No Floor Heat, we're broke from previous repairs and it's getting cold out!

[milwiron]

Our 2000 Durango won't divert any heat to the driver side or passenger side floor areas. All other heat and airconditioning settings seem to work fine.
I suspect a diverter gate is stuck or not working at all.
Can anyone tell me where to start looking for the problem, or a way to manually switch the diverter?
Without tearing into the dashboard I have no idea where to start troubleshooting.
After $2,000.00 worth of driveline work on the Durango this month I can't afford to take it in to a shop!
Thank you for any push in the right direction.
Denny

[dgranum41]

Sorry, I can't help you, but I wanted to post because I'm seeing similar things with mine. There is some floor heat on the driver side, but the passenger side has none. Other heat works okay, but lately I've seen that unless the vehicle is moving over about 25 mph, it won't really put out much heat. Any thoughts on that?

[blips]

Originally Posted by dgranum41

Sorry, I can't help you, but I wanted to post because I'm seeing similar things with mine. There is some floor heat on the driver side, but the passenger side has none. Other heat works okay, but lately I've seen that unless the vehicle is moving over about 25 mph, it won't really put out much heat. Any thoughts on that?

I have the same problem. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[robert dennis]

I have a 2000 durango I bought new in 2000 at lower ambient temperatures the driver side has more that suffice heat. The passenger side and rear vents discharge much colder air. I could get no satisfaction from dealer or diamler. I purchased the service manual and studied the design of the system. The problem is a terrible design with the heating damper design. The system by-passes outdoor air past heating coil . There is no provision for this air to mix with the hot air that is passing through the heating coil. The venting ducts are taken off in a manner that the cold by- pass air is directed to the rear and passenger vents. the driver vents get the heated air off of the coil. This is much more noticeable at lover ambients due to the increase in density of colder air. I suggest we get a class action suit initiated. The dealer says they have no fix. Very poor manufacturer / dealer product service

[BleedDodge]

Good luck with that.

[ratzo5476]

we have similar problem. the doesnt go where it is supposed to. had it in three times and still no good. dealer says its poor design of the seperate heat zone option. took it to another dealer who says he can fix it. trouble is i have a $100.00 deductible now

[01DurangoSLTPlus]

My dealer said diverter gate must be stuck, $1000.00 in labor to remove and replace dashboard. I said NO. Does anyone know how to fix? I don't mind spending time if it's just labor and basic tools.

[suburban_lee]

Originally Posted by 01DurangoSLTPlus

My dealer said diverter gate must be stuck, $1000.00 in labor to remove and replace dashboard. I said NO. Does anyone know how to fix? I don't mind spending time if it's just labor and basic tools.

The dealer is a bit high on the labor. You should be able to get this done for around $600ish if there are no parts to change. For the most part, you only need basic tools, a nice work area, and plenty of patience.

Here's what you'll do:

If power, move your drivers seat all the way back, then disconnect your battery.

From under the hood:
- Dump the freon in the cooling system (you may want to heed the law and have it recovered at a A/C shop). You'll need a set of tools to disassemble the quick disconnect A/C lines, then unscrew the H-block expansion valve from the evaporator.
- Drain some of your coolant out and disconnect the heater hoses from the heater core.

From in the car:
- Unscrew the steering column and lay it down on the driver's seat. Pay close attention to disconnect the gear indicator so as not to break the cable.
- The dash will have to be completely removed. Start with your kick panels, glove box, then screws from the top, bolts on the side, trim in the middle (there are a couple of bolts in the bottom center that are concealed by the carpeting). Just pull the dash back far enough to work and secure it in place. You can remove it entirely, but there is a lot to disconnect if you choose to do so.
- Once the dash is out of your way, you will be able to see the heater box. Unscrew the nuts that hold this in place from under the hood, against the firewall and pull this whole assembly out of the car. You'll need to disconnect the cable to the temperature control damper and the vacuum hoses.
- When you have this out of the car, you're home free. Disassemble it, fix your problem, inspect the heater core closely and change it if at all in doubt. You don't want to do this job twice.

Like the manuals say, installation is the reverse of removal! Expect this job to take you 10 hours if you are mechanically inclined, and consideraby longer if you're not.

[01DurangoSLTPlus]

Lee,

I appreciate your detailed instructions! That is definitely a job I can tackle, with those directions. Thanks for taking the time to type it up. I really want to keep her, but don't want a thousand dollar outlay. BTW, the dealer wanted $1000.00 parts and labor.

Eugene

[suburban_lee]

Originally Posted by 01DurangoSLTPlus

Lee,

I appreciate your detailed instructions! That is definitely a job I can tackle, with those directions. Thanks for taking the time to type it up. I really want to keep her, but don't want a thousand dollar outlay. BTW, the dealer wanted $1000.00 parts and labor.

Eugene

No problem. I went through this pain and suffering to change the evaporator out on my wifes Durango, so if you have any detailed questions, feel free to e-mail me. Also, one of the bolts that hold the expansion valve onto the evaporator froze in place and broke off when I was disassembling. Not too huge of a deal for me because I was changing the evaporator, but if you're in there for another reason, you probably want to keep your evap intact - the bolt is a dealer only part, by the way. Just thought I'd warn you - If the bolts need extreme force, be very careful, and before you put them back in, use some lithium grease or the like on these two bolts.

[goofa]

We have the same problem with our 2002 Durango. We have had it into the shop and the mechanics are telling us that it is going to cost $1000.00. This seems to be a fairly common problem. Has anyone tried to contact Dodge about the problem? Is there perhaps a case for a recall?

[n8zdogg]

Have the same problem on a 2001, and for that $ the heat can just come out the AC vents.