2013 3.6L V6, Engine gets to temp but heater blows cold air

[MichiganMike]

I'm thinking I have a bad thermostat but maybe it's something else. I've filled the coolant so I know that level is good. I don't find any signs of leaking coolant at all. The temp comes up like normal on the gauge but all I can get is cold air out of the heater or defrost... It's December in Michigan and it's no fun. Any thoughts on what this might be? Anyone else had the same issue? If it's the thermostat any help on replacing it?

 

[WJCO]

Welcome to Wayalife. Sounds like a blend door issue to me. Do any of the vents have hot air out of them? What if you move the mode dial to a different mode, does that change anything? IIRC, some of the heater cores had partial plugs too and it would direct the hot air in an improper direction while cold air would come through normally. Also put it on dash face vents and see if they all blow roughly the same temperature or if one side is different.

 

[MichiganMike]

You are definitely on to something. I had already tried both the heat and defrost and got cold out of both. Per your suggestion I just tried the vent setting and I get warm air out of it. Any thoughts on the best way to fix this? I've never run into it before with any previous jeeps so I'm not sure where to start.

 

[WJCO]

You are definitely on to something. I had already tried both the heat and defrost and got cold out of both. Per your suggestion I just tried the vent setting and I get warm air out of it. Any thoughts on the best way to fix this? I've never run into it before with any previous jeeps so I'm not sure where to start.

May be under warranty depending on mileage. It sounds to me like a blend door actuator sticking or maybe the door itself. Some vehicles are a real pain in the ass to get at. The other thing I would look at is under the hood, look for any small vacuum lines that are cracked. Some of the actuators can be vacuum actuated and if there is a leak, they won't actuate.

If you turn it back to defrost and floor and then it gets hot intermittently and works sometimes, it's likely an issue with an actuator or door inside the dash.

 

[Hilop]

I thought I had the same issue a while back. Try to turn the dial to max heat and leave it until the heat kicks on. I noticed that if the temp dial was turned to low to medium heat it won't kick on. Good luck

 

[jeeeep]

you should be able to remove the glove box and look to see if the blend doors are actually working.

the blend door actuator is easy to get to once the glove box is removed.

 

[MichiganMike]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.... Turns out to be a $2450.00 issue, everything in the coolant system is corroded and needs to be replaced, radiator, heater core, oil heater and all lines.... The Jeep is only 3 years old but has 84,000 miles on it. The only thing we can "assume" is that about 2-1/2 years ago I hit a deer and they had to replace a bunch of that stuff and the dealership thinks that maybe the body shop I used put the wrong coolant in it.... of course there's now way to definitively confirm that.... I just find it very strange that everything could be plugged up and yet the engine never overheated.... I'm stuck with a huge repair bill and man I'm not happy..... that much money just to have heat!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[WJCO]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.... Turns out to be a $2450.00 issue, everything in the coolant system is corroded and needs to be replaced, radiator, heater core, oil heater and all lines.... The Jeep is only 3 years old but has 84,000 miles on it. The only thing we can "assume" is that about 2-1/2 years ago I hit a deer and they had to replace a bunch of that stuff and the dealership thinks that maybe the body shop I used put the wrong coolant in it.... of course there's now way to definitively confirm that.... I just find it very strange that everything could be plugged up and yet the engine never overheated.... I'm stuck with a huge repair bill and man I'm not happy..... that much money just to have heat!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to hear that. Maybe that is the case, see this thread: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?...eep-JK-Wrangler-Coolants-and-Save-Your-Engine!

Maybe if that is the case, you can go after that body shop if you save all the receipts.

 

[jeeeep]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.... Turns out to be a $2450.00 issue, everything in the coolant system is corroded and needs to be replaced, radiator, heater core, oil heater and all lines.... The Jeep is only 3 years old but has 84,000 miles on it. The only thing we can "assume" is that about 2-1/2 years ago I hit a deer and they had to replace a bunch of that stuff and the dealership thinks that maybe the body shop I used put the wrong coolant in it.... of course there's now way to definitively confirm that.... I just find it very strange that everything could be plugged up and yet the engine never overheated.... I'm stuck with a huge repair bill and man I'm not happy..... that much money just to have heat!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! that really sucks.

As WJCO mentioned, save all your receipts.

I'll also add to contact your insurance company if they covered the original accident. If you have the repair paperwork from the repair shop they should list what coolant they used, i know with my insurance company certain repairs carry a lifetime repair as long as i own the vehicle.

 

[Clark Griswold]

I just had the exact same thing happen yesterday with my 13 with 75k miles, I declined repair until I speak to someone at Chrysler as they are the only ones who have ever worked on it, hope you arent experiencing any other issues caused by the repair itself.

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