Suneet

I've noticed that lately, to get warm, I have to increase the temp to almost 83 degrees on the climate control to really get some warm air.

If I leave it at 75, or even 80, on a cold day.. it doesn't really get that warm in the car.

I checked my coolant levels, and they're fine, maybe a little low, but not low enough for the heater to suck that bad.

Maybe becuase I don't have 100% Toyota coolant? I've got a fair amount of the green stuff.

When I turn the temp up to 83/84, it gets pretty darn hot, but I never turned the temp up that high before.

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

i dunno..its starting to get cool here in NY so i usually turn it to 72..73 and its fine with me but i guess you gotta let the car warm up.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

sticking thermostat possibly?

AHJ

There is a temperature sensor on the panel near the driver's left knee. It sometimes gets clogged with dust.

You could open up the whole panel to check it or alternatively give it a powerful vacuum clean.

Good Luck.

Klierslc

If you are mixing the green coolant with the toyota red, you NEED to flush your system immediately. The combination will create sludge in your cooling system, which plugs up your radiator, heater core etc......

19psi

possibly the water valve on the heater hoses going into the firewall is stuck because sludge has already been formed due to the mixture of the two coolants...

Suneet

Yikes, I didn't realize mixing coolants was such a bad thing. I'll get it flushed this week.

What can I do to remove sludge, and what are the consequences of it?

Suneet

I think I remember seeing this, its on the right side though. I saw it when taking those panels off to install my remote start/alarm. I'll see if cleaning it helps..

steveski

Maybe just a good radiator flush will do - Prestone - It is pretty easy and takes hardly any time. I flush mine every year - overkill but I like to keep things clean bro

19psi

it will get so bad that it will clog up everything in the cooling system! causes overheating, no heat, leaks, etc.
you'll need to flush it. if you can do it at home, use plain water to run through it several times until it's clear. get one of those flush chemicals too and follow the instructions on that. then refill with either green or toyota red.