[reedo11]

Hi all, my 2009 Compass Limited has a heating problem. It seems that when the outside temperature gets to be below 40 degrees F, the heater will only put out luke-warm air, and it never gets hot. The coolant temperature is consistently lower than it should be, sits around 3/8 on the temp gauge. I've already replaced the thermostat twice, and can confirm that the current thermostat is not stuck open. The radiator fans are also not spinning at startup, so I believe the fans are not the issue either. I currently have a piece of cardboard zip-tied to the grille to stop air flow to the radiator to make it run hotter (that only seems to help a little bit).

Could it be incorrect coolant? A bad sensor? I really don't know what's wrong, and it's getting to be very frustrating, being that I live in an area that gets very cold in the winter months (down to -20F sometimes!). Any information helps .

 

[Jasmine]

Yeah. -20F here this morning. The World Engine in the first gen Compass has two thermostats. Did you change them both?

 

[Labrador Cab]

Did you check the Actuator from the Airflap ?

 

[reedo11]

Yeah. -20F here this morning. The World Engine in the first gen Compass has two thermostats. Did you change them both?

Are both the thermostats contained in the same thermostat housing? Because this could be a possible cause as I do not recall replacing both, just one of them at least.

 

[Jasmine]

I've not changed them myself, nor have I had either fail. As you may know, the 2.0 and 2.4 World Engine was used in many vehicles across the Chrysler line and beyond, so I'm guessing this info may be the same for a Compass as for a Dodge. I got this from the Dodge Caliber forum: Why two thermostats?

"The primary thermostat is located on the front of the water plenum in the thermostat housing/coolant inlet. The thermostat has an air bleed vent located on its flange. The air bleed vent (1) and the locator dimple on thermostat seal provide for proper positioning of thermostat in inlet housing. The secondary thermostat is located in the cylinder head under the water plenum."

I found the same info for a Chrysler on fixya.com: SOLVED: Are there two thermostats for a 2012 Chrysler 200 - Fixya

 

[BooMan 62]

Interesting.

 

[Need More Power]

Some cars require a air bleed procedure for the coolant system.

 

[reedo11]

I had a thought recently about what might be wrong. Its summer now and there is still very little heat, especially through the defroster and the passenger side vents. The car hasn't had a cabin air filter since I've owned it so I'm wondering if maybe something has clogged up. Both thermostats and housing has been replaced, heater core is hot to the touch on both inlet and outlet hoses, and the blend door works properly. I'm out of any other ideas at this point and am starting to think that the HVAC system in this car might just be horribly designed.

 

[Jasmine]

Are you getting airflow out of the ducts? If so, you should be getting some heat out of the ducts. If no airflow, then the a/c shouldn't be working either. I wonder if your a/c is stuck on, running against your heater?