My girl just recently brought to my attention that the heater has been cold the past few mornings so i did my diagnosing and everything seems to be fine.
Blend door motor is in working order although at first it was jamming half way into the heat setting but now got that fixed, heater control valve works, i bled the cooling system twice, and topped off coolant in the radiator and in the reserve tank. checked the heat again and still blowing out lukewarm air. I also checked to see if both heater core hoses were hot and yes they were. I need this problem fixed ASAP cause my girl drops the kids off in the morning to daycare and I dont want my kids to suffer in the cold. Any other thoughts on what the problem could be?

The car is a 2001 Accord EX

 

Is the temp gauge getting to "normal" range?

 

yes temp gauge gets to its normal range right in the middle

 

Long shot,but can debris get in there? I had a car years back that would accumulate pine needles,small leaves and twigs over time.Got nasty in there and blocked the core off one side.

Also,make sure no mice nest.

Good Luck,sorry I have no technical exacts to check.

 

Check the heater core.

 

If heater core is hot (should be if both hoses are hot), then air is bypassing the heater core (blend door). Check again.

good luck

 

I've checked under the dash on the passenger side the blend door motor and it moves as well as the blend door. How can I tell if the blend door is actually moving and not just the piece that's supposed to move the door

 

The blend door is near the center console. Perhaps you are looking at the fresh air/recirculate motor near the blower on pax side?

To observe the air mix door turn the air temp gauge while observing the door move. Full cold should close the air path forcing air to bypass the heater core, while full hot should force all air to pass over heater core.

You may need someone to manipulate controls while you observe.

good luck

 

I checked from the passenger side looking behind the center console the blend door motor is sticking out just right outside the console right? Everything moves as I adjust the temp but how do I know if the actual door itself is moving? I see a rod attached from the blend door motor to some white piece of plastic (some type of rotor to move the blend door) attached on the other end of the rod and when the motor moves it pushes or pulls that rotor depending on the temp adjustment

 

I'm not familiar w/ your model, but usually you can see the blend door move. However if all linkages are secure, it would be reasonable to assume blend door is moving also.

You should also be able to hear the blend door diverting the air flow (max fan). If no change in sound the door may not be moving.

Heating requires that coolant flow through heater core is adequate. Checking heater core flow requires disconnecting both heater hoses and forcing water flow through the core to confirm it is open. See youtube video by ericthecarguy on this procedure.

Be very careful w/ heater hose removal from fittings. It is easy to damage a fitting when hose is stuck (very likely). You can split hose end w/ sharp razor knife to ease removal and shorten hose to reconnect.

You can pinch off heater hoses w/ vise grips to avoid draining entire coolant volume.

good luck