heater always on

[Anniepoo]

I know this is crazy, but somehow my 'car' heater's always on a little. Any idea how to fix this?

[Bethers]

Mine is the same - turn the temp gauge to cold - you'll get cool air instead. In the winter I have to have it turned to hot or I get cold air. First car I've had that does that...

[Anniepoo]

Ooh, good idea - but it's already on 'cold'

8c(

[WickedLady]

My GMC has an OFF setting below the AC settings otherwise it is always on also.

[avalen]

keep in mind the heater lines are an extension (so to speak) of your coolant system that runs through your radiator.
The fluid flows through the radiator and then through a heater core, which also looks like an itty bitty radiator. So
even if the heater is off, you will still get a little heat out of it. The best way to fix this issue is to have a shut off
valve on the heater hose that feeds the heater core. My old chevy van had one and I just turned the valve off during
the summer months. The valve looked just like a faucet valve you'd see on your outside water spigot, others look like
a lever that was on if inline with the hose and off if at a ninety degree angle to the hose. It was a great system though,
however it did have its inconvenience when I needed the heat and had to go pop the hood to open the valve.

[Anniepoo]

ooh! Thanks Avalen.

I have a fellow looking at the machinery tomorrow, I'll ask him about it.

[Anniepoo]

For the record, this turned out to be related to the exhaust leak.