![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon_razz.gif)
So, according to my dash thermometer, my engine is heating up just fine. In fact, if I idle for too long it'll go up almost to the hot line. It never did that last year. But even when it's that warm it's fairly rare for the heater to be blowing warm. When it's that warm, the radiator feels quite warm and the fan will work in a normal seeming way - but no heat. In fact it seems like the -30 days are much more likely to get near overheating that the -20 or warmer days.
When the temp is right in the middle where it normally is, I can sometimes get warm air - it's about half the time though.
I should mention my normal usage of the car - 7-10 minute commuting. Out of a heated garage in the morning, and 5-15 minutes of running time before driving in the evening. The once or twice I have to grab some shopping, the heat does seem to be more regular after I've been driving (vs idling) more. However, given the same length commute last year, I had regular heat last year.
I have done no cooling system maintenance to this car since I bought it over a year ago. I assume whatever I do is going to include a coolant flush. Anything particular I need to pay attention to when buying coolant? Or just grab the cheap green stuff at Canadian Tire?
I've checked the heater core hoses after driving home today. I was getting a little heat most of the way, which is better than usual lately. The hoses felt fairly close to each other in temperature, and both felt nice and warm.
I've been through the manual two or three times in the last month trying to figure out how the system works, and am still a bit hazy. I'm not sure what that water thermoswitch is for - maybe to turn the rad fan on? The thermostat allows coolant to go through the radiator, right? From what I can tell, coolant goes through the heater core 100% of the time. (My friend suggested checking for a valve that stops/allows coolant through the heater core circuit, but I don't think we've got one.)
What should I start looking at first?