Hello i have a 97 caravan [3.8] i live in canada when it gets to be -25 the heat will not come on then about 10-15 min later you can smell this stench comes in then you get heat like crazy any body able to help thanks fatguy:(:(
Rick99
01-05-2009, 12:42 PM
You need to be a little more specific. When you say you don't get heat, do you mean the blower isn't coming on or is it blowing cold? (Obviously you're not going to get heat for a few minutes if you start a car at -25). I don't know what kind of equipment the earlier vans had, but my 01 has automatic climate control that will shut off the blower in cold weather until the engine warms up enough to give heat. Does it not blow heat when the engine is warm?
As for the stench, can you describe it? A sweet smell may indicate a leaky heater core, where a strong mildew smell could be the result of mildew accumulation in the system (often happens with the A/C evaporator and requires a foam spray treatment to clean).
fatguy
01-05-2009, 05:05 PM
Ithank you for your time i do have climate control i always wait till it warms up the gauge is half way and still nothing and then boom a smell like old gym socks from when i was a kid lol lol
acton mike
01-07-2009, 06:14 PM
a stink like old gym socks indicates to me that there is mould in the evap/heater core housing or in the ductwork
or a dead critter in the ductwork or evap/heater core housing
There are some products that can be sprayed into the plenum that will eliminate the stink from mould but if it is a dead critter thane you will have to dismantle the ducts/heater housing or drive with the windows down - which kind of defeats the purpose of a heater
that reminds me of when I was loading cars at the old CN express sheds in Montreal; we put a piece of Oka cheese in the heater box of an IH Loadstar truck ( the driver had upset us in some way) and sent him on his way to Kingston; he drive there and back with the windows down and that set of a chain of tit-for tat pranks and gags that went on until i left the employ of the company
vabear
01-07-2009, 07:17 PM
I live in Virginia and it does not get cold here, but today at about +40 F (are you quoting Celsius or Fahrenheit temp) it took about five minutes to get her to give me heat. As to the stench, try a can of Lysol spray deodorizer and spray it into the cabin air intake (forward of the windshield glass) for a couple of minutes while the vent fan is on and outside air selected, this usually works for me.
