i just checked the coolant level and it seems to be quite full. i did notice that the intercooler is covered in about 1/2" of ice. would that make it run hotter or cooler? i could see it going both ways

 

Hmmm... I can't say that I've been in weather that cold with the evo yet, but I'm suprised that you're getting anything but hot air from the heater. In fact, a couple of months ago when the weather was nice, I almost posted a message similar to this but in the opposite direction -- ie, is the vented air ever cold?

If you ever figure out what's going on, let us know -- it would be nice to have "colder" air when it gets hot again. Maybe there's something in the way the air vents are set up that is altering the mixture of heated and fresh air?

 

Check the coolant level by actually removing the radiator cap (after it has cooled down of course). Sometimes the coolant recovery tanks stop working if the little hoses get loose. Tank remains full but radiator is low. Most modern cars use a better system with a pressurized expansion tank which does not depend on a vacuum to suck the coolant back into the radiator. I don't know why the EVO is sort of outdated. Anyway, if you want to be positive about the coolant you've got to pop the cap.

 

ok. i just checked that too. its defenatly full

 

Good. Then there are only 2 other reasons, maybe your coolant is too cool (stat problem, as mentioned by others) or the air damper isn't working (control cable from knob or problem at the damper). Anybody drop something down the defrost vents?

 

ditto...

 

Manufacturers use overflow bottles instead of pressurized surge tanks because it's much cheaper.

He didn't say he wasn't getting any hot air. He just said that when it's super cold, the heater can't seem to keep up. I doubt there's any damper or linkage problems. A defective t-stat is possible, but it'd have to be really far out of spec.. probably so far that you'd also see your temp gauge reading way low. (I don't know about anyone else, my mine has never gone above about 1/3 or so, even in summer).

As far as 1/2 inch of ice on the intercooler, I dunno. It seems to me that it'll block the airflow and actually give you a little more coolant heat.

The reason why the vent mode (with a/c off) in the summer doesn't get very cool is because of the hood vent. All that engine heat is also heating the HVAC air inlet (at the base of the windshield). I noticed this quite a bit myself, even at highway speeds. Even if it's only 55F outside, on the expressway I often had to run with the a/c on to keep from getting too hot inside.

 

Dont complain, i didnt have any heat whatsoever in my old car! The only thing that got me through the bitter new england winters was my heated seats . To me the heater is absolutly fine, but there are people out there that have t find something to complain about.

 

i know how you feel my first car (92 ford tempo) didnt have heat for an entire winter....then i got off my *** and replaced the heater core . i wasnt really looking for something to complain about i just wondered if any one else had this problem. my last car (99 eclipse rs) had a great heater i guess maybe i just got used to that. . thanx to everyone who posted. im gonna check the thermostat this weekend. ill keep u all posted.

 

regular lancer heater is not too hot either. Living in Cali it is not usually a problem though

 

When I bought my Evo, the heater didn't work at all. I took it to the dealer and they found a loose wire behind the controls. It works very well now.

 

Yeah, I attributed it to hot underhood temps, but that's exactly why I find it suprising that sethevo says his heater can't keep up. There's gotta be tons of heat available under the hood (even at 15 degrees F.) Of course the issue is getting that heat transferred into the cabin effectively...

 

I do the same thing, only opposite, in the summer. The A/C in one of my old cars just couldn't keep up at 4, so I would turn it down to 3 then 2, etc.