprit for no heat is low radiator fluid volume. My '84 EA81 wagon never really put out a lot of heat through either the defroster or heater vents, but it put out none when the fluid in the radiator was below spec--the anitifreeze/water mix couldn't get into the heater core.

[Meeky Moose]

when i first got my hatch from the junkyard, it wouldn't blow hardly anything at all.. i found that a family of mice had made thier home inside the blower motor, the ac core, and all of the tubing connected under the dash.. i had to take apart the hole thing under the dash and clean it out.. i got a 5 gallon buccket of crap outa there.. now the heat and ac work like new (almost) i still need to take apart the vents in the dash cause they are partially plugged ..

 

maybe you had the same happen.. at least a possibility.. and check the other things mentioned as well.. coolant level, etc.. might even verify that the temp control switch is acctually moving the valve that lets hot water into the system..

[SubSandRail]

1. Determine that hot coolant is getting to the heater core by warming up the engine and grabbing the water hoses to see if they are warm. If they are hot, jump to step 6.

 

2. If they are cold, disconnect both water hoses at the engine and try to force water through with a garden hose. If water does not come shooting out the "OUT" hose, try it the other direction. I've had junk stuck that came out when I forced water through the heater core & hoses the wrong direction.

 

3. If there is still no water flow, remove the hoses and test them individually. I have seen hoses that look good on the outside collapse from the inside. The fiber comes loose from the rubber and wadds up and plugs the hose.

 

4. If the hoses are OK, force water through the core by itself. I have had deposites build up in there that restricted flow. If high pressure does not blow it out, try forcing a skinny plumbers snake though to clear it.

 

5. If the water flow in the hoses and core is OK but the hoses were cold. check the engine for blocked outlet. Let the engine cool, remove the radiator hose that has the thermostat, and force water from the garden hose into the heater connections on the block while blocking the other connection. Water should come bubbling out the radiator connection. Try both sides. If it does not flow, do a cooland flush. Sometimes a pressure washer will get the passages unplugged.

 

6. If the hoses are hot to the touch, you probably have an airflow problem. In the EA-81, there is plastic ducting inside the dash. If the pieces are not connected together, you are just heating the inside of your dash. Someone already mentioned checking for animal nests.

 

 

Most of this comes from fixing non-Subaru heating problems. because my 83 wagon has always worked. Feel free to jump in with corrections or advice specific to the 80's subaru.

 

SubSandRail

[ShawnW]

Slide the vent lever closed.

 

Also where is the coolant gauge pointing? If it is pointed at normal and you have luke warm air then you could have coolant of the wrong mixture or you could have a clogged heater core.

 

The slide lever for the heater controls works best in the 2nd from the left and the HEAT (Floor) settings on most of my old Subaru's of the past.

 

Also check the coolant level. The radiator shouldnt be brim full but it should be full to the level of the first fin you can see when looking down thru. If it isn't you probably have an air bubble somewhere causing the coolant to not circulate.