# Low to no heat winter is coming!!!!



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Your thermostat is stuck open.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Your thermostat is stuck open.


Yah i was thinking this. I will change it and see. Anyone know where it is? I havent looked yet.


----------



## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

Follow your radiator inlet hose back to your engine. There it be.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

Would it get up to operating temp though with a open thermostat?


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Yes, if not traveling at highway speeds where there's a lot of airflow through the radiator.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

To verify it's the thermostat, either hook up a scan tool that can read water temperature, or check the DIC. Under Vehicle Information there should be a screen that displays water temperature. Normal is 180-220*F. 

IIRC, shouldn't thermostat be under powertrain warranty? I'm not sure on that point. It does affect emissions if it fails.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

Is it under powertrain? That would be helpful!


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

If it's not under the powertrain warranty, it's definitely under the emissions warranty. Also, check your coolant level. Low coolant can do the same thing.


----------



## BlueTopaz (Aug 25, 2012)

It should be under powertrain warranty. At least it was in our 2008 Acadia. The dealer replaced it with no issues. Funny thing was that the water pump went out a day later. Go figure.


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

BlueTopaz said:


> It should be under powertrain warranty. At least it was in our 2008 Acadia. The dealer replaced it with no issues. Funny thing was that the water pump went out a day later. Go figure.


Doesn't surprise me your water pump went out as well. I suspect an open thermostat puts a lot of excessive load on the water pump and a bad water pump will cause the thermostat to do strange things.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

This morning I had heat. So I dont get it. Also since this is an electric thermostat shouldn't this set off a check engine light if it was stuck open? i know there is a tsb for it. But it seems to be working again. odd


----------



## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

unitednations161 said:


> This morning I had heat. So I dont get it. Also since this is an electric thermostat shouldn't this set off a check engine light if it was stuck open? i know there is a tsb for it. But it seems to be working again. odd



unitednations16,
If you experience this issue again I would suggest that you take your Cruze into your dealer to have them look into this for you. They will be in the best position to get this issue diagnosed for you. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


----------



## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

Thermostat is covered under Powertrain.


----------



## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

If anything the heat in my car is working too well.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

Beaker said:


> If anything the heat in my car is working too well.


yeah last year it was hotter then **** in my car. This winter it is on then off then on then off.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> unitednations16,
> If you experience this issue again I would suggest that you take your Cruze into your dealer to have them look into this for you. They will be in the best position to get this issue diagnosed for you. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
> Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service



Yeah I know but I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON A NEW CAR THAT THE HEAT WAS USED ONLY ONE WINTER. if this is out of warranty. Ill be so mad ill trade it in for something else.


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

? It's a thermostat and you put a ton of miles on your car already. You're going to trade it over a MINOR repair like that that you could easily do yourself???

That makes no sense but ok.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

The TSB says That it needs a computer flash that a dealer has to do. Plus they said it should of set off the engine light in which it didn't. Yes I can replace a thermostat if thats the problem, is a electric thermostat the same as an old wax one? and a ton of miles? 40,000 isnt a ton of miles. LOL. my 84 AMC eagle has a TON of miles. Not my cruze.


Well when your 2011 cruze has already had the transmission replaced and now no heat. and my 84 amc eagle runs great, it kind of makes a person mad. Right?


----------



## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

unitednations161 said:


> Yeah I know but I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON A NEW CAR THAT THE HEAT WAS USED ONLY ONE WINTER. if this is out of warranty. Ill be so mad ill trade it in for something else.



unitednations161,
I do understand your concerns with this. The only way to determine if your repairs are going to be covered under your warranty is to visit your dealer. I am sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause you. Please keep me posted on the progress with your dealer. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

yeah i made an appt. for friday. Now my cooling fan is on non stop on full blast even when the car is 20 degrees.


----------



## mobileflea (Nov 19, 2012)

I just had my 2012 in for service. Heat went cold when I stopped, heated back up while driving. It was the thermostat housing gasket leak which caused fluid loss and a resulting air bubble in the coolant system which when stopped floated to top and caused cool air. Also could smell that coolant dripping on engine when I got out of car.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

In the shop now already costs me 100.00 for just bringing it in. Thanks GM. Go bankrupt again.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Wait a second, it's $100 just to get the dealer to see it? I thought that the thermostat was covered under powertrain warranty. That should make the visit free to you. Or is the dealer (assuming a dealer) charging you up-front to reimburse you if it's covered under powertrain warranty? The second way I can understand since that's common practice in the insurance industry. The first way seems shady. 

If it's not covered under powertrain warranty, should be covered under emissions warranty. Low engine temperature = dirtier burn = more pollution through the cats = failed cat.


----------



## unitednations161 (Mar 13, 2011)

My dealership lied to me it is covered and they gave me a rental for thier mistake


----------



## bryanakron40 (Nov 8, 2012)

SO your dealer is the problem and not GM. Yeah.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Start talking to the GM customer service rep on here, to the dealer themselves, and to GM's customer service line. Be truthful about the good and bad. The only way GM knows how their dealers are doing is if you let them know the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

I stopped into a local dealer for touchup paint yesterday, and the parts counter guy was initially a bit brusque. He changed his tune very quickly once he realized what he was doing.


----------



## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

unitednations161 said:


> yeah i made an appt. for friday. Now my cooling fan is on non stop on full blast even when the car is 20 degrees.




unitednations161,
How did your appointment go with your dealer? I look forward to hearing back from you. If you have any questions or would like my assistance please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


----------



## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

mobileflea said:


> I just had my 2012 in for service. Heat went cold when I stopped, heated back up while driving. It was the thermostat housing gasket leak which caused fluid loss and a resulting air bubble in the coolant system which when stopped floated to top and caused cool air. Also could smell that coolant dripping on engine when I got out of car.



mobileflea,
I would like to apologize for the experience you had with your Cruze. I am happy to hear that your dealer was able to get this fixed for you. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


----------



## CruzeXice (Dec 14, 2012)

I'm having a problem with my 2011 LT its got 32,000kms on it, i bought it last tuesday. this week has been rediculously cold where i live and i have a long commute to work in heavy downtown traffic. with a 15 minute warm up then a 45 minute drive with the fan on high the temp gauge doesnt even reach a 1/4 and when i get to work (i run a garage) i can hold onto my rad hoses. i took it in today, the dealer warrentied the thermostat and fixed my steering wheel squeek. on my way home took me an hour in bumper to bumper traffic, no change car still wont heat up. i have a 30 return period im seriously debating


----------



## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

CruzeXice said:


> I'm having a problem with my 2011 LT its got 32,000kms on it, i bought it last tuesday. this week has been rediculously cold where i live and i have a long commute to work in heavy downtown traffic. with a 15 minute warm up then a 45 minute drive with the fan on high the temp gauge doesnt even reach a 1/4 and when i get to work (i run a garage) i can hold onto my rad hoses. i took it in today, the dealer warrentied the thermostat and fixed my steering wheel squeek. on my way home took me an hour in bumper to bumper traffic, no change car still wont heat up. i have a 30 return period im seriously debating


yup thats what this car does. you want heat, you want the car to get to op temp, heres what i have to do with my 2012 with 4k on it. drive in m mode and do not use 6th gear. also you can only use fan speed 2 for the first 5 or so min and then you can go up to 3 but never use speed 4. after 25 min or so the car will get to op temp...but dont go using fan speed 4 then becasue the temp needle will crash to 1/4. you can try having the thermostat replaced but it didnt help in my case. i was told my car "works properly". basiclly the car cant keep up on heat...pathetic i know


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

jdubb11 said:


> yup thats what this car does. you want heat, you want the car to get to op temp, heres what i have to do with my 2012 with 4k on it. drive in m mode and do not use 6th gear. also you can only use fan speed 2 for the first 5 or so min and then you can go up to 3 but never use speed 4. after 25 min or so the car will get to op temp...but dont go using fan speed 4 then becasue the temp needle will crash to 1/4. you can try having the thermostat replaced but it didnt help in my case. i was told my car "works properly". basiclly the car cant keep up on heat...pathetic i know


If your car is taking 25 minutes to get up to operating temperature, regardless of what temperature it is outside, you need to take it to the dealer to have it looked at. 

In my Cruze, I leave the heat off but the seat warmer on when I leave for work in the morning, and on a typical 25-30 degree morning, my car reaches 180 degrees in under 5 minutes, which is when I turn the heat on. I haven't actually timed it, but it's fairly short as I only get to go a few miles. The car then reaches a full 220 degrees in under 10 minutes total. 

You may want to try a different dealership.


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

^^^Yep, what he said. And even blasting the heater on 4 once the engine has warmed up, I have NEVER had it drop back down to 1/4 temp. I can see it drop maybe 5-10 degrees on the DIC temperature readout, but nothing that consequential. The thermostat should SHUT to the radiator and keep the temperature from dropping much.


----------



## CruzeXice (Dec 14, 2012)

I run an auto repair shop and i live in a cold climate we do a lot of coolant flushes on a lot of different vehicles and i've never seen a car lose 30-40 degrees with the change of fan speed, thermostat is there to regulate coolant temp. there is no reason for that kind of temp drop. and i have a friend who owns a cruze lt as well and he has no issues so there has to be a problem. this is the reason i left GM in the first place was problems like these with my cadillac cts no one could figure out.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Sounds like your dealer didn't fix it. Throw a scanner on it and see what the coolant temperature is doing. Then go raise Cain if they didn't fix your car correctly.


----------



## CruzeXice (Dec 14, 2012)

haha wouldn't you know it weather has warmed up and it seems to be ok, next cold day ill borrow my shops snap on scanner and take it home with me and record what its doing. i have no idea why i didn't think of that. apologize for carrying on earlier just a little frustrated and i miss my truck (dont miss filling up 90$ a week though) lol


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

I just got home (early!!!) and I'm having trouble getting heat out of it. It never has been real strong, but I'd have to turn it up to 78-82 in order to get warm air to come out. Anything less was cold. Not outside air cold, but definitely not warm.

Interestingly, on my way home yesterday, I got cold too. So I turned the temp up to the upper 80s from 70. I was running on side roads between 35 and 50 at that point, since it was after I got off the highway. When rolling, the coolant temp on the Scangauge would drop from 218-222 down to 206-212. I already had the heated seat on too, so after a couple miles, I was able to turn the temp back down to a frigid 70. Within 2-3 miles, the coolant temp was back up to 222 again. It only dropped to about 215 today, but I didn't turn the temp up as high.

I just called the dealer to ask if they had heard of a software update to fix this problem. They hadn't. All they could do was offer to make a service appointment to check it out. It isn't so bad in the morning after sitting in the garage all night, but it makes for a cold nose in the afternoon after it sat out all day. 

Anyone come up with a valid solution? All I want is warm air, not just extremes of 60 and 90 degrees.


----------



## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

So does everyone having problems have auto climate control or something? I see posts with setting specific temps. My eco is a sweat box lol

Sent from my XT912 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Sunline Fan said:


> I just got home (early!!!) and I'm having trouble getting heat out of it. It never has been real strong, but I'd have to turn it up to 78-82 in order to get warm air to come out. Anything less was cold. Not outside air cold, but definitely not warm.
> 
> Interestingly, on my way home yesterday, I got cold too. So I turned the temp up to the upper 80s from 70. I was running on side roads between 35 and 50 at that point, since it was after I got off the highway. When rolling, the coolant temp on the Scangauge would drop from 218-222 down to 206-212. I already had the heated seat on too, so after a couple miles, I was able to turn the temp back down to a frigid 70. Within 2-3 miles, the coolant temp was back up to 222 again. It only dropped to about 215 today, but I didn't turn the temp up as high.
> 
> ...


Your engine thermostat is working just fine, but it sounds like something is going on with the electronic climate control or temp sensors inside the cabin itself. 

After I had automatic climate control on a car, I never want it again. Too much to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. See if you can find the temp sensors though and blow them out with a can of compressed air - may make a difference.


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

I had somewhere to go this evening, so I grabbed my mom's old, basic kitchen thermometer. I agree, it isn't thermostat, it's the way it's programmed. I would think it should work by heating or cooling the air to achieve the desired temp. It seems to work another way- it shoots out a certain air temp and varies the amount of air that goes through via fan speed. On full automatic mode, I first turned the A/C off (why does that default when so cold?) and the put the fan speed on a steady 3/6. It was in the passenger side inner dash vent. I also adjusted it so that it was just out of the dash vents. Readings were as follows, at certain points:

Lo (I assume 60): 40 degree air
65: 55 degree air
70: 82 degree air
75: 110 degree air
80: 140 degree air
85: 165 degree air
Hi: 180 degree air

All of these were taken while traveling in M6 at 45-55 mph (couldn't help the slow traffic). Exterior temp was 28. Car was up to temp for all tests and coolant ranged from 215 to 222.

Here's one pic of the test, I won't post them all (which some are blurry).
View attachment 9835



Sent from my iPhone using AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Sunline Fan said:


> I just got home (early!!!) and I'm having trouble getting heat out of it. It never has been real strong, but I'd have to turn it up to 78-82 in order to get warm air to come out. Anything less was cold. Not outside air cold, but definitely not warm.
> 
> Interestingly, on my way home yesterday, I got cold too. So I turned the temp up to the upper 80s from 70. I was running on side roads between 35 and 50 at that point, since it was after I got off the highway. When rolling, the coolant temp on the Scangauge would drop from 218-222 down to 206-212. I already had the heated seat on too, so after a couple miles, I was able to turn the temp back down to a frigid 70. Within 2-3 miles, the coolant temp was back up to 222 again. It only dropped to about 215 today, but I didn't turn the temp up as high.
> 
> ...




Sunline Fan,
Have you been able to take your Cruze into your dealer to have this looked into? I would like you to keep me posted. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


----------



## Verdes8891 (Feb 6, 2013)

My 2011 Cruze is in the dealership right now for the 3rd time for this exact issue. 

Every day that it is colder then 30 degrees or so outside my heat will be off and on. It did not do this last year even in the below 0 days we had. If i am driving the cruze it will heat up but at a slow pace. Once i come to a stop, i will sit there and watch as my temp gauge on my dash gets colder. If i sit long enough at a long stop, the air will start getting colder and then warm up again as i drive.
I drive about 25-30 min to get to work each way, and if it is real cold outside, it struggles to get warm. 

First time they re programmed the HVAC controller for two error codes that came up. Didnt fix the issue. At this point i figured the thermostat was starting to go or got stuck open. Took it back into the dealership and had them replace it. Had it replaced and it is still having the same exact issue. It is at the dealership right now as i speak for the 3rd time and they just called me to say that they see nothing wrong with it. Its blowing hot. But i know for a fact that once i get it back, it will still be having the same exact issue because they did not do anything. 

Can anyone suggest anything else that i can look at as to what is causing the issue?


----------



## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

it blew hot air for your dealer because it sat in there toasty garage for hours while they looked at it and then test drove it. tell them to leave it outside over night and then go drive it. dont use fan speed 4 ever when city driving and only 2 and 3 after its 1/4 warm. this is the worst winter car ive ever owned


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jdubb11 said:


> it blew hot air for your dealer because it sat in there toasty garage for hours while they looked at it and then test drove it. tell them to leave it outside over night and then go drive it. dont use fan speed 4 ever when city driving and only 2 and 3 after its 1/4 warm. this is the worst winter car ive ever owned


You've never owned a 4 cyl Honda then. My Cruzes heater puts them to shame. It's better than our 4 cyl Camrys too. 

It really just has to be left off until the needle is just above 1/8 on the gauge. Then, fan speed 2. When I get on the highway, I blast it at 3 or 4, and then I'm all nice and toasty :3.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


----------



## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> You've never owned a 4 cyl Honda then. My Cruzes heater puts them to shame. It's better than our 4 cyl Camrys too.
> 
> It really just has to be left off until the needle is just above 1/8 on the gauge. Then, fan speed 2. When I get on the highway, I blast it at 3 or 4, and then I'm all nice and toasty :3.
> 
> ...


i guess all the drivers that dont drive 50 miles a day on the highway or live in 30 degree plus weather are screwed


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jdubb11 said:


> i guess all the drivers that dont drive 50 miles a day on the highway or live in 30 degree plus weather are screwed


I drive 5 at most on the highway normally. Usually stop-and-go.


----------



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jdubb11 said:


> i guess all the drivers that dont drive 50 miles a day on the highway or live in 30 degree plus weather are screwed


On my drive to work(less than 2miles) none of my cars every fully warm up even with a 4-6minute idle. Side note, that's why in the winter I change my oil every 2-3months & well before 3,000miles to avoid condensation. 

With the cruze If I idle for 5minutes within a few blocks I am already starting to get heat & have enough to keep the windshield clear. In under 15minutes of stop & go(10driving+5minutes idle) I have a car that is up to operating range(180-230). Even when I don't idle the car at all I have never had to drive more than 15minutes to be up to operating temperature range. 

Definitely cold as heck here(below zero most nights).


----------



## MSGret (Jun 17, 2013)

obermd said:


> If it's not under the powertrain warranty, it's definitely under the emissions warranty. Also, check your coolant level. Low coolant can do the same thing.


+1 on the coolant check. Exact same symptoms OP described on my '11 LT/RS. Discovered low coolant. Filled it to specs and it fixed the heat issue immediately. Now I'm monitoring the level to see if I'm losing coolant elsewhere. I sure hope not...


----------

