89 Camry Heater not working

[BobA]

I have an 89 Camry Le. When I turn on the heater the fan blows but the air never heats up. The A/C works, but with the A/C off no heat in any position of the temperature lever.

I checked the fuses and they all look good.

Does any one have some trouble shooting steps to help figure this out.

Thanks,
-B

[Joe W]

There are 2 things that usually cause this:
1)check the coolant level,if it's low it won't make it to the heater core
2)does the temp guage read normal?If not the thermostat is stuck open.

[yotatechie04]

Again, I have to say that I agree with Joe, most likely it's going to be the coolant, but in some cases, if you have low coolant and your heater core goes bad, you won't have any heat, and there won't be any tell tale signs of a bad core, usually when you have bad core, you'll have coolant leaking in the floorboards of the car, but if you're coolant's down way too far, you won't have that. Check all of those though, could be either or. Best of luck to you!

[BobA]

Originally Posted by Joe W

There are 2 things that usually cause this:
1)check the coolant level,if it's low it won't make it to the heater core
2)does the temp guage read normal?If not the thermostat is stuck open.

1. I had forgot to mention that I had checked the coolent level. I double checked and it is full.

2. The temperature gage seems to be working, The needle climbs to a little over a third,after a 5 mile trip. I opened the hood when I go back and felt the upper radiator hose and it was hot to the touch.

I also slid the hot cold lever back and forth on the dash and can hear an electric motor sound and it sounds like a vent opens and closes. With the fan on I can also hear and feel the air change change pressure when I do this.

I'm stuck. Thanks for your help

[yotatechie04]

Well if you've done all of this, then it's bound to be the heater core. You'll want to check this out, and see if that's the problem.

[BobA]

Originally Posted by yotatechie04

Well if you've done all of this, then it's bound to be the heater core. You'll want to check this out, and see if that's the problem.

Thanks for the pointing me in the right direction. However I don't even know where this is located. How do I check the heater core on a 89 Toyota Camry? After reading posts for other cars, it sounds like this is in the dash?

Thanks

[Joe W]

There is another check-look in the engine bay for two hoses going into the firewall (about garden hose size) these are the heater hoses that go to the heater core-they should both be hot.If not there is an obstruction in the hose or heater core.The heater core can be backflushed with a hose-if this is clear,take off both hoses and try backflushing them.If these are clear then the heater control valve is shut,but from your description this is unlikley.

[yotatechie04]

The heater core is located behind the main console where the shifter is, up against the firewall, you'll have to remove the main console, and the panels behind it on the floorboard.