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95 1.1 Heater not fully working - cbirket
I've just bought a new fiesta 1.1 and as my old car died a sudden death I didn't have much time to be picky about it.

The heater doesn't seem to really get hot, it gets just about warm enough to clear the windscreen but not to actually warm the car up. Thought it might be the age of the car and the fact that I'd only done a couple of local journeys but did a 2 hour round trip in it today and still no improvement. The thermostat on the dash never rises past 1/4, at best.

I have read that checking the water level and checking for leaks is the first port of call, followed by checking that the water pipes actually feel warm, but would any of this affect the temperature of the hot air, or could it be something else as the air is warm, just not hot?

Cheers

Chris
95 1.1 Heater not fully working - Peter.N.
Most likely problem is a faulty thermostat, if the temp gauge is reading low that would confirm it, probably slow to rise as well. Feel the radiator soon after you start the car if its getting warm with a low reading on the gauge, that will be the trouble. Not a difficult job to change.
95 1.1 Heater not fully working - piston power
Yes as peter says there is usually 2x choices winter and summer stats go for winter you should notice a very good improvement and don't forget the anti freeze 50/50 mix.