no heat on passenger side

[JimG]

Heater blows cold air on passenger. Have read forum and found possible causes

heater core plugged, blend door problem, low coolant. My question is I also have 

read of a software issue that requires recalibration of the heater/AC doors. Does any 

one know how to do this?  

2009 Dodge journey with single heater/AC controls.

[OhareFred]

The dealer handles software issue, but if its been working since 09 I doubt its software.  More then likely the heater core.  Check out tube for a few great shortcuts.

[2late4u]

i would second the heater core needs replacing and since no info on how long you have owned it ,or maintenance records on antifreeze service being done. go for it.....

[SylvainB]

Hey, I don't know you said you have a single zone HVAC and blowing cold air only on passenger's side !? How can that be possible if on single zone ..... usually this happen on dual zone since the heater core is plugged on the passenger's side or the blend door is stuck on passenger's side.

 

First I would check the blend door motor see if it is moving. It is located behind the glove box. I still don't figured it out how to reach the blend door itselft to see if it was moving properly without drilling a hole in the HVAC. I saw a door moving from the front vent when I set air to face and moving from low to high there is a door shutting and opening on the right side but what I found weird is the same door didn't move on the left side it was wide open and the temperature still changed from the vent. So that is why I think this is not the blend door. I went through the feet vent and I reached the heater core, blend door from the motor seems to be below right next to the blowing fan. So the only way to reach the blend door is from the vent that brings outdoor air or though the fan itself but camera doesn't fit through the fan.

 

Or you drill a hole in the HVAC

 

It's pretty mixed for the result but people here tried to backflush their heater core and didn't improve so they replaced it and heat came back. Before proceeding be sure it's not a stuck blend door. Bring to the dealer and have a diagnostic. I had three results from three mecanics shop. One was the thermostat ....... yeah right, the other one told me a door wasn't moving properly and the other one told me my heater core was plugged. So I'm pretty screwed. I don't have heat on the passenger's side for the third winter now lol.

 

My heater core is under warranty but my main garage won't do it since they have to tear the dash appart and it's too big for them. And I need my car for carrying kids and wife.

 

Good luck with yours and please post result here if you fixed it. I will do the same. I will attempt another backflush this summer kep you posted or if I found a way to reach the blend door to see if it is moving.

 

[OhareFred]

“My heater core is under warranty but my main garage won't do it since they have to tear the dash appart and it's too big for them. And I need my car for carrying kids and wife.”

 

 

check out UTube, shows shortcuts so you don’t have to remove the dash.  It’s going to only get worse and will need to be done.  

 

If its its under warranty, why not take it to the dealer?

Edited January 22, 2018 by OhareFred

[SylvainB]

Because I don't have a warranty with the dealer, it's a "company" offering warranty when buying used car but I have to go an affiliated shop. It's a pain to get the part repaired because they need proof like pictures of the defective part so more then often I take an apointment to diagnotic the problem then they claim the part then I take another apointment when they receive it to get it repaired. It's cost me 2500k when I bought my Journey. I don't regret it ..... but the shop near me don't want to do this job, too time consuming. Need to call another shop who's willing to do it.

 

That's when I started to do mechanic on the Journey, I bought the Journey in a few times for weird stalling issues only in reverse in the winter. No one could replicate the problem and it was only during winter and it was no throwing codes. So I fixed it myself I pourred in a "Lucas Transmission fix" and I think that did the trick. I also replaced 2 upper Oxygen Sensors and all six spark plugs. This winter I did not have any issue with my Journey except once, lighting bolt icon flashing with traction control off. I checked for codes, no codes.Probably a Throttle body glitch. Turned off the car, started up and didn't reappear.

 

I think somthing is wrong with my transmission because it was also not shifting pass third gear when really cold outside. This winter no problem at all with the Lucas thing in it. But again shop won't look at it if they don't have a code or they can't replicate the problem. It's like chasing a ghost.

 

So I bought tools and started doing things on my own when I know they won't fix it or I will be wasting my time.

 

I aslo started doing my own oil change and I bough set of "rims" with winter tires to do the swap myself since shops are overtightening bolts and caused me vibrations on highway.