my car windscreen steams up very badly that you can see water flowing and can not see any thing why?

Question

it does not make any difference if i turn the A/C on or the heating on. if i open the window i will freeze to death. if i open the window for a bit and close it again steam builds up

Answer 1

I get that
Try opening a window and putting the hot air on
Good luck

Answer 2

I'm not sure what type of car you have so I cannot give you an exact answer...

The condensation is caused when your hot breath touches the cold windshield. As you breathe out more warm air, it reaches the other windows and the car 'steams' up - although it's not steam.

On the dashboard there should be controls for ventilation. These are usually represented by pictograms.

A windshield with a zigzag line across it directs air to the screen.

A seated figure with an arrow towards the feet directs air to the floor of the passenger cabin.

A seated figure with an arrow towards the head directs air to the faces in the passenger cabin.

Then there is the heater control, with the familiar red and blue zones and a knob to select more, or less, heat.

Also, someone made a point about the recirculation with a U-shaped arrow inside a pictogram of a car.

When it's cold here, I set the recirculation on and direct the air to the windscreen. I also have the fan set on the lowest speed so that the air passing through it absorbs more heat from the system before expelling it onto the screen.

As the engine warms up, it will direct warmer air to the screen.first and help to balance the temperature difference on either side of the windshield by keeping the inside hotter than the outside. If the inside is hotter, your warm breath no longer forms condensation and the window remains clear.

You should notice a rise in temperature within a mile of your original starting point. It takes time for the engine to reach it's working temperature and then a little extra for some of the engine heat to reach the small radiator unit in the passenger cabin.

Once this happens, a lot of hot air will help clear the windshield.

If there's a problem with the small radiator, you will notice no hot air directed at the windshield. if you look over the steering wheel , or run your fingers along the front of the dash where it almost touches the windshield, you should discover grooves or channels where the heat escapes to warm the screen.

If there is no hot air coming from these channels, you may need to have a garage take a look to clear out your cooling system.

My sister's car had a problem and although the engine ran at the right temperature, a blockage meant the passenger cabin was cold in the winter. I flushed it out with a hose and then ran the engine with a cleaning fluid in the radiator and rinsed it thoroughly before refilling it with the correct blend of water and antifreeze/coolant mixture. Never any problems since.

If you don't have the car manual, you may be able to download it in PDF form from the manufacturer's website or from a forum link for your make and model.

Also try adjusting your A/C control to the hottest setting and direct the airflow to the screen. that might help.

Some cars have windshield heater elements built in (some Fords do) and this works similarly to the rear heated screen matrix - except the windshield elements are invisible to the naked eye.

There are also aftermarket purchases such as ceramic heaters that can plug into the cigar/cigarette lighter socket and they do a faster job than the normal method.

Answer 3

yes boss. The reason is condensation in this weather, it builds up internally. You have to put some heating on. Find that heating controls and have the thing direct warm air to the vents at the windscreen.

People who think that heating air is unclean (mostly females) take the risk off turning the heaters off in winter and steaming the insides of the car with their body heat (lovely). But it is dangerous for driving. And rest assured, the air from the heater is clean not toxic. With the air circulating via the windscreen, you do not have to open the windows.

It is old wives tale to open the windows because unless it is warm and dry outside, it makes drying out take longer. and the windows do not properly clear up

Answer 4

Hi. If it is just your windscreen put the hot air blowers on but if it is the whole of the car as I suspect then the reason is that the interior of the car is just too damp (a good place to tell is putting your hand in the rear foot wells). You can buy in most hardware stores crystal based dehumidifiers for around £5 which you can pop in the car and they will suck the moisture out of the air and you just pore the waste water away (be careful they don't fall over!). If like mine it is too bad even for these you can buy mini rechargeable dehumidifiers for around £20 online (search mini portable dehumidifiers). If you're lucky enough to have a garage buy a larger model from somewhere like Argos and plug it in on an extension lead and this problem will be cleared up in no time!! Happy motoring!

Answer 5

is there a "recirculation" button on the ac/heat controls somewhere on the dash?

Most cars have them. Sometimes it is a button that lights up and other times it is a lever that you push back and forth. What this does is it re-circulates the air in the car which will cause condensation to form on the windows, particulary in cooler weather. It will sometimes have a pictogram on it with an outline of a car with a u shaped arrow inside of it. You need to get fresh air into the ac/heat system to get rid of the moisture.
Running the AC, even in the winter time, will also help remove moisture from the car.

Answer 6

Sounds like your heater matrix is full of water, putting the heat on will evaporate the water and it will then condense on the windscreen, also check for damp in the car. Do you have to top up the coolant?

Answer 7

same problem myself. open the window a bit just before u park up for the nite this regulates the inside temp with the outside or turn ur heater to cold for a minute b4 u leave it alone this should help. glad to help
ps want a rover for nuthin? lol

Answer 8

warm up the engine switch heater to wind screen demister and put your hand over vents at wind screen to check and see if the wind screen demister is working correctly if there is no hot air coming out then the demister is not working.

If the heater blows hot air in to the car and not onto wind screen when the switch is moved to demister position then the linkage on the switch is either broken or come off.

Answer 9

Open the window

Answer 10

This sounds a lot like hot water.Dose your cooling system need replenishing ? Internal leaks from the cars heating system are often the cause