You may find this Johnsburg winter feeling chillier and chillier if your car, truck or SUV heater is failing.

On those chilly Johnsburg nights in December, it took no time at all for the heater in your car, truck or SUV to start pumping out some hot air to keep you warm. But now, we’re halfway through January and you’re beginning to notice that it takes longer for the heater to catch up. And then it never quite gets as hot as it used to.

Possibly, this has something to do with winter temperatures in Johnsburg falling colder and colder. The colder it gets outside, the harder the heater has to work to provide that comfort-giving heat you’re counting on. But that’s not a certain answer to the question.

It’s also possible that, though your heater was working in peak performance when winter started, it may not be working at the same efficient level now. Why would that be?

If your car, truck or SUV’s heater is losing its mojo, it almost certainly has something to do with one of the following:

• The level of your antifreeze. If the antifreeze level has fallen, there are times when only air is passing through the heater core. The fan inside your car, truck or SUV’s cabin isn’t going to draw heat from an empty heater core. And if the level of your antifreeze has fallen, there’s a good chance that you’ve got a leak somewhere. You’ll need to fix that before you fill the radiator again.
• The heater core is clogged or leaking. If the heater core is leaking, you may have antifreeze dripping onto the floor of your vehicle. If it’s clogged, hot antifreeze can’t get through and, once again, the fan has no heat to pull into the cabin.
• Speaking of leaks, the radiator, a radiator hose, a heater hose, a gasket or something even more concerning, my be leaking. Once again, you’ll need to fix that leak to get back in business.
• The thermostat is on the fritz. The thermostat shuts off the flow of antifreeze into the engine at certain temperatures thereby allowing the antifreeze inside the engine to heat up. If the thermostat is stuck open, the antifreeze may have difficulty reaching the temperature that will provide the heat you want inside the car, truck or SUV.
• The water pump isn’t working. The water pump pushes the antifreeze though the engine, through the hoses, through the radiator and through the heater core. Usually, if the water pump fails, you’ll find that it’s leaking, too.

If you prudently had your antifreeze and cooling system (the cooling system is the same system that provides hot antifreeze for your heater core) checked in the fall, there’s a good chance you’ll make it through the Johnsburg winter of 2024-25 without a problem. But, if you didn’t winterize this part of your vehicle, a problem may have sprung to life as the winter progressed.

Even if you did have you antifreeze and cooling system checked, it’s not an absolute guarantee that you won’t have a problem. It’s less likely but possible.