# Heater not working 100% - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan



## bluemoonluck

The heater in my Dodge Grand Caravan (2006) started being unreliable on Monday....usually by the time I hit the main road on my way to work I have to turn the heat down, but on Monday I noticed I was half way to work and still cold. I turned it up but it was blowing luke-warm air at best.

It seems if I run it later in the day the heat works better, still not 100% but I'm not freezing. Its when I turn it on first thing in the morning when its been off all night that I seem to have the problem.

The van isn't overheating - the temp gauge is fine. 

Is this an easy fix, or am I looking at $$$ ? More importantly, is it something that I have to get fixed ASAP before it leads to engine damage, or can I just put up with it until I can get it into a shop to get it fixed?

Thanks!!


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## unioncreek

Check the coolant level. My Acura would heat like normal and the temp gauge was always in the same spot. Then all of a sudden it would blow cold air and the temp gauge stayed the same. I checked the coolant and it was low, radiator had a small crack. I replace the radiator four years ago and it's never happened since.

It could also be the valve that regulates the amount of coolant that runs through the heater. Is there still any warranty left on it?


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## Cabin Fever

unioncreek said:


> Check the coolant level.


That was going to be my first recommendation too.


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## bluemoonluck

I just had my radiator flushed and all the fluids replaced about a month ago..... could that have something to do with it?

If it is the coolant can I continue to drive the car without worrying about it doing damage to the engine/radiator?

It has 95,000 miles on it, no warranty remaining


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## Cabin Fever

If your radiator was not properly bled when it was refilled with coolant, you bet it could have something to do with the lack of heat. Coolant does not circulate properly if there is trapped air in the system.

Jack up the front of your van or park it on a steep incline. Then, check the coolant level. If it is low, add more coolant while the engine is running.


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## Travis in Louisiana

I think Cabin Fever hit the nail on the head, you are low on coolant. Do not open the cap while the car is hot, wait for it to cool down, especially if the radiator cap is on the radiator and not on the tank. With the car running, and hot, so the thermostate has opened, add coolant a little at a time till it is full. The coolant may swell once it is heated up and may want to boil over out of the radiator. At this point, you can put the cap back on. You may see some overflow from the Reservoir tank, after the car is jacked back down and level, but it should stop coming out once the cooling system reaches it normal operating level. Hope this helps, anyone can add to this or correct me if I am wrong. Later Travis


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## bluemoonluck

I hate to give all girls a bad name.....but I know exactly zip about the inner workings of a car. How can I tell which cap is the coolant??


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## Cabin Fever

It is usually the one on top of the radiator.


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## bluemoonluck

Cabin Fever said:


> It is usually the one on top of the radiator.


LOL 

Okie dokie.... what does the radiator look like? When I say I know nothing about what my car looks like under the hood, I literally mean nothing. :help:


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## How Do I

Like this:










ETA - Usually have to push down a little on the radiator cap while you're turning it counter-clockwise. To re-install the cap, push down lightly and turn clockwise.

P.S. *Don't* check the coolant level in the radiator while the engine is hot. Just in case you didn't know that.


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## Cabin Fever

Look for a cap near the front left of the engine compartment that looks something like the examples below:


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## bluemoonluck

Ah! Thank you, Cabin Fever and How Do I! I'll look under the hood this afternoon....


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## seagullplayer

Round here we have had a pretty big cold spell, I had to slid a piece of cardboard over part of my radiator to get my temp up a little.

I normally don't see much of a difference until I see single digit temps.

If you do this, don't forget to remove it once it warms up outside...


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## Beeman

bluemoonluck said:


> I just had my radiator flushed and all the fluids replaced about a month ago..... could that have something to do with it?
> 
> If it is the coolant can I continue to drive the car without worrying about it doing damage to the engine/radiator?
> 
> It has 95,000 miles on it, no warranty remaining


 Always look to the last task performed for clues to the new problem. Most new vehicles are hard to fill and purge all of the air from the cooling system without the proper equipment. Most garages don't have the proper equipment. They also are usually in a hurry and don't let the vehicle go through a heatup and cool down cycle before returning it to the owner.
Read your owners manual for how to check coolant level and more importantly which coolant to use. There's also a good chance the shop didn't use the proper coolant which should be a GO-5 rated like Zerex gold or Mopar antifreeze. Won't do damage immediately but can cause problems over the long run.


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## Wis Bang 2

If you still have an owners manual the under hood pictures usually show the location. Should help you narrow down you search...


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## Jim Bunton

I would take it back to the shop that flushed your radiator and have them top off the coolant. Ask them to show you how to check the level.
This should be done for free since if they just recently did the flush.

Jim


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## bluemoonluck

Jim Bunton said:


> I would take it back to the shop that flushed your radiator and have them top off the coolant. Ask them to show you how to check the level.
> This should be done for free since if they just recently did the flush.
> 
> Jim


That's what my Dad recommended when I called him (he's across the country from me). Dare I admit that I had it done at Jiffy Lube? :stars:

I'm going to go back to them tomorrow afternoon, I can't get there today. Hopefully they can add more coolant and it will be all good. Its been 18 degrees in the mornings out here and not having heat really doesn't sparkle with me :grump:

Thanks again, guys. I had no idea what a car's radiator did until now!


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## bluemoonluck

Hey y'all, just wanted to let you know that it WAS my coolant...took over a gallon to bring it back up to the correct level. 

THANK YOU!!! Y'all saved me a trip to a mechanic and probably a hundred bucks, the way my luck runs.....


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## Ray

most newer vehicles have an reservoir that has a small hose running from the radiator to the reservoir that allows the expansion and contraction of the coolant to move back and forth in and out of it, you should be sure to fill it to the cold level when it is cold to help with proper operation.
Also if your radiator was low, there is a reason, it either leaked out somewhere., or, with a newer one like yours i would think it was the improper bleeding of the system when refilled after the flushing of the system. On some vehicles they require special steps when they have been drained to insure correct operation. If these steps are not followed it can cause damage to the engine. The engine could be very low on coolant and would not show hot, because the temperature sending unit must be submerged in fluid before it can read and send a signal. Therefore you can actually ruin an engine and burn it up by overheating just because it wasn't refilled and bled properly by someone flushing the system, most people wouldn't even have a clue that they were doing anything wrong because they are not mechanics, but rather oil changers and unaware, without any knowledge of some vehicles special coolant bleeding requirements to insure the system does not airlock and overheat without showing any overheating on the gages or idoit lights, er, warning lights.
you might be ahead to call an dealer and ask the service manager about your specific model, I'd think they would be helpful, but who knows. You should be able to do a couple searches online or go to a forum on your specific car. I've seen cars that weren't bled correct go on loosing fluid and getting hot without reading on the gages for months until bled properly which allowed the sending unit to be in water again and the thing could work properly again. very lucky the engine wasn't damaged by overheating, be aware the engine can be super hot and you wont get heat from the heater because it only heats when hot water from the radiator is running through the heater core that sends the heat into the cab, low water no heater no hot showing on the gage, but super hot engine. best wishes, ray


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## Beeman

bluemoonluck said:


> Hey y'all, just wanted to let you know that it WAS my coolant...took over a gallon to bring it back up to the correct level.
> 
> THANK YOU!!! Y'all saved me a trip to a mechanic and probably a hundred bucks, the way my luck runs.....


 Did you have them make a repair order and document their screw up? Did you check to see what brand and spec antifreeze they installed? Did they check it to see what temperature protection it is good to, should be -34*. Thsi might not be over yet, be sure to check the coolant level in the tank after cool down. If they didn't let it go through a cycle it might still be low.

By the way this is a trip to the mechanic or many mechanics as some of us are certified techs.


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## bluemoonluck

Beeman said:


> Did you have them make a repair order and document their screw up? Did you check to see what brand and spec antifreeze they installed? Did they check it to see what temperature protection it is good to, should be -34*. Thsi might not be over yet, be sure to check the coolant level in the tank after cool down. If they didn't let it go through a cycle it might still be low.
> 
> By the way this is a trip to the mechanic or many mechanics as some of us are certified techs.


Beeman, I meant no disrespect to the Jiffy Lube employees... again, I'm nearly clueless when it comes to cars/fixing cars/etc. In my mind, if the car needs its oil changed it goes to Jiffy Lube. If something is wrong with the car, I take it to the local mechanic shop and they fix it. Since I wasn't sure if something was broken or not, I was inclined to take it to the mechanic shop, which would have cost me a good chunk of $$$. So taking it to Jiffy Lube instead and having fluids put in for free saved me money.

No I didn't make them document anything. I would have no idea which brands of antifreeze are good/bad/anything, so there was no point in me asking them what they were putting in the van. I know they use antifreeze rated to low temps because when they flushed the radiator a few weeks back we had that conversation - since we live in a cold climate the employee who talked to me initially said it was important to have the proper antifreeze in my car.

I can bring it back to them next week and have them check the levels again to make sure its doing okay....me trying to do it myself would be like asking my 9-year old to perform a DNA extraction from a primordial amoeba:shocked:


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## Beeman

bluemoonluck said:


> Beeman, I meant no disrespect to the Jiffy Lube employees... again, I'm nearly clueless when it comes to cars/fixing cars/etc. In my mind, if the car needs its oil changed it goes to Jiffy Lube. If something is wrong with the car, I take it to the local mechanic shop and they fix it. Since I wasn't sure if something was broken or not, I was inclined to take it to the mechanic shop, which would have cost me a good chunk of $$$. So taking it to Jiffy Lube instead and having fluids put in for free saved me money.
> 
> No I didn't make them document anything. I would have no idea which brands of antifreeze are good/bad/anything, so there was no point in me asking them what they were putting in the van. I know they use antifreeze rated to low temps because when they flushed the radiator a few weeks back we had that conversation - since we live in a cold climate the employee who talked to me initially said it was important to have the proper antifreeze in my car.
> 
> I can bring it back to them next week and have them check the levels again to make sure its doing okay....me trying to do it myself would be like asking my 9-year old to perform a DNA extraction from a primordial amoeba:shocked:


 You should have disrespect for the Jiffy Lube. They sold you a service, you paid them and I assume the check cleared, but they didn't do a proper service and possibly did damage to your expensive vehicle. Your coolant does more then just provide you with heat.
Checking your coolant level is no where near as hard as driving your vehicle, if you can type these posts you can surely look at your owners manual and figure it out.

Why do you go to Jiffy Lube for services like this when you state you have a local mechanic shop?


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## fordy

bluemoonluck said:


> I hate to give all girls a bad name.....but I know exactly zip about the inner workings of a car. How can I tell which cap is the coolant??



......................Some heaters have a shutoff valve that is vacuum operated , when you pull a lever or push a button it opens allowing hot fluid too circulate through the small heater core too warm the inside of your vehicle . IF , this valve fails to open hot coolant will not reach the heater core and you won't receive any warm air . maynot be the cause , but , I'd take your vehicle back too whomever did the flush and have them check your cooling system . , fordy


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## blufford

bluemoonluck, How come everytime you can't do something you play that same old primordial amoeba card?


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## bluemoonluck

blufford said:


> bluemoonluck, How come everytime you can't do something you play that same old primordial amoeba card?


LOL 

I'm half blonde, what did y'all expect?!? rincess:

I'm really, really bad with mechanical stuff. Reading the owners manual isn't going to help.... I know what I'm good at and I know my weaknesses, and the inner workings of my vehicle are in the "weakness" category. If reading the manual was a cure-all, I could give a copy of "parenting for dummies" to the parents of the adolescents I counsel and all their problems would be solved instead of spending hours working with them and their child :wizard:

I actually like the Jiffy Lube I go to. Most mechanics talk to me like I'm an idiot (which, when it comes to cars I am, but still). Just because I don't know the difference between oil and transmission fluid doesn't mean I'm not educated, it just means I'm clueless when it comes to cars. These guys explain things and aren't condescending. That goes a long way with me. 

Plus I can drive in without an appointment and don't have to leave my van there, we're in and out in 20 minutes. If I go to the local mechanic, I need to make an appointment and depending on what he has going on that day it sometimes takes him an hour or two to get to changing my oil. I either have to sit there with my two girls and twiddle my thumbs for a few hours or I have to get one of my friends to pick me up and drop me off later....total PIA and I don't have time for that.


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