I replaced the water bypass hose in my 1999 Honda Civic EX Coupe. Unfortunately, I used a generic silicone hose and it sprung a leak. All kinds of coolant sprayed out and the car overheated a bit.

I've replaced the water bypass hose and that seems to be working, but there is no heat coming out of the vents into the cabin. The air coming out of the vents is cool, but there is air coming out. The coolant level is filled to the max. I did let the car idle for 5 minutes and then refill the antifreeze to the right level. I did try idling with the radiator cap off to deal with an air pocket, but that doesn't seem to get the heater going.

How do I get the heater working again?

 

Is it really hard to move the temperature setting lever?

 

There is no trouble moving the temperature dial. I turn it up all the way to the hottest setting, but after 5-10 minutes there is still no hot air.

 

And you only had the problem after you replaced the hose?

 

Yes. The problem happened after the water bypass hose busted and sprayed antifreeze all over. I was mostly concentrating on watching the temperature to make sure the car didn't overheat. Now that the overheating problem seems to be resolved, I'm noticing that the heater doesn't work. I think the problem started when the car lost so much antifreeze.

 

sounds like the thermostat stuck open.
take it out and put in a pan of water and boil it - can tell when it opens.
use a thermometer to see the temp that it opens
if it is open when you take it out, then replace it (assuming you left the engine cool down)

 

thanks for the responses.

i was just being dumb and i had lost a lot more antifreeze than i thought i had. after several cycles of filling up the radiator and starting the car, i finally got enough antifreeze into the cooling system to get the car running well. after a few mintues of idling, the heater was working again.