Heater Core
The heater core is a small radiator behind the dashboard that warms the cabin using engine coolant.
What is Heater Core?
A blower fan pushes air through it. Blend doors mix hot and cold air. Some cars have electric auxiliary heaters to warm the cabin faster, especially diesels and electric vehicles.
How it works
Hot coolant passes through, and air picks up the heat.
Why it matters for your car
A sweet smell, damp carpets or misted windows can mean a leak. Weak heating with a normal engine temperature can point to a blocked heater core or a faulty blend door.
Other terms
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Battery Recycling
- Body Control Module (BCM)
- Cargo Barrier (Dog Guard)
- Driving In Fog
- Historic Vehicle Registration (Classic Plates)
- Ignition Timing
- Inline Engine (Straight Engine)
- Option Codes (Equipment Codes)
- Paddle Shifters
- Permitted Axle Load
- Plug & Charge (ISO 15118)
- Rear-Engine Layout
- Recirculation Mode
- Rough Idle
- Sunload Sensor (Solar Sensor)
- Thread Locker
- Timing Chain
- Turbo Actuator (Wastegate Or VGT Actuator)
- Vehicle-to-Home (V2H)