Why is Air Not Coming Out of My Vents?

You climb inside your vehicle, start the ignition, and reach for the fan control for the heating or air conditioning. But when you try to crank it up, no air comes out of the vents. It can make for a very uncomfortable trip, whether it’s hot or cold outside.

It’s important for the comfort of you and your passengers to regulate the temperature in your vehicle’s cabin. Not having air coming through the vents can also be a safety issue when you’re trying to defrost the windshield and front windows when they fog up and your visibility is affected.

There can be many reasons why the air isn’t blowing through your vents. The blower motor may have failed or the switch that controls it wore out. It could be as simple as a blown fuse, or perhaps an electrical component that regulates the fan speed may have stopped working. One of the ducts that direct the air from the outside to the cabin may have broken. Or the air intake where the outside air is collected may be clogged up with leaves or other debris.

If your vents aren’t blowing air, it’s time to bring in your vehicle to have one of our technicians diagnose and repair it. They will examine the electrical and mechanical components to see where the problem is. The remedy can be something simple, or it may involve a more extensive repair.

Keeping the cabin temperature temperate and having good air flow are vital to your comfort, especially when the weather outside is extremely hot or cold.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Breathe Easier (Cabin Air Filter)

When you get in your vehicle, how does it smell? If it’s not so nice, it may be time to have your cabin air filter changed.

It’s not the same one that filters out the air used in the engine. The cabin air filter screens out dust and other particulates from the outside air so when it enters the cabin, you don’t have to breathe them in when you’re driving. Maybe your commute finds you traveling along dusty rural roads, or maybe you pass by some city factories that have smokestacks spewing out smoky exhausts. Or in spring, maybe you notice your allergies acting up because of the pollen in the air. The cabin air filter will remove a lot of those things.

The more it filters out, the more those small particles add up. That reduces how much airflow the heating/air conditioning system can handle, and you may notice not as much air is coming through your vehicle’s vents. That can also be a sign you need your air filter replaced.

Our technicians will remove and inspect the air filter; it’s usually located around the glove compartment, under the dash or sometimes in the engine compartment. If you wish, your service advisor can show you what condition yours is in; if it needs replacing, you’ll be able to see the dirt, bugs, leaves and other crud that accumulates after several months of driving.

Each vehicle’s manufacturer recommends an interval after which your cabin air filter should be replaced. Depending on how much and where you drive, you might find yourself needing a replacement more or less often than the manual suggests.

Just like you clean your furnace filters periodically, it’s wise to do the same with your vehicle. After you do, you’ll find you might just breathe easier!

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Don?t Blow Your Cool (Water Pump Replacement)

It’s always a good idea to keep your cool, and that’s especially true when it comes to some components of your vehicle. One is the engine. It’s hot under that hood thanks to the mini explosions that are occurring in the internal combustion engine when it’s running. Your vehicle has a cooling system which takes the heat out of the engine by moving a liquid coolant to a spot where the heat can escape (the radiator).

The part that keeps that coolant moving is the water pump, which could probably be more accurately called the coolant pump since water is only one component of the fluid that does the cooling. If the water pump fails, your engine can overheat quickly, and that can cause significant and expensive damage to your vehicle. Water pumps can be driven by belts (mechanical) or electricity (electric).

Your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends mileage intervals when you should consider replacing your water pump even if seems to be working fine. That way you are less likely to have a water pump break down at an inopportune time. Some manufacturers recommend replacing it every 60,000-100,000 miles/100,000-160,000 km.

Sometimes your water pump will fail before that, of course. One sign something is wrong with the cooling system is if you notice the engine is overheating. An illuminated engine temperature warning light on your dash or a temperature gauge that shows above normal are two things to look for.

You may also see steam coming out of the engine compartment, which is another sign of overheating. Both could mean your water pump needs replacing. We also recommend that when your vehicle’s timing belt needs to be replaced that you have the water pump replaced at the same time since everything will already be apart.

When your vehicle is already in to have the water pump replaced, it’s a good time for a technician to examine other cooling system components at the same time. Those will include belts, pulleys, hoses, clamps as well as the radiator, thermostat and heater core.