96 passat heater problem

I have 96 Passat wagon. Noticed strange problem today. Heater doesn't work when I start the engine and keep the vehicle parked. It starts working when the vehicle is moving. Any Suggestions?

Reply to
PK
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which engine? bad blower? Do all the speeds work?

Or no heated air but the blower works? slow moving coolant through the heater core maybe. Or the engine is not hot enough when you first start the engine. 8^)

Someone posted that he had a similar problem and found some excess rubber inside of his new heater hose.

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

It's a Regular engine NOT Diesel one. Blower works fine, but the air is not hot. All the speeds work.

In the parking mode, blower is blowing non heated air. Even after the engine reaches it's normal working temperature, the air is still non heated. Once I put the car in drive mode and start moving forward, hot air comes through.

Yesterday when I returned to home I put the car in parking and didn't switch off the engine. Heater worked fine. Hot air was blowing till the engine was on. I switched off the engine and started it again, the same problem was there. I had to put in drive and move the car forward to make the heater work.

Reply to
PK

So if a USA model the engine is either a 4 cyl (2.0 engine) or a 6 cyl (VR6 engine).

Check for any mechanical/vacuum problems that might cause the fresh air (heater box) box to allow the air to bypass the heater core and not get hot. Then with you driving some the vacuum gets strong enough to open or shut doors/valves in the fresh air box.

I had thought that the fresh air box was controlled by cables, but I could be wrong. ;-)

good luck and let us know what you find. later, dave (One out of many daves)

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

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