JourneyOfFrustration Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 I have a 2012 Dodge Journey R/T. I've owned it for about 2 years and have loved every minute of it until recently. I currently have no heat. Zero. NADA. The fan blows strong, the AC works fine, and I recently changed the thermostat and housing after the check engine light came on and the code indicated a faulty thermostat. When the heat first started to go out I also flushed the heater core. I'm resigned to the fact that it is most likely the heater core that has died and that I may have to eat the $1000+ repair bill, but I want to make sure I have tried everything I can before going down that path. I have dual control climate zones and have read other posts that describe losing heat on one side of the car or the other, but haven't seen anything about losing heat altogether like I am experiencing. With the recent thermostat issue I have been monitoring the coolant temp consistently for the last few weeks. Everything I have read seems to indicate that a typical running temperature is should be below 200 degree, but even with the new thermostat I consistently run at 220-230 degrees. With all that heat being produced it would be nice if I could get some of it into the cab, but nope, nothing. Somebody on here must have experienced something similar to what I am experiencing. I live in the NW and while we don't get cold winter days all that often, I'd still like to be able to stay warm while I drive and to be able to quickly defrost the windshield when I need to. Help, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Thinking you have an air block in the lines and may be low on coolant. It looks full but because of the air bubble no flow. Not sure how to get rid of it, I take mine to the dealer for repairs. Maybe someone else will chime in.... jkeaton and 2late4u 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 if and when you have the heater core changed look up youtube info real easy shortcut to do on our journeys most auto repair shops should be able to do it a lot cheaper than 1000. check it out also you probally have what Ohara fred is talking about assuming you put in the right thermostat.good luck OhareFred and jkeaton 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JourneyOfFrustration Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 I'm almost 100% positive I used the right part. I got it from O'Reilly's and it looks identical to the one I removed. I was thinking of flushing the radiator. Would that bleed out any air in the line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 You need to flush the entire system. Both heater cores, the lines, block, and radiator. Sometimes squeezing the rad hoses and heater hoses while the car is running can work the air bubble out... check the heater hoses, both in and out should be hot, if not there is an issue.... jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probak118 Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 After changing the thermostat & housing and reconnecting the upper rad hose to it, that hose was pretty soft ( full of air). As mentioned I kept squeezing it one thermostat opened and watched as air bubbles escaped into the coolant reservoir bottle. Eventually the hose firmed more but it took some time for all the air bubbles to stop escaping into the reservoir bottle and real heat coming out from the main vent on passenger side. I think perhaps 1 litre of fluid maybe went on the floor from the hose, guess I just got lucky ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JourneyOfFrustration Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Update As I drove home yesterday I began to hear a tapping sound along with what sounded like a gurgling noise. I had been monitoring the coolant temp and watched as it shot up from 230 to 260 and overheated. By good fortune I was a block from a local garage and pulled into their driveway to let it cool. The shop owner came out and I gave him the rundown of the problems I had been experiencing. He asked a few questions and determined that I did have an air pocket trapped in the coolant system and then he showed me how to remedy it. I am no mechanic, but the fix was easy to do. After I got home and let the car cool, I did as I was instructed and everything turned out great!! The heater works fine. Thank you all for the great tips. If I run into any additional problems with this car I'll definitely return to the forum for guidance. Summer Solstice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Solstice Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Thanks for the update. Air in the system is a common problem that people learn about the hard way. It's a lesson you don't forget. I haven't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 25, 2020 Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 hard to understand him but he shows where the bleeder screw is and how to add coolant and turn on the heater ..i have watched several of their videos it is on Fremont over in Italy but the same as our journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armando G Posted January 25, 2020 Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 On 1/24/2020 at 9:34 AM, JourneyOfFrustration said: Update As I drove home yesterday I began to hear a tapping sound along with what sounded like a gurgling noise. I had been monitoring the coolant temp and watched as it shot up from 230 to 260 and overheated. By good fortune I was a block from a local garage and pulled into their driveway to let it cool. The shop owner came out and I gave him the rundown of the problems I had been experiencing. He asked a few questions and determined that I did have an air pocket trapped in the coolant system and then he showed me how to remedy it. I am no mechanic, but the fix was easy to do. After I got home and let the car cool, I did as I was instructed and everything turned out great!! The heater works fine. Thank you all for the great tips. If I run into any additional problems with this car I'll definitely return to the forum for guidance. That's great that it worked out for you from some free adviser from that mechanic. Might be nice to tell everyone what he suggested that worked. And might be nice to give him props for helping you in case someone else in your area might want to use him. Always good to hear a positive comment on a mechanic. Summer Solstice, jkeaton, OhareFred and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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