Heater Performance

[BADXP]

Curious if anyone else in a cold climate is struggling to get hot air out of their heater. The air has never felt hot but luke warm. I didn’t think much of it in the fall as the interior was plenty warm but now we are truly cold outside. In a 40 degree garage with machine cycling between 180-190 the hottest I got from the vents was 90 degree air.

 

[B B]

Not an issue on my machine. When the old lady is with me you can cook an egg in the cab. I gotta ride with my head out the window just so I can breath.

 

[Jetiemann]

Curious if anyone else in a cold climate is struggling to get hot air out of their heater. The air has never felt hot but luke warm. I didn’t think much of it in the fall as the interior was plenty warm but now we are truly cold outside. In a 40 degree garage with machine cycling between 180-190 the hottest I got from the vents was 90 degree air.

I’ve heard some people talking about low coolant or not enough anti-freeze in the coolant causing the coolant to freeze and in turn having poor heater performance.

Whatever it is, it seems to be a fairly common problem.

 

[Nehls]

I’m having a similar issue now. Last week it was fine so not sure what’s going on. I did add some antifreeze as it was a little below the line. I’m not very mechanically inclined so hopefully it’s just because it’s -20to-30 degree wind chills this week!

 

[Nehls]

I was looking up some stuff online, could be a clogged heater core? Can anybody confirm that has a working heater that both the inlet and the outlet hoses are hot? Right now only my inlet seems to be hot which leads me to believe this could be the problem? Engine temps are running around 170-185 so I believe the cooling system is working correctly. Just looking for some feedback if this could be the problem?

 

[BADXP]

I was looking up some stuff online, could be a clogged heater core? Can anybody confirm that has a working heater that both the inlet and the outlet hoses are hot? Right now only my inlet seems to be hot which leads me to believe this could be the problem? Engine temps are running around 170-185 so I believe the cooling system is working correctly. Just looking for some feedback if this could be the problem?

I feel like it might be an airlock in the heater core. I experienced the same thing - much cooler outlet hose. Ran it up to temp and popped the outlet hose off and hot coolant flowed out of heater. Put hose back on and outlet hose was much closer in temp to inlet for a few minutes and then it cooled down. With just the key on I can hear the blend door actuator moving when changing temp control and the HVAC system does change temp as it should so I don’t believe that is it. I think I’m done messing with it and will let the dealer have at it when I take it in next week.

 

[Nehls]

Keep me posted on your result please. I’m going to try to flush the heater core at some point, somebody I know with a ranger said they had the same issue once before

 

[rsregal]

I back flushed mine in hopes something would come out. No luck. There is too much temp drop between in and out lines. The outlet hose being so small is probably what is slowing the water down on the exit side. The heater core should not see restrictions like that as it like having the blend valve half closed reducing heat.

 

[BADXP]

I back flushed mine in hopes something would come out. No luck. There is too much temp drop between in and out lines. The outlet hose being so small is probably what is slowing the water down on the exit side. The heater core should not see restrictions like that as it like having the blend valve half closed reducing heat.

Did the same with no meaningful improvement other than it’s warmer outside so my vent temp increased slightly. Getting air around 100 - I feel like it should be 130+. Like you, I am concerned there is some sort of system flow issue that the dealer isn’t going to have an answer for.

 

[jackiekay32]

I ride my ATV Northstar all over in the winter because we have many road trails. My heat is warm, but when it's windy & below 15°, it's not completely comfortable. You need to plug all the holes in your cab. I used RTV. Open the hood and shine a flashlight to see 5 holes coming through the 'firewall' under the steering wheel. Also plug where all the wires come through. Then get some 1/2"-1" wide foam weather stripping and follow around the whole frame where the door seal sits, as the doors leak a LOT of air. The door seal should sit on the weather stripping when closed. I felt all the cold air & snow coming through the doors & I don't after adding the weather stripping. I also made a bra for the grill out of an old tonneau cover & secure it to the grill with velcro. Keeps my engine

temp at about 195-205 max. Now I'm nice & toasty. BUT, make sure you don't run too hot if your riding a lot. I never let it get over 220°. Hope this helps!

 

[BADXP]

I ride my ATV Northstar all over in the winter because we have many road trails. My heat is warm, but when it's windy & below 15°, it's not completely comfortable. You need to plug all the holes in your cab. I used RTV. Open the hood and shine a flashlight to see 5 holes coming through the 'firewall' under the steering wheel. Also plug where all the wires come through. Then get some 1/2"-1" wide foam weather stripping and follow around the whole frame where the door seal sits, as the doors leak a LOT of air. The door seal should sit on the weather stripping when closed. I felt all the cold air & snow coming through the doors & I don't after adding the weather stripping. I also made a bra for the grill out of an old tonneau cover & secure it to the grill with velcro. Keeps my engineView attachment 1755 temp at about 195-205 max. Now I'm nice & toasty. BUT, make sure you don't run too hot if your riding a lot. I never let it get over 220°. Hope this helps!View attachment 1754

Agree these are all good things to do and I’ve also been running a cardboard cover in front of my radiator. Yours looks nice!

My issue is lack of hot air directly from the vents which I feel is unrelated to cab sealing. My cab sealing is actually great - no snow or cold air coming in after blocking shifter hole. It seals 1000% better than my Nstar Ranger did. Thanks for the tips.

 

[shaded2]

I just dropped mine off at the dealer for the same poor heater performance, I'll let you guys know what they say...If they say that's how it is, it's not gonna be good scene

 

[BADXP]

I just dropped mine off at the dealer for the same poor heater performance, I'll let you guys know what they say...If they say that's how it is, it's not gonna be good scene

Mine scheduled for tomorrow. Agree with you - if no solution it’s going to be a deal breaker for me for where I live. Hoping for something simple because I love the machine but won’t keep something that pumps out heater air the temp of my breath….

 

[shaded2]

Mine scheduled for tomorrow. Agree with you - if no solution it’s going to be a deal breaker for me for where I live. Hoping for something simple because I love the machine but won’t keep something that pumps out heater air the temp of my breath….

Agreed 100% my 23 ranger northstar heater was way hotter & cheaper than this thing

 

[jackiekay32]

Agree these are all good things to do and I’ve also been running a cardboard cover in front of my radiator. Yours looks nice!

My issue is lack of hot air directly from the vents which I feel is unrelated to cab sealing. My cab sealing is actually great - no snow or cold air coming in after blocking shifter hole. It seals 1000% better than my Nstar Ranger did. Thanks for the tips.

Got it. Definitely sounds like a coolant issue. Hope they can find an answer!

 

[mike]

Just checked mine. The temp out of the grills was 105 with the engine temperature 180. Checked the two hoses and they were about 10 deg different. The larg hose was about 100 degrees and the smaller 90 deg. Outside temp in the 20,s and not moving.

 

[Lil’Mule]

Used an old truck radiator cover for mine as well. Temperature was 3-7 degrees outside all week. With the cover, my engine would bounce between 180-205. Never got hotter than that. At 205, my air temperature out the vent was 149 with a laser reader. It was HOT and have zero complaints. Could have been in shorts inside that thing. Love it.

 

[BADXP]

Used an old truck radiator cover for mine as well. Temperature was 3-7 degrees outside all week. With the cover, my engine would bounce between 180-205. Never got hotter than that. At 205, my air temperature out the vent was 149 with a laser reader. It was HOT and have zero complaints. Could have been in shorts inside that thing. Love it.

Thanks for sharing your temp data - what you describe is what I would expect.

 

[BADXP]

Update. The dealer went through all of the coolant system performance and found no issues. With a Snapon vent probe the mechanic got 115 degree air with machine idling at 175. I suppose their readings are slightly higher than mine since it is now 35 degrees warmer outside. They took their temp data to Polaris who responded that this was within the expected range. They also measured performance of a new in stock model and was comparable.

I guess I need to fashion a winter front cover like others have and see where that gets me. It sounds like it has helped for those that have done it.

 

[shaded2]

Update. The dealer went through all of the coolant system performance and found no issues. With a Snapon vent probe the mechanic got 115 degree air with machine idling at 175. I suppose their readings are slightly higher than mine since it is now 35 degrees warmer outside. They took their temp data to Polaris who responded that this was within the expected range. They also measured performance of a new in stock model and was comparable.

I guess I need to fashion a winter front cover like others have and see where that gets me. It sounds like it has helped for those that have done it.

That's pretty crappy for $45k. I feel pretty stupid making excuses to my friends about my machine when I spend this much