[VansMudder]

Had my Jeep in this past Wednesday to get the radiator, oil cooler and heater core swapped out for the infamous no heat on the drivers side problem. Now it's a blast furnace again.

I have to give kudos to my dealership (Dewildt Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Hamilton Ontario, Canada) for the outstanding service and work they performed on my Jeep as well as the no hassle approach to the problem, very stress free which is nice for a change.

They had the vehicle 2 full days and a few hours of the 3rd day to make sure everything was in order with no leaks etc. They also informed me they flushed the system twice until no more sludge was present and with pretty much a new cooling system then installed I should now be good to go. Now I've read horror stories on this forum about this particular job and the amount of work and panel/dash removal involved and quite frankly that was worrying me quite a bit. I was worried the dash would be loose or rattling all over the place or extra screws or plastic clips laying around but no such problem everything is as it was which soothed my ocd.

I was also put in another Wrangler for the period my Jeep was in the shop but I do have the gold warranty plan which includes a rental so I can't say what they would have done if I just had the regular warranty.

In any event it seems to be the toss of the dice these days to find good dealership/service department and I just thought mine deserved some accolades as it's easy to bash and get angry at dealerships but in the event they do perform well in every aspect then I think they deserve a mention on the forums.

 

[onecompton]

Mine is weak on drivers side and everything gets much toastier when accelerating/raising rpms - dealer claims everything is in spec and told me to come pick it up. Not acceptable for a brand new Jeep as far as i am concerned any advice?

 

[RubiconSS]

Had my Jeep in this past Wednesday to get the radiator, oil cooler and heater core swapped out for the infamous no heat on the drivers side problem. Now it's a blast furnace again.

I have to give kudos to my dealership (Dewildt Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Hamilton Ontario, Canada) for the outstanding service and work they performed on my Jeep as well as the no hassle approach to the problem, very stress free which is nice for a change.

They had the vehicle 2 full days and a few hours of the 3rd day to make sure everything was in order with no leaks etc. They also informed me they flushed the system twice until no more sludge was present and with pretty much a new cooling system then installed I should now be good to go. Now I've read horror stories on this forum about this particular job and the amount of work and panel/dash removal involved and quite frankly that was worrying me quite a bit. I was worried the dash would be loose or rattling all over the place or extra screws or plastic clips laying around but no such problem everything is as it was which soothed my ocd.

I was also put in another Wrangler for the period my Jeep was in the shop but I do have the gold warranty plan which includes a rental so I can't say what they would have done if I just had the regular warranty.

In any event it seems to be the toss of the dice these days to find good dealership/service department and I just thought mine deserved some accolades as it's easy to bash and get angry at dealerships but in the event they do perform well in every aspect then I think they deserve a mention on the forums.

Excellent!

Mine is weak on drivers side and everything gets much toastier when accelerating/raising rpms - dealer claims everything is in spec and told me to come pick it up. Not acceptable for a brand new Jeep as far as i am concerned any advice?

Start with referencing this thread in an email to the Service Manager.
Then if they keep pushing back Forward the email to FCA Corporate Customer Care and make sure the Dealership is CC'd.

This Forum actually packs quite a "Wallop" as is witnessed by conversations I have personally had with companies lately and over the years.

 

[onecompton]

Thanks for the advice RubiconSS -

 

[RubiconSS]

Thanks for the advice RubiconSS -

You're Welcome. Sadly "some" Dealers are naturally motivated one way or another BUT often alter their behavior when the light of day is shown upon them.
Rats are similarly affected.

One of the Greatest "cures" for misbehavior is "getting caught" and the subsequent publicity that ensues.

IF your Jeep is so "In Spec" ask them this simple question, " Can you show me Two(2) New Jeeps on your lot that will perform as mine does"?

I will wager - No. Jeep Heaters are Blast Furnaces when functioning correctly.

 

[VansMudder]

Mine is weak on drivers side and everything gets much toastier when accelerating/raising rpms - dealer claims everything is in spec and told me to come pick it up. Not acceptable for a brand new Jeep as far as i am concerned any advice?

All good advice from RubiconSS.

The service department has a certain criteria that has to be met and followed as directed by FCA. They first let the vehicle run/idle up to it's 200 degree operating temp then they measure the heat at all the vents, if even one is under their temp guidelines then they proceed from there. The next test is the actuator/blend doors. If they are in good working order they then proceed to the cooling system. Mine was severely sludged up they even asked if I ever used stop leak and I replied "no as I've never had a leak so why would I"?The two vents on my drivers side were blowing cold air, no heat at all and the passenger side vents were lukewarm at best. Once they confirmed no heat and the presence of the peanut butter like substance (sludge), quite a bit on the bottom of my coolant overflow bottle they then had the go ahead to change out all the affected parts.

My advice is to try as hard as you can to be polite and calm (very hard for me at times) and as stated already by RubiconSS it doesn't hurt to be armed when going in with lots of info, especially about being on these forums.

 

[onecompton]

Thanks VansMudder - i really appreciate it. Brand new dream vehicle so when it doesn't function as well as the last 20 cars and trucks i have had it disappoints and worries me. Hoping a tech one of these days will link a TSB number and give acceptable temperature numbers...

 

[RubiconSS]

Thanks VansMudder - i really appreciate it. Brand new dream vehicle so when it doesn't function as well as the last 20 cars and trucks i have had it disappoints and worries me. Hoping a tech one of these days will link a TSB number and give acceptable temperature numbers...

Tremendously valuable Hard Intel from VM. As this thread Builds you gain traction with detailed step by step info like you just received from VM.
As that happens, linking the thread in an email becomes all the more impactful.

 

[VansMudder]

There is another thread here somewhere that I believe has those minimum temps. I'll try and find it.

Have a look when you get the time at the bottom of your coolant overflow bottle and see if there is any sludge in it. The bottle will appear much darker at the bottom if it has it. Mine was over 2" deep with the stuff. If you see sludge in the bottom then that's an indicator that you are starting to experience the problem. It does happen gradually over time so yours may still be putting out an acceptable amount of heat, but if noticing a change in temp then the problem is probably underway.

 

[EdwardB]

Born in Hamilton, Ont and left it in 1960 for a career in the US. Worked at Stelco before I joined the army in '52 but will never go back now as it is just too damned far to drive at my age. Great little city though, but the mountains here in BC are a helluva lot higher. - Ted

 

[VansMudder]

Born in Hamilton, Ont and left it in 1960 for a career in the US. Worked at Stelco before I joined the army in '52 but will never go back now as it is just too damned far to drive at my age. Great little city though, but the mountains here in BC are a helluva lot higher. - Ted

Much has changed we are over half a million now so getting bigger. Stelco is now a shell of it's former self, but Dofasco is still hanging in there and the escarpment (all 300ft of it) is still being called the mountain...lol

I'm 51 and was born and raised here, but will probably be moving to NFLD this coming summer to be closer to my wife's family. I had failed back surgery a little over a year ago and now have to rethink my life.

Good to hear from a former Hamiltonian!

 

[VansMudder]

Thanks VansMudder - i really appreciate it. Brand new dream vehicle so when it doesn't function as well as the last 20 cars and trucks i have had it disappoints and worries me. Hoping a tech one of these days will link a TSB number and give acceptable temperature numbers...

A tech told another member on a similar thread that 120 degrees was the minimum. So I'm assuming if the temp falls below that at idle when the engine is at it's optimal operating temp of 200 degrees then they proceed to step 2.

 

[onecompton]

Thanks for the additional info - i will keep an eye on the temp (just bought a digital thermometer to check the vents) and for any sludge in the overflow.

 

[nepeddler]

Here is a gauge of what you should get.

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/blast-furnace-test-1585474.html



Nice to see the OP say good things about their dealership. Not too often that happens. Im sure there are plenty of good experiences but usually the bad ones get all the press. Nice to see things worked out for you.

 

[onecompton]

I checked mine earlier while stopped - jeep engine at normal op temp, outside temp 41 and was getting 145 i think out of center and about 98 out of drivers. I just got it back from a dealer who told me its within spec, have a nice day - i took video but its too big to share. I will see if this happens again and take pics. SAD

 

[onecompton]

Going to start a new thread so the heat issue is identifiable for anyone having a problem and hope everyone can help each other out - I appreciate everyones help. I checked again today same results, called Jeep customer care, went back to local dealer and dodged the brush offs, normal, blah blah and when i started to lose my cool and cite some of the info gained here with my own knowledge the service manager saw i wasn't dazzled with his BS and is ordering me a new heater core/giving me a loaner when it comes in. He then made a few comments like it isn't going to fix the temp difference and blah blah. I went after him about my dirty coolant at 13k, blast furnace on acceleration luke warm on idle, etc and he was done fighting so we parted and we will see how this all goes. Fingers crossed!

 

[Silvercreek]

Had my Jeep in this past Wednesday to get the radiator, oil cooler and heater core swapped out for the infamous no heat on the drivers side problem. Now it's a blast furnace again.

I have to give kudos to my dealership (Dewildt Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Hamilton Ontario, Canada) for the outstanding service and work they performed on my Jeep as well as the no hassle approach to the problem, very stress free which is nice for a change.

They had the vehicle 2 full days and a few hours of the 3rd day to make sure everything was in order with no leaks etc. They also informed me they flushed the system twice until no more sludge was present and with pretty much a new cooling system then installed I should now be good to go. Now I've read horror stories on this forum about this particular job and the amount of work and panel/dash removal involved and quite frankly that was worrying me quite a bit. I was worried the dash would be loose or rattling all over the place or extra screws or plastic clips laying around but no such problem everything is as it was which soothed my ocd.

I was also put in another Wrangler for the period my Jeep was in the shop but I do have the gold warranty plan which includes a rental so I can't say what they would have done if I just had the regular warranty.

In any event it seems to be the toss of the dice these days to find good dealership/service department and I just thought mine deserved some accolades as it's easy to bash and get angry at dealerships but in the event they do perform well in every aspect then I think they deserve a mention on the forums.

Not to sound like Johnny Rain Cloud but that the type of service we should all get at our dealers all of the time.

 

[VansMudder]

Well in a perfect world I'd agree, but alas it isn't so.

Like many have stated, only the bad reviews usually make it to a forum board because when people are content they hardly ever take the time to write a review so there are many satisfied people out there they just don't tell anyone is all.

 

[Silvercreek]

Well in a perfect world I'd agree, but alas it isn't so.

Like many have stated,only the bad reviews usually make it to a forum board because when people are content they hardly ever take the time to write a review so there are many satisfied people out there they just don't tell anyone is all.

Exactly!

 

[jj wrangler]

Are there any particular year models that have this problem?