Gx4 no heating at all!

[Whyaye]

Hi

I've wandered round the internet looking for advice on this problem but not found much. I've just bought a 14MY outlander gx4 with the electric heater under the passenger seat. The interior of the car will not heat up.
The small circ pump which draws coolant through the heater matrix and pumps it towards the electric heater is running but seems to be cavitating. The electric heater, when cold, will draw full power then taper off quickly as it heats the water in the heater. Because there is no flow, the heater then stops drawing current and although the heater under the seat is hot, the pump will not circulate the water.
The system has been bled and bled and bled but the pump seems to be drawing air from somewhere.
I suspect a leaky cabin heater matrix. Has anyone experienced anything similar and what are they like to change?

Thanks

 

[NightPHEVer]

I've had the misfortune to encounter heater matrix leakage in several different vehicles in the past (not my PHEV) usually only after around 10 years of use though (although I had a genuine Chrysler Jeep matrix fail after one year). The symptoms are in my experience steaming-up of the windscreen when the blower is aimed in that direction, and a sweet burning smell as the glycol burns off where it leaks onto the (usually hot) matrix. If it's a bad leak there will be actual water/coolant in evidence dripping on to the floor. Never had one not get hot as a result of leakage though - matrix usually starts leaking even more as it gets hotter. Sometimes leaks less as it cools down. They're usually a nightmare to change (entire dash removal), don't know about the PHEV though.

 

[Whyaye]

Looks like it's the head gasket.

 

[Tipper]

If you bought it recently from a dealer then take it back as they are obliged to fix it!

If you bought it privately then I suspect you will be on your own...particularly as the 3 year warranty would now be up.

 

[Whyaye]

It was bought from a 4x4 dealer in wetherby. I returned it because it had been mis-sold. - I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known it was faulty!! He was a bit awkward and slow to refund - I certainly won't even consider buying from him again! Got my cash back, and he had it straight back up for sale the next day!!

Buyer beware, outlander FP14WWF has gas appearing in its cooling system. Avoid it!!!
Have bought another one from somewhere else. Seems to be a good one this time.

 

[NightPHEVer]

Sounds as though this might have been 'fixed' by the dealer by installing some K Seal into the cooling system. Although quite why a vehicle of this age should have a leaking head gasket (or porous cylinder head or engine block?) in the first place is more than a bit of a worry.

 

[user 2238]

Oh dear, I've just seen the advert. "Paddleshift auto".