chrysler voyager heater blowing cold air

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Chrysler Voyager heater not working – causes and diagnosis

The heater in Chrysler Voyager ensures comfortable temperature in the passenger compartment when the weather is chilly. There are many reasons for poor heating performance in Voyager, which are explained in this article.

The heater may stop working in Chrysler Voyager due to low coolant level or air in the cooling system, clogged heater core, bad thermostat, faulty blend door actuator, bad water pump, dirty cabin air filter, bad blower motor, or HVAC control unit malfunction.

1. Low coolant or air in the cooling system

Low coolant level or air in the cooling system can cause the heater to stop working properly in Voyager. If the cooling system is not full and bled properly, the water pump will not be able to push the coolant around the system efficiently.

The heating system in Voyager uses hot coolant or antifreeze from the engine block to heat the interior of the vehicle. The hot coolant is pumped through the heater core located behind the dashboard. When you turn on the heating, air gets blown through the heater core, warming the air in the cabin. If there is air trapped inside the heater core, the coolant will not be able to flow through it properly. Since the heater core is usually slightly higher, the air will accumulate in there first. By filling and properly bleeding the system the heat should come back.

Sloshing water sound

Low coolant level or air in the heater core can sometimes cause sloshing sound from behind the dashboard when the engine is running. The sound is most prominent right after you start the vehicle.

Check coolant level

Checking coolant level in Voyager is a fairly some job. You just have to locate the coolant overflow reservoir and inspect the level of coolant in it. If the coolant level is low, open the cap and pour some coolant into the tank until it is between minimum and maximum mark.

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2. Clogged heater core

Clogged heater core is one of the leading causes of heating not working in Chrysler Voyager. The design of the heater core is similar to the radiator, it has narrow internal channels through which hot coolant flows. Over time, the heater core can begin to rust or mineral deposits can form in these channels, blocking the flow of the coolant.

How to check if the heater core is clogged

You don’t have to remove the heater core in your Voyager to check if it is clogged. Locate two rubber hoses that connect to the heater core through the firewall area. Feel both the rubber lines going in and out of the heater core after the engine has warmed up. Both should be hot. If one is hot and the other is cold, you have a plugged heater core.

Flush the heater core

Before you consider replacing the heater core in your Voyager, it is recommended to flush the existing heater core. Flushing is done by pushing water through the outlet hose of the heater core and draining the gunk from the inlet hose. There are flush kits available in the market that can help you do the job yourself.

3. Bad thermostat

Thermostat is a part of the cooling system in Chrysler Voyager which ensures that the engine reaches its optimal operating temperature as quickly as possible and maintain it under all operating conditions.

Thermostat is stuck open

When you start your Voyager when the engine is cold, the thermostat cuts off flow of coolant through the radiator in order to quickly reach the optimal engine operating temperature. But if the thermostat has developed a defect and is stuck to open position, the coolant will continuously flow through the radiator and the engine may take a long time to reach its optimal operating temperature.

Heater takes a long time to blow hot air

Since the heating system in Voyager relies on the hot coolant from the engine to heat the interior, the heater will blow cold air until the engine reaches its normal operating temperature. But if the weather is too cold, the engine may never reach its optimal operating temperature with a stuck open thermostat. Your vehicle may also consume more fuel than normal.

5. Bad water pump

The water pump is the heart of the cooling system in Voyager responsible for pumping coolant throughout the system and cooling the engine. If the water pump has worn out and the coolant is not being circulated as effectively as it used to, it can cause the heater to stop working properly because there’s less coolant available to transfer heat between the engine and the heater core.

Water pumps usually last for more than 100,000 miles, but they can fail at any time. A bad water pump will not only cause poor heating, but can also result in engine damage due to overheating. Therefore it is important to diagnose a failing water pump at early stages to avoid expensive repairs later on.

6. Faulty blend door actuator

Blend door actuator plays a role in controlling the temperature inside your Voyager. If the blend door actuator fails to fully open the blend door towards the heater core, it will result in poor heating performance.

The most common symptom of a faulty blend door actuator in Chrysler Voyager is a slight clicking sound (or other unusual noise) repeatedly coming from under the dashboard. The sound will be most prominent for a few seconds when you turn on the air conditioning or adjust the temperature.

Symptom: knocking sound

A knocking noise from behind the dashboard could be an indicator of a bad blend door actuator in your Voyager. The sound is something like a light tapping on the door and it typically happens when you turn on/off the air conditioning system or start the engine.

Symptom: creaking sound

One side hot, other side cold.

A common symptom of a faulty blend door actuator in vehicles with dual zone climate control system is one side blowing hot air while the other side is blowing cold air.

Replace the faulty part

A bad blend door actuator usually cannot be repaired and must be replaced with a new one. Due to the complexity of the replacement job, it is not recommended as a DIY project. The blend door actuator may require recalibration after replacement.

7. Dirty cabin air filter

Dirty cabin air filter is the leading cause of weak heater airflow in Chrysler Voyager. The pollen filter, also known as the cabin air filter or microfilter, is responsible for filtering the air that the passengers breathe in the cabin. A dirty filter causes the overall ventilation of the interior to deteriorate resulting in reduced heating and airflow.

There is no fixed time for replacing the cabin air filter, but most manufacturers recommend a change after 10,000-20,000 miles. If you drive your vehicle in dusty or polluted environment, the filter can get dirty much sooner than manufacturer’s recommendation. Additionally, if you drive your Voyager with AC system set to fresh outside air most of the time, your cabin air filter will get dirty much sooner as compared to air recirculation mode.

Replace the filter at the start of every winter for optimal performance

It is generally recommended to replace the cabin air filter every year at the start of the winter season. Spring and summer seasons are hard on the cabin air filter because of pollen and bugs, and in the fall they can get clogged with leaf debris. This gives you a fresh start for the winter, improves defroster performance, and reduces chances of mold or mildew growth.

Can you clean a dirty cabin air filter?

Instead of changing the cabin air filter in Voyager, it is often recommended to first clean the filter. This can be done, for example, with a vacuum cleaner or a compressed air system, removing at least a large part of the visible dirt particles. Unfortunately, this procedure does not allow you to get into the deeper layers of the filter. Therefore, the filter performance will not increase significantly even after cleaning. As a rule, there is no avoiding a change if the filter is dirty.

8. Sluggish blower motor

If the blower motor in your Voyager is not spinning fast enough either due to an internal defect or due to a fault in the resistor/control module, the airflow from the AC vents will be weaker and the heating performance will be degraded.

When a blower motor goes bad, it usually makes unusual noises when in operation, and the passengers may feel reduced airflow from the air vents. Keep in mind that reduced airflow doesn’t always indicate a problem with the blower motor, as it can also happen due to a clogged cabin air filter, dirty evaporator, or a bad mode door actuator. So, all of them must be inspected when diagnosing poor airflow.

9. Dead blower motor (no airflow)

If there is no air flow from the air vents in the dashboard when you turn on the heater in your Chrysler Voyager, it means the problem is related to the fan or blower motor function.

The most common causes for blower motor not working in Chrysler Voyager are blown fuse, bad relay, resistor or control module malfunction, and faulty blower motor. However, a bad electrical connector or broken wire, or a defect in the climate control unit can also cause the blower motor to stop working.

10. Dirty evaporator

Dirty evaporator can cause weak airflow and reduce the heating performance in Voyager. Although, the evaporator coil is a component of the cooling function of the air-conditioning system, but the air always first passes through the evaporator and then flows over the heater core.

The cabin air filter captures most of the dirt or other airborne particles, but some particles escape and can get lodged on to the evaporator. Over time, these particles build up on the fins and block the air flow through the evaporator, causing reduced air flow in the cabin and poor heating or cooling.

Function of the evaporator in heating mode

When the heater is turned on and the AC turned off, the compressor does not turn on and the evaporator is not cooled. When you press the AC button in heating mode, the compressor turns on and the evaporator cools and dries the air before it enters the heater core. This mode is useful for clearing fog from the windows.

11. Faulty HVAC module

Climate control module is the brain of the air-conditioning system in your Chrysler Voyager, responsible for controlling all the components in the system. In rare cases, a fault in the climate control unit can cause the heater to stop functioning. This would require a scan tool to confirm correct operation.

12. Blown head gasket

The head gasket is responsible for providing the seal between the engine block and cylinder heads. Its purpose is to seal the combustion gases within the cylinders and to avoid coolant or engine oil leaking into the cylinders. Leaks in the head gasket can cause all sorts of problems in your Voyager including poor heater performance. This is mostly common in older vehicles.

Leaking exhaust gases

A blown head gasket can cause the exhaust gases from the engine to enter the cooling system and plug the heater core. Clearing the air from the heater core will not help until the head gasket has been replaced.

Leaking coolant

A blown head gasket can cause coolant to leak into the combustion chambers and burn off. If your Voyager is losing coolant, that means there is a leak somewhere or it is getting burned up inside the engine.

How to check if head gasket is leaking in Voyager?

You don’t have to go to a workshop to check for a leaking head gasket in your Voyager. There are test kits available in the market in which you just have to insert a tube filled with colored liquid in the radiator (in place of the radiator cap), and then start the engine. If the liquid changes color, then there is a leak in head gasket.

Switch on air recirculation mode

When the outside temperature drops too low, the heating performance may be reduced in Voyager if the air conditioning system is set to outside air. To improve heating efficiency, it is recommended to switch on air recirculation mode. Don’t worry, there is no risk of suffocation, as the air recirculation mode still allows up to approximately 10 percent of the air coming from the air vents to be fresh air from the outside.

There are many reasons why the heater in your Chrysler Voyager is not working properly. When looking for the reason, you should start with the most obvious causes: low coolant level or air in the cooling system, and clogged heater core.

In any case, it is advisable for laypersons to visit a workshop. A professional mechanic can swiftly diagnose the heating issue for you.

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Heater blows hot when set to cold!!

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Hi folks, I'm hoping that I might be able to use the vast experience of fellow owners on the site. I've just purchased a '99 voyager (christened Bertie the bus by the kids!!) which has an issue with the heater. When set to cold it occasionally starts blowing very hot. There doesn't seem to be an particular thing that triggers it. Anyone have any suggestions as to what it might be please? Thanks, Julie  

Sounds like a thermostat issue..  

Do you have automatic temperature control? If so, a sensor inside the vehicle may be blocked (by stuff mounted on the dash, etc.) or getting a wrong temperature reading.  

A stuck air diverter in the air duct boxes or a bad actuator is usually the culprit. Try moving the thermostat from hot to cold and see if it resets it, usually means it gets stuck. This is assuming it does not auto climate controls.  

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Intermittent heat and cool problem

Discussion in 'Voyager' started by nukegumbo, Dec 11, 2023 .

Hello, I have a Plymouth voyager that will sometimes blow cold air when heat is selected and will not blow cold air when air conditioning is selected. Also sometimes the gauges will not work. Where should I start looking for the problem?  

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

97 lhs running too cool, cool hand painted pewter dodge, ram, & chrysler keychains, a604 question-cooler connections &flow directionwanna save its life by running cool, engine overheat and cool air -thermostat, intermittent wipers too intermittent, 97 intrepid, 98 concord. heat, windows not working and air bag and abs light on., 1998 plymouth grand voyager (intermittent front wiper and liftgate problem), 2015 chrysler 200 v6 - intermittent hesitation/intermittent stalling when stopped.

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Heater only blowing cold air 2002 chrysler grand voyager 2.5 crd

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• Contributor 6 Answers
• Posted on Oct 11, 2013

Check and see if the a/c compressor is running,if it is unplug it and see if you get heat,or it could be a heater actuator stuck or bad........good luck

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• Posted on May 19, 2009

SOURCE: how to remove injectors

Take the bolts out of the fuel rail and lift the fuel rail off the injectors then remove injectors

Dennis Mulford

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• Posted on Mar 05, 2009

SOURCE: locating a 2002 chrysler voyager thermostat

trace out the top raidtor hose where it goes too the block and thats where the thermostat is,

• Posted on Dec 06, 2008

SOURCE: heating doesnt work - no hot air in chrysler grand voyager

(check water/ antifreeze level first, make sure it's full, low water can cause it not to heat properly) it could possibly be either the thermostat- fairly cheap and easy to fix, great for DIY's- if that doesn't fix it, it could be heater core.

Colin Stickland

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• Posted on May 17, 2010

SOURCE: manual chrysler grand voyager 2.5 SE CRD

yes what do want to know ,these cars like this we do have in spain

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• Posted on May 19, 2010

SOURCE: when does a 2008 chrysler grand voyager 2.8 crd

120,000 MILES

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2001-2007 Dodge Caravan

Unveiled at the 2000 North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2000, the redesigned 2001 Dodge Caravan and 2001 Chrysler Town & Country were released for sale in August 2000.

John Blaine @johnblaine

Posted: Jul 2, 2012

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fan works but no heat comes into cabin. Troubleshooting ideas?

Fan comes on, but no heat comes into cabin. Troubleshooting ideas?

Is this a good question?

Possibly a bad thermostat, a clogged heater core, or a faulty valve.

Jul 2, 2012 by oldturkey03

Have you tried replacing the cabin filter. If it has been a long since you have done this, maybe it is very dirty and clogged. Just a thought.

Oct 31, 2016 by Deleted

you may have a bad servo valve that's the valve that opens and closes the heater door from cold to hot. are you getting any air in the vents? if so and it's cold this should be your problem. you can got to u-tube and see a video on how to fix this just type in the search your van and year and it should come up

Hope this helps

Nov 30, 2016 by John

By keith, part 1: (too much, so I have to make two posts) Make sure you always check your coolant level. And don't just leave it to your reservoir. That' might not show the problem, if for example, you have another issue causing the coolant to fill into the reservoir, such as a head gasket that is going. And you would want to know that, because the sooner the better in terms of fixing it easy with a liquid sealer, etc. Plus, less damage to your engine. Okay, so, lets say that is happening or that you have a leak some place and lost all of your coolant. Not only would you not have heat in your car. But your cars engine wouldn't have coolant to cool the temperature and if you have a faulty temp gauge on instrument panel, then you may end up being able to run like that for periods of time doing even more damage.

Jan 24, 2017 by crestlinecoachtours

So, number one rule, don't trust, check and verify that you have correct levels.. And make sure your radiator cap is on tight. and if you need a new cap, get one. These systems are under pressure and you cannot expect the coolant to travel efficiently around the engine and hvac system (keep in mind in van, those pipes are even longer and go back to the end of the van, like in a bus, other cars don't have that) if you are not producing enough pressure in some cases. Yes, a radiator cap can cause many different problems and symptoms that may point to other problems that you really don't have. So, get a good handle on all of that, and not only might you get your heat back, but you also may save your care from catastrophic damage. Good luck!

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oldturkey03 @oldturkey03

Rep: 782.4k

John Blaine, check for a few more things like :

Make sure the blower works all the time,

Check to make sure that the cooling system is full,

Check to make sure the engine heats up to operating temperature,

and make sure that all the modes on your heater operate.

If all those are satisfactory, it is posible that you have a blend door actuator problem. First try to do the calibration on the heater system. here is how "

A/C Heater Control Calibration

The A/C-heater control module must be recalibrated each time an actuator motor or the A/C-heater control is replaced. If the vehicle is so equipped, the calibration procedure also includes rear HVAC positions for each actuator motor.

Turn the ignition switch to the On position.

If equipped with the manual temperature control (MTC) system, press and hold the Rear Wipe/ Wash and Recirculation buttons for at least five seconds . If equipped with the automatic temperature control (ATC) system, simultaneously press and hold the Power and Recirculation buttons on the A/Cheater control for at least five seconds . The MTC A/C-heater control Rear Wipe/Wash button light emitting diode (LED) and Recirculation button LED, or the ATC A/C-heater control Delay and Recirculation graphics will begin to flash when the calibration procedure has begun.

The calibration procedure should take less than two minutes to complete for the manual A/C-heater control, and less than twenty seconds for the ATC A/C-heater control. When the LED's or graphics stop flashing, the calibration procedure is complete.

If the LEDs or graphics continue to flash beyond the two minute (manual) or twenty second (ATC) calibration time, it indicates that the A/Cheater control has detected a failure and a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) has been set. The LED's or graphics will continue to flash even after the ignition switch is cycled Off and On, until a successful calibration is completed or until the vehicle has been driven about 8 miles."

Here is the information from a bulletin that may apply to you as well:"

NUMBER: 24-006-01

GROUP: Heating & A/C

DATE: May 4, 2001

No Heat on Front Right Side

This bulletin involves replacing the blend air door shaft with a new part.

MODELS:2001 (RS) Caravan/Town & Country/Voyager 2001 (RG) Chrysler Voyager (International Markets)

NOTE : THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO LEFT HAND DRIVE (LHD) VEHICLES WITH ZONE CONTROL OR AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL (ATC) HVAC SYSTEMS.

SYMPTOM/CONDITION:

The vehicle operator may complain of no heat in any mode, from the front right side of the vehicle.

If the above condition is verified, perform the Repair Procedure.

1. Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable.

2. Remove the silencer pad from beneath the driver side end of the instrument panel.

3. Remove the driver's side knee bolster.

4. Remove the three screws that secure the heater core shield to the left end of the HVAC distribution housing (Fig. 1).

5. Pull the heater core shield rearward far enough to disengage the two location tabs that position the front of the shield to the receptacles in the two lower finger formations of the heater/air conditioner housing near the dash.

6. Remove the heater core shield from the distribution housing.

7. Remove the two screws that secure the passenger blend door actuator to the distribution housing (Fig. 2).

NOTE : MARK LOCATION OF PLASTIC EXTERNAL STOP POSITION ON THE BLEND AIR DOOR SHAFT FOR REINSTALLATION.

8. Remove the metal blend air door shaft and plastic external stop attached to the shaft.

9. Install the new blend door shaft through the blend air door and into the housing.

10. Reinsert the plastic external stop to the blend air door shaft in the same position as it was removed. Rotate the blend air door shaft by hand to ensure the plastic door stop stops rotation of the shaft between the stop bumpers in the housing.

11. Position the blend air door actuator onto the distribution housing. It necessary, rotate the actuator slightly to align the splines on the actuator output shaft with those in the blend air door linkage.

12. Install and tighten the two screws that secure the blend door actuator to the distribution housing . Tighten screws to 2 Nm (17 in. lbs.).

13. Position the heater core shield onto the distribution housing. Be certain that the two location tabs on the front of the shield are engaged in the receptacles in the two lower finger formations of the evaporator housing near the dash panel.

14. Install and tighten the three heater core shield screws and tighten to 2 Nm (17 in. lbs.).

15. Install knee bolster.

16. Install silencer pad.

17. Reconnect battery negative cable.

18. Perform the heater-NC control calibration procedure:

a. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position.

b. Simultaneously depress and hold the Power and Recirculation buttons on the heater-A/C control for at least five seconds. The manual heater-A/C control Delay Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Recirculation LED, or the Automatic Temperature Control (ATC) heater-A/C control Delay and Recirculation graphics will begin to flash when the calibration procedure has begun.

c. The calibration procedure should take less than three minutes to complete for the manual system, and less than twenty seconds for the ATC system. When the LED's or graphics stop flashing, the calibration procedure is complete.

d. If the LED's or graphics continue to flash beyond the time stated above, it indicates that the heater-A/C control system has detected a failure and a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) has been set. Use the DRBIII(R) scan tool and the appropriate diagnostic." Hope this helps, good luck.

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8 Comments:

Just tried this on moms 2002 caravan 3.3 / auto and after holding the power and recirc. buttons the recirc. button continued to flash after the 2 minutes, will this fix still apply to this one button being lit ?

Oct 18, 2014 by James L

this will not help....your blend door is broken.....you will need a new heater box

Aug 13, 2015 by james rousseau

1/8/2016 Tried the calibration on a 2005 DGC. Worked perfectly, letting me know that everything is working well. All I needed was more coolant fluid. I will watch for a leak under the car. If there is a leak, what would be the next step? (Could I use the substance that helps plug a small radiator leak?) Thanks Ruth

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Jan 8, 2016 by rainone5

This morning my 2007 Grand Caravan began blowing ONLY hot air. It didn't matter where the temp control was set, the air was HOT. I was thinking actuator door and huge expense but I followed the instructions for the calibration and it fixed the problem! The controls work perfectly again. No expense and it took 2 minutes. Thanks!

Oct 4, 2016 by gunman2b

Hey I calibrated the way as said to do on my 2001 town and country and the ac button kept blinking.....what does that mean?.... I have no heat at all

Oct 30, 2016 by Salina

Victor Garcia @victorgarc13825

Posted: Apr 26, 2015

on my 2001 Chrysler Town and Country LXi, it ended up being the digital display temperature control in the center console(I may have caused a short when I replaced the fan blower),I purchased a used one for 60 bucks at a wrecking yard,just remember you need to reset the climate control hatch which is the recirculating image in the digital display, to do that you need to have the ignition on then press the power button and the recirculating button held down at the same time for about 5 seconds then you will see it start blinking then you let go of the buttons and it will continue blinking for about 30 seconds then it recognizes the little hatch so it opens and closes properly this happens every time you disconnect the small wires at the bottom of the fan blower motor below the passenger side just behind the glove box, then hopefully its starts working for you, it's not very difficult all you need is a Phillips head screwdriver and one of those 6 edge star drivers, good luck, PS, for the dial temperature control it is done a different way if you google it you should find the answer sorry I'm not sure how it works but it does have a reset system also

billyboblowery @billyboblowery

Posted: Oct 29, 2013

Per Chrysler it is a software problem in the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan they know about it but have no real fix yet ? I was also advised check in every month to see if the got a fix for it ?

I was advised yesterday 10/29/13 to turn the heat control all the way up then turn it all way cold then to where you want the heat settings at.

Nick @nick92250

Posted: Nov 18, 2014

If you replace the blend door and it still doesn't work unhook the battery and touch the positive and negative terminals together for about a min. It clears out the computer. It should work then. If not you might want to look into replacing the A/C headunit.

worst advice ever! there is a proper reset procedure very easy for the HVC actuators. do not disconect battery cables that will just clear all the wrong things like the PCM running the engine fine tund,. and will hae to relearn all over again. and could cause poor fuel mileage and rough running etc for a while. etc.

Dec 15, 2019 by RANDY S

James Tucker @jamestucker

Posted: Oct 26, 2016

mine is a 2011 chrysler 200 and replaced both actuator switches now need to recalibrate it as most of my air is coming out of the defrost on top.does anyone know how you do this on this model.

framptones @framptones

Calibration worked perfectly in my 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. Heat stopped pumping a few days ago but started working again after about 5 minutes.

Dodge Driver in Michigan

Rob Quinn @robquinn

Posted: Jan 2, 2018

I am having random heat issues 2010 avenger .. No problems with rad fluid cycle to the main parts . Heater works after I've pushed the car over 3000 rpms . Than I get a wiring almost like a plastic burning smell. Today it happened to be very strong smelling " As the heater finally started to heat the cabin" Keep in mind it was -25C with the windchill being -35C < this problem is more common when it's colder

wiring plug on blower motor is loose and burning melting.. need to have wiring plug end replaced ASAP. also sound

s like your coolant level is very low. check radiator level if there is a cap on radiator.. not just the coolant recovery tank level.

Rodney Faulkner @rodneyfaulkner

Posted: Jul 17, 2018

My 98 dodge caravan is overheating i change waterpiump an d mytherostat and my radiator is only getting warm

2 Comments:

thermostat maybe stuck. replac it.. chrysler thermostats ar good for being stuck open

I did change blower motor,actuator ,resistor on my 2007 grand caravan on now i can’t change heat to floor it’s stock on defrost!What can be the problem?

Jan 12, 2020 by Dany Ross

Dennis Kerr @denniskerr

Posted: Jan 28, 2021

I have a 2012 dodge grand caravan. The heater was working fine blowing hot air ot of the dash vent and then it started to blow cold air out of the floor vents what is my problem?

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Heater Blows Out Cold Air

2013 chrysler 300.

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AC / heater problem

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2013 Chrysler 300 Owner Comments

Dec 01 2013

300 3.6L V6

• Automatic transmission
• 1,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Personally I believe its the computer itself. If the car is off for about an hour it will start the same process again. Like the computer resets itself. Hope someone can make sense of this, or a Chrysler engineer will be able to solve. Thanks.

- tzurawski , Romeoville, IL, US

Oct 15 2015

• 28,000 miles

I was driving my car on a long trip with the Heat/AC in the auto mode at 72 degrees.. About 2 hours into the trip it started blowing cold air. I turned the temp setting up to 80 and no change... 90 no change... Finally I pulled over at a rest stop and shut the car off. After about 10 minutes I restarted the car and it worked fine. Had the same exact problem about a month later... Took it to the dealership and they said it works fine.

- Christopher J. , Minneapolis, US

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Heat Only on One Side

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I'm getting heat blowing out of the driver's side vents, but not passenger side. Recently, I changed out a bad blend door actuator. When I installed it, I didn't put the new one in the exact right position (installed at the 11:00 position, then turned it to align with the mounting screws). Could that be the reason? Is there something else I should be looking for? Any recommendations are welcome. BTW, I am not sure if this issue started before I changed the actuator or not, since it just started getting cold. 2011 Limited V6  

There are lots of similar complaints about this issue. Sadly, the most likely cause is a partially clogged heater core. It's a pretty big job to replace it and expensive if you take it to the dealer. If you do a search online for Chrysler heater core problem you'll probably see some threads about it. One recent thread had a picture of a clogged heater core cut open so you can see what happens. Flushing the heater core is hard to do right but you could give it a try. The hard part isn't hooking up a rig to the heater core pipes, it's because of the internal design. The flush can flow through the core yet still bypass the area where it's clogged. Chrysler changed coolant specifications in 2013 and if the newer style coolant was mixed with the earlier spec it might have been the cause for gelling and clogging.  

How would the left side vent blow the correct temp, but not the right side vent ? the air comes through the same heater core ??  

I just got off the phone with Chrysler about the same problem. Got a case number, but was told nothing they could do for me. 2011, with Penstar motor. Told them this was the last Chrysler I would ever own, known problem and they won't even go in on the labor if I bought the parts.  

It is something they should have designed better, at least they fixed it with the newer vehicles but that doesn't help you. Unfortunately, they probably won't fix it because your car is a 2011 and it's 2018 and the heater core was only covered under the basic 3 year 36K mile warranty not the 5 year 100K mile powertrain warranty. I assume you don't have an extended service contract with them, the only thing they might still be on the hook for are some emissions components because they are federally mandated in the US. 8 years 80,000 miles on the catalytic converter for example. It might be a long shot because of the age of your vehicle, but you might be able to convince a dealer for a "goodwill" repair - have you used one particular dealer for maintenance and service? Several years ago I had a coolant issue just out of basic warranty on my 13' 200 with the Pentastar (traded it for my 15' 200) and a local dealer fixed it out of warranty parts and labor no cost to me. A member on here that works for Chrysler helped me with the issue "Chrysler Cares". She private messaged me and I ended up talking to her on the phone and she called the dealer and arranged the repair for me but stated ultimately the cost if any was up to the dealer because it was a "goodwill" repair. If the dealer hadn't changed ownership not long after that, I would have bought my 15' from them.  

Thanks, I was worried that was the problem. I did top up my coolant a couple years ago which said on the bottle it was compatible, but the heat stopped working last year. Took it to a local radiator shop and they did a coolant flush that helped, but they must not have gotten the clog out.  

It is common for modern cars to have the actuators calibrated. You said you changed the actuator. You might want to check with the dealer and see if it is the case that the firmware needs updated/calibrated before going crazy on the internetz. Just saying....  

Are you the only one thinking like me! the3 heat comes through one heater core if it's plugged then both sides of the cars vents will blow the same temp,,at least in my opinion !!  

Thanks everyone for the tips. It turns out the problem was a clog in the heater core. I took it back to the radiator shop I went to last year. Last year, they did a coolant/radiator flush but did not backflush the heater core. They did a full coolant flush including the heater core this time and it's blowing nice and hot out of all vents now. The guy said that it's a common problem with a lot of Chrysler vehicles. If it's so common I'm not sure why they didn't do the heater core last year, but it's done now.  

KSwany said: They did a full coolant flush including the heater core this time ... Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I might have to get the same thing done.  

Found this video.  

Had a local mechanic back flush the heater core, have heat again on both sides.  

Since this has been a common issue with Chryslers, am curious if this will become an issue on the 15 and newer 200's as well.  

In my opinion only. This is a problem due to the cross contamination of the different coolants. Either inadvertently or by choice thinking all coolants aren't any different.  

So we finally had a day where we had below freezing temps. There was no heat on the passenger side. I bought an extended warranty when I bought the car and the extended warranty is still in effect. We took the car to our selling dealer because the extended warranty plan says it covers the heater core. My dealer called the warranty company and they declined coverage because the heater core is plugged. If it doesn't put out heat then I think it should be covered. My warranty plan also says that it wraps the manufactures warranty. It seems to me that if the manufacturer would cover this problem then the extended warranty should also cover. The dealer wants $1100 to replace the heater core. I was thinking that if the heater core is plugged then the radiator is also probably getting plugged. So much for having an extended warranty.  

I called my extended warranty company personally about my plugged heater core. They told me that the problem is common among Chryslers and was caused by casting sand from the engine. I've seen that kind of thing before on trucks but it was usually a small hose or something that got plugged. Anyway, without totally removing the heater core it would be hard to tell. I think the heater core may have a pin hole but the dealer said the only way to tell would be to completely remove it from the car and test it. In other words, customer pay. That sucks. I'll probably just do the repair myself.  

I highly doubt my heater core is plugged by casting sand. Found this video.  

Utah driver. You didn't mention if your extended warranty ( service contract ) is a Mopar / FCA branded policy. If not, that's another heads up to people looking to buy these contracts. Many of them refuse to pay for covered repairs. As for the repair that you may attempt. Like others have said, why not try to flush ( or reverse flush ) the heater core. Find a reputable radiator shop and they may be able to help.  

Decided to let the dealer replace my heater core. Running radiator flush through it for a couple of days didn't do anything and back flushing didn't work. I contemplated using a harsher cleaner but then decided against it. Here is a picture of my heater core that I cut open on my 13' 200. Only five years old and it was plugged almost solid. It was not a maintenance issue and I never mixed coolant. The goo inside felt like it had casting sand in it. The inside of the core has very tiny holes and basically acts like a coolant filter. I can pretty much bet that the radiator looks similar inside. I brought my own coolant to the dealer but they refused to use it. LOL. They said they had to install Mopar coolant for warranty purposes. I laughed. What warranty? If it plugs up again there isn't going to be any warranty. What a rip off. Anyway, I plan on draining the dealer's coolant in favor of something that I won't have to be worried about getting contaminated. Definitely don't want to pay the high price again. I can see on the old heater core where people have been able to un-crimp the pipes. It looks like it is kinda risky. If you have a leak you could end up with a car full of antifreeze. LOL. If you actually have something that would make a legitimate crimp then I would say go for it, but if you are using a pair of pliers then that would be kinda sketchy. Cheers.  

Attachments

The heater core looks really big in the picture when you zoom in but in reality it is very tiny and the coolant ports are almost microscopic. There isn't really much flow on the one end so even trying to back flush it would only work if you could put some serious pressure and flow through there. I am sure people have had success, but it is only temporary. I like the idea the guy in the video had of hooking a hose to his water heater and flushing the heater core.  

Yep, the 2011 heating issue has me thinking no more Chrysler. I have the same issue and after spending $$$ on several flushes I had the heater core replaced for $1500. Not long after more of the yellow @#$#$$## that you can see in the water reservoir clogged it up again. I am back to flushing the system every 2 months. Sad, nothing like my old 98 Sebring. I give up!  

I contemplated some kind of filter on the heater hose at the firewall but I never had anything in the surge tank like you referred to.  

I have a 2011 200 V6 limited. Last fall 2018 I replaced the heater core due to no heat. I also had issues with no heat on the passenger side. This year I again, felt not alot of heat and cold air blowing on the passenger side. Took it to my mechanic who flushed the system. Two weeks later, again no heat. I have it on the highest temperature and I can get heat for maybe 10 minutes and then cold air. Passenger side is always cold. Any suggestions?  

I have had everything flushed and new heater core put in and I still have no heat on the passenger side.  

A guess might be the blend air door or the actuator. There are plenty of threads talking about this.  

Thank you I will look into this on our car.  

KSwany said: I'm getting heat blowing out of the driver's side vents, but not passenger side. Recently, I changed out a bad blend door actuator. When I installed it, I didn't put the new one in the exact right position (installed at the 11:00 position, then turned it to align with the mounting screws). Could that be the reason? Is there something else I should be looking for? Any recommendations are welcome. BTW, I am not sure if this issue started before I changed the actuator or not, since it just started getting cold. 2011 Limited V6 Click to expand...

I have already had that done ?  

That's definitely not casting sand like mine had. 😅  

The video on youtube on how to replace the heater core makes it look easy enough for anyone who works on cars to do. I am having an issue now on my 2012 200. I am going to replace the blend door again and if it still isn't heating, I am going to do the cut and replace method. I will repost if i have to do that. My car has 130,000 miles on it, I had to replace the blend door about 2 years ago due to the plastic gear breaking and making a lot of clicking noises.  

Let us know if replacing the blend door cures your problem.. I have the same problem, no heat, no cold ac, on right side ..  

The heater core is long. One side where the air comes through is a continuous intake. The other side is divided into two. When the coolant ports plug up inside the heater core they plug up first on the side with low flow which happens to be the passenger side.  

Thanks Utah , would this cause neither heat or cool a/c air to come trough ? I can only get cold air , only on the drivers side .  

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Heater blowing cold when not moving

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Bill Putney wrote: Dave, Is the level of coolant in reservoir correct? Have you cracked the bleeder when the engine is warm/hot to make sure only coolant comes out (i.e., no air)? When engine is warm/hot, is the system pressurized (i.e., when you squeeze a radiator hose, does it keep its shape, or does it collapse as if no pressure inside it?)? What if you are at a standstill - if you put it in neutral and rev, the engine, do you get heat then (possible water pump impellar isssue?)?

Airwolf1679 wrote: ...Where is the bleeder on the engine?

velobard wrote: I'm hoping it's not the water pump, I just had the timing belt/water pump job done last winter.

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A/C cold only on driver side.

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I have the dual climate AC control in my 2006 300 C. When the heater is on, it only blows hot air in the passenger side. Regardless of where the position switch is pointed, the driver side only blows cold air. The air-conditioning is working fine. The heater obviously works since the passenger side gets plenty warm if I need it to. Today I replaced the AC/heater controller in the dash which was an easy install, however I still have the same problem. Any ideas? Thanks!!  

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Inoperative blend door perhaps?  

I would agree with DESIREE. The failure of the system to provided balanced heating or cooling on both sides of the vehicle does indicate a blend door failure.  

Thanks, again, for replying. I’ve heard about the blend door. Where is it located and can I get to it relatively easily to repair it?  

It is located behind the glove box. Remove the glove box door and the interior box. Try doing a SEARCH of the forum for "BLEND DOOR" for just about all you will need to know.  

I watched a you tube video and it showed under the driver dash area. I’ll check again. Already ordered the part.  

Was it a RHD car in the video? Just a thought not having seen the video.  

So I went and took a look on-line for you-tube videos showing how to fix a blend door problem in a 300C. I looked at the first three that popped up. The first one was actually a Dodge. And the malfunctioning part was pinpointed by a clicking noise in the dash near the steering column. And the control panel looked like a manually-controlled HVAC rather than the automatic version of the dual climate control system. The second one was not a blend door issue at all, but a control panel changeout. The third video was not a blend door issue either, but it was close. It was a recirculation door issue. While working on the recirculation door problem (which is accessed by removal of the glove compartment) the mechanic did point out the location of the blend door actuator: left side of the removed glove box. No matter the issue, the actuator is the same part. Just make sure that you are replacing the defective actuator or the problem will not be resolved.  

The video I watched I believe is a gold 2006 the 300C. The guy says he’s fixing it for his wife. And it shows the exact same problem as far as I can tell. And it’s the upper one on the driver side as there are two of them.  

I found a gold 2006 300C, but the guy was a mechanic and he was replacing the control panel in the middle of the dashboard. I also found this: https://www.2carpros.com/questions/driver-side-blend-door-actuator-need-location It's all yours!  

It was a different video maybe. The one I saw was a guy who replaced the control panel and realized it didn’t fix it, like I did. Then he replaced the blend door. It was the upper one acquired from under the dash on the driver side.  

Okay now, I went back and found a video with a guy working on his wife's gold 2006 300C. He kind of learned the hard way that the problem with his wife's car wasn't the control panel! And he did replace an actuator in the area of the steering column. And he was happy (supposedly so was his wife!). So with about 10 minutes of work (as he states) you'll have yours fixed IF that actuator is YOUR problem (I don't think it is). Or you'll just move on to the next actuator and see if that solves your problem. Or the next actuator. Or the ……….. "Git'er done!"  

Well I don’t want to go fishing. So which one is it? 1 or5? I Can’t get heat on the driver side. So am I going after the right one? The guy in the video appears to have had the same issue I have.  

It's your choice. You asked, we answered. If you don't like our answer use the one you already had and see if it works for you.  

I posted a pic but don’t know if you could see it. Oh well.  

Here's more from the service manual: ACTUATOR-BLEND DOOR DESCRIPTION The blend door actuators are reversible, 12 volt direct current (DC), servo motors. Models equipped with the MTC single zone heating-A/C system have a single blend-air door, which is controlled by a single blend door actuator. Models with the ATC dual zone heating-A/C system have two blend-air doors, which are controlled by two blend door actuators. The blend door actuator for the single zone heating- A/C system is located on the driver side end of the HVAC air distribution housing, close to the dash panel. For the dual zone heating-A/C system, the same blend door actuator used for the single zone system becomes the driver side blend door actuator, which is mechanically connected to only the driver side blendair door. A second separate blend door actuator is also located on the passenger side of the HVAC air distribution housing which is mechanically connected to only the passenger side blend-air door. The blend door actuators are interchangeable with each other, as well as with the actuators for the modeair door and the recirculation-air door. Each actuator is contained within an identical black molded plastic housing with an integral wire connector receptacle. Each actuator also has an identical output shaft with splines that connects it to its respective door linkage and three integral mounting tabs that allow the actuator to be secured to the HVAC housing. The blend door actuators do not require mechanical indexing to the blend-air doors, as they are electronically calibrated by the A/C-heater control. So, there are two blend doors in the 300C model, and the one you are planning to change seems to be the one that will fix your situation. Go for it! Back to the game.  

Did you get it fixed?  

Well I hate to say I told you so...but yeah. $14 and I fixed it in under an hour. It was no fun being upside down to it but it’s doable. Now to attack all the other things. Replacing the whole front end suspension next week, with rear shocks and front struts too. Then reinstalling the rear freshly painted bumper. Take another shot at the CEL for the #7 cylinder deactivation solenoid which I replaced and it didn’t stay reset. Replace the windshield wiper multifunction switch. And all this is after the several repairs and upgrades I’ve done already. Fun times. Good thing this is one of my extra cars. ??  

One day at a time! I know what you mean about being upside down. Where there's a will there's away. I'm getting pretty good with getting the Diablo plugged into the OBDII connector without standing on my head anymore!  

DUAL ZONE PASSENGER SIDE NOTE: LHD model shown in illustration. RHD model similar. REMOVAL 1. Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable. See: Battery > Service and Repair 2. Remove the glove box from the instrument panel. See: Glove Compartment > Service and Repair 3. Remove the three screws (1) that secure the blend door actuator (2) to the passenger side of the HVAC air distribution housing (3). 4. Remove the blend door actuator from the air distribution housing and disconnect the HVAC wire harness connector (4) and remove the actuator from the vehicle.  

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Russians head for lakes as Moscow swelters in near-record heat

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China's industrial profits fell in March and slowed gains for the quarter compared to the first two months, official data showed on Saturday, raising doubts about the strength of a recovery for the world's second-biggest economy.

Russians freeze as Putin’s war and aging pipes reveal cracks at home

Two electric radiators were not enough to keep Russian pensioner Elena Grezkaya-Silko from shivering in her one-bedroom apartment.

After two major utility network accidents last month, she struggled to stay warm at home in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, where temperatures regularly dip below minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit in January.

After the first accident Jan. 11, due to what authorities said was a defect in the main heating network, the heating batteries inside her apartment went cold, with only lukewarm and intermittent heating in her bathroom and kitchen. Then, a hot water pipe burst on the street near her building Jan. 17, sending a geyser of hot water and steam into the air. 

Her bedroom remained “icy cold” after that, she told NBC News in a phone interview last month.

It forced Grezkaya-Silko, 51, to seek warmth in the nearby shopping center during the day and stick close to her home’s heaters in the evening, wrapping both herself and her cat in blankets. “I go there for the whole day — I warm up there, I eat there,” she said of the shopping center. “I come back home, turn the heaters on, we warm up with the cat and then we go to bed.”

The heating had finally come back, she said days later, after frequent calls to local authorities.

But her freezing frustrations are far from unique: Across Russia, creaking infrastructure and a wave of accidents have plunged households into the cold in the depth of winter, fueling rare showings of anger and irritation in a country where public criticism has been increasingly quashed.

Throughout late December and early January, Russian media was awash with coverage of accidents involving the country’s sprawling utility networks, which consist of heating and hot water mains.

It offered a jolt to the Kremlin ahead of the March presidential election, in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to easily secure another term despite the mounting costs of his war in Ukraine . While the Russian military has sought to target the energy infrastructure of its neighbor to turn up the pressure in the war, the Kremlin has had to contend with energy problems of its own at home.

The crisis has renewed a focus on the Soviet-era infrastructure still in use across Russia, which has not been uniformly modernized. And with the economy now firmly directed on the war in Ukraine, funding for such repairs is only scheduled to fall over the next couple of years.

“A considerable part of these networks was built during the Soviet era — the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Russian economist Igor Lipsits told NBC News. “So they are extremely worn out.”

When an accident in a centralized heating system causes heat and hot water to be cut off in extreme cold, the pipes in people’s homes freeze, leading to damage and cracks. When the heat comes back on, apartments and homes can become flooded, with boiling water often spewing out of radiators.

“It’s a pretty clumsy system,” Lipsits said. “There is an understanding that you have to move away from it toward boilers in people’s buildings and apartments. But it’s money, it’s investment, it’s work — so nobody is doing it. They are saving the old system. But it’s worn-out, it’s bursting.”

Numerous videos shared online in late December and January showed boiling hot water and rolls of steam escaping burst pipes inside people’s homes and apartment buildings. People also shared photos of low thermometer readings inside their homes and even frost build-up on their windows amid heating outages caused by the accidents. Several videos also showed burst mains outside in freezing temperatures, with water sprouting onto the streets, forming thick steam clouds.

Residents of the Moscow region town of Khimki, where there was a main pipeline accident in early January, held up “SOS” banners as they complained about a lack of heat in bitter cold, asking Putin and the regional governor to intervene in a video. “We are freezing,” a woman says in the video.

And in the Moscow region town of Podolsk, 170 apartment buildings were left without heat in minus 6 degree weather in early January after a break in the heating main, Tass reported . Putin reportedly did get involved in this case, ordering the nationalization of the utility plant whose boilers caused havoc there, according to the region’s governor, Andrei Vorobyev.

Several incidents, including the ones in Podolsk and one in Nizhny Novgorod that led to 12 people being burned from a burst pipe, saw criminal proceedings opened.

A bitterly cold December and January is not a novelty in most of Russia, although the Kremlin still tried to blame the crisis on what spokesman Dmitry Peskov called “abnormal frosts” when asked about it last month.

But Peskov admitted that “despite all the titanic efforts to update all housing and communal services systems, a certain part of them remains in a rather dilapidated state,” and it was impossible to update everything in 10 or even 15 years.

According to Russia’s Construction and Communal Services Ministry, there are plans to invest at least 4.5 trillion rubles (more than $49 billion) in modernizing utility infrastructure up to 2030, but the reality on the ground means the number of accidents continues to grow. During a 2022 meeting, it was reported that 31% of heating supply networks, more than 45% of sewage networks and over 43% of water supply networks across Russia needed to be replaced, according to the Kremlin.

At the peak of the crisis, Putin himself said that it was important not to neglect problems with the communal services and to be proactive.

Still, the Kremlin would have preferred to avoid any hints of internal dissent less than two months before the election, especially when it could raise questions about government spending priorities amid the colossal costs of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

“Cities are freezing. Who is to blame?” Boris Nadezhdin, who emerged as a prominent anti-war figure but was barred Thursday from running in the presidential election, said of the crisis last month. “The huge amount of money spent and reserved for the special military operation could have been invested in improving the quality of life of my fellow citizens,” he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Putin’s economy has largely weathered Western sanctions imposed because of the war, but it’s now more military-oriented than ever. More than 10.7 trillion rubles ($118 billion) was allocated to “national defense” this year, according to a report by the Russian finance ministry.

The same report shows that funding for housing and communal services was 881 billion rubles ($9.7 billion) this year, up from 593 billion ($6.5 billion) in 2021, but the budgeted allocation is supposed to go down to 381 billion ($4.2 billion) in 2026.

Lipsits said the reality is that fixing the existing utility networks would take tens of billions of dollars, money that is not there because it’s going to the war in Ukraine.

“It’s a slightly apocalyptic picture, but it reflects that Russia is a complicated country,” Lipsits said of the Soviet-era infrastructure. “A lot of money needed to be invested in it for peaceful purposes — to fix it up and make it suitable for life in the 21st century,” he added. “But instead of this, the money went to the war.”

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

Freezing Russians plead for help from Vladimir Putin as heating fail leaves them 'fighting for survival'

On the same day the temperature reached -21 degrees Celsius outside, Kazimir Belev's heating stopped working.

It's been patchy in the past, but this time, things are different.

It's not just his apartment or his building that's affected.

"It turned out that the problem is much bigger than in previous cases," the 31-year-old said. 

"Two large districts of the city with a population of over a million people were left without heating."

Kazimir lives in Novosibirsk, in southern Russia.

But if the growing chorus of complaints on social media is anything to go by, infrastructure issues are affecting almost every corner of the country.

As temperatures plunge, Russia's aging patchwork of central heating systems is a major concern.

In some cases, entire cities rely on one Soviet-era boiler plant to stay warm.

The heating first went off in Kazimir's apartment on January 11.

While it returned sporadically in subsequent days, on Wednesday, it shut down completely.

Anecdotal evidence suggests many of the city's 1.5 million residents are affected. 

In one video, floods of hot water which would usually be pumped into radiators in homes and other public buildings can be seen flowing down Novosibirsk's streets.

"The apartment is getting colder hour by hour," said Kazimir, who can't turn to other sources of heating.

"Connecting a powerful electric heater is like voluntarily starting a fire. The power grid here is quite weak.

"It already happened: the sockets were melting because someone plugged in a heater."

The issues appear widespread.

In Elektrostal, near Moscow, a video shows women huddled around a bonfire outside their apartments.

They say their radiators stopped working earlier this month. 

The capital averages highs of -5C in January. 

"We are using everything to keep us warm, it's still impossible to stay inside," one says, before the group breaks into a chant of: "We are freezing! We are freezing!"

In another clip, filmed in the village of Selyatino, locals described the situation as "horrible" and say they're in a "fight for survival".

A group of residents in the Khimki area appealed directly to President Vladimir Putin to fix their heating in a video circulating on messaging service Telegram.

"We are sitting at -25 degrees outside. Our entire buildings are here," one woman says, claiming residents have no hot or cold water.

"Millions of appeals, millions of complaints but it's all in vain. It seems like no one cares about our situation."

Putin's tricky timing

The rumblings come at an inconvenient time for the Russian president, who is preparing for an election in March.

While the result is considered a foregone conclusion — allegations of electoral fraud have accompanied Putin's previous victories — any insinuation the country is crumbling will be unwelcome at the Kremlin, which has diverted significant public funds to prop up its invasion of Ukraine.

In 2010, official estimates put the repair bill for Russia's housing and municipal infrastructure at $US200 billion ($203 billion at the time).

Vlad Mykhnenko, an associate professor in sustainable urban development at Oxford University, said, based on current spending levels, it would take more than 70 years for Russia to fix even the issues it has now.

He's expecting it to lead to an "avalanche of disasters".

"We are seeing more and more videos appearing. I've seen some cases in which people didn't have heating for two years," Dr Mykhnenko said.

"So there are places, and some of them are fairly big cities of 100,000, 200,000, 300,000 people, and they haven't got heating and they're paying the full energy cost. It looks like the situation is getting worse."

The biggest issues have come outside the major cities of Moscow and St Petersburg, where the standard of living is deteriorating rapidly.

Magadan Oblast, in eastern Siberia, is about as far from the capital as you can get.

A local woman in the area posted a video of icicles coming from the interior of an apartment building, which has since gone viral.

"Is this normal? Everything is frozen. Absolutely everything. It's bitterly cold," she says.

If a dwelling's central heating stops working, the pipes can freeze and crack, meaning when it's eventually turned on again, water gushes inside.

One post claimed a neighbour's dog left home alone had been "boiled alive" when a pipe burst and their apartment flooded.

State media seldom highlights the issues, but even it has not been able to ignore the situation completely.

In Moscow, a video of dark brown liquid cascading from the ceiling of a university did the rounds online. Officials said it was water, but students claimed it was sewage.

"Despite titanic efforts to update all housing and communal-services systems, some of them remain in a dilapidated state," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters last week.

Last year, Sergei Pakhomov, a senior MP, told the state-run newspaper Izvestia some parts of the country were still serviced by 90-year-old asbestos water pipes.

"Asbestos would probably be good," Dr Mykhnenko said.

"I think old, old iron pipes in which clean water comes in and brown, dirty liquid comes out are a bigger issue."

'A factory producing bullets also has to supply heating for the local town'

Corruption is also entwined with the backlog.

Boiler executives in the city of Tver have been accused of embezzling 84 million roubles ($1.43 million) from residents' heating bills.

Meanwhile, in Podolsk, near Moscow, authorities arrested two senior executives and a regional official after a breakdown at a boiler plant left 22,000 people without heating last week.

The facility is owned by the Klimovsk Specialised Ammunition Plant, which is one of the country's largest firearm cartridge producers.

"You have this bizarre system in which a factory producing bullets also has to supply heating for the local town," Dr Mykhnenko said.

"And, the owner couldn't care less about that, obviously, because that's a cost, he's not going to recuperate.

"It creates enormous opportunities for corruption, taking money for repairs that are never done."

Amid increasing disquiet, Putin ordered the ammunition plant, and flailing boiler facility, be nationalised.

But with much of winter still to come, and the number of Russians freezing and frustrated growing, where the blame will lay for the chaos, is an important question ahead of March's election.

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Chrysler 300: Heater Not Working Diagnosis

One of the most common (and inconvenient) problems with the Chrysler 300 is when it has no heat coming from the heater. Not having a functioning heater makes driving much less comfortable, and can be a sign of certain issues.

At the simplest level, there are two main reasons why the heater is not working.  If it’s not coming on at all, it’s usually either the blower motor or some other wiring issue.  If the heat is blowing, but blowing cold, it has something to do with the coolant getting to the heater core, or the heater core itself.

300 No Heat:  How the Heater Works

At the simplest level possible, the heater works by passing hot coolant from the engine into a tiny radiator called the heater core.  At this point, the blower motor blows air across the it and the newly heated air blows on to the driver and passengers.  If the heater has stopped working in your 300, this process has failed in one way or another.

Chrysler 300 Heater Not Working:   Diagnosis

A word of caution :  If there is no coolant in your overflow, you can refill it by adding more to the overflow  reservoir.  There is almost never a situation where you would need to take the radiator cap off of the radiator to add coolant. The exception to that would be when you would have reason to believe that the hose going from the reservoir to the radiator is clogged. Anytime you’re putting your hand around the radiator or fans in the engine assume that they are hot and that the fans can kick on at any time, even without your key in the ignition.

Low Coolant

While not having enough coolant may make your engine run hotter, it can also cause your 300 to not be able to create enough heat.  Is there isn’t enough line pressure, due to low coolant, then the heater core will not be able to get any coolant itself.  

You can verify this by checking the coolant level by taking a peek at the overflow reservoir. The overflow reservoir will be connected to the radiator by a tube coming from the top (usually right by the radiator cap).  It should have separate lines to indicate “cool hot” and “cool cold”.  Some vehicles only have full hot.  Never touch the radiator cap unless the vehicle is ICE COLD.

Bad Thermostat

The job of your 300’s thermostat is to regulate the temperature of the engine.  It does this by allowing water to enter the engine when it is getting hot, and by keeping coolant from entering while the vehicle warms up.

Sometimes when a thermostat goes bad, it stays stuck open.  This allows the coolant to continuously enter the engine.  When this happens it’ll feel like the heat is barely working, or you may notice that it’ll work if the vehicle isn’t moving, but if you get on the highway it stops working.

If your 300 has a built in temperature gauge, take a look at it and see if it is in the spot it is normally in after a bit of driving.  If it looks like it is colder than normal, that’s a pretty good indication that there is something wrong with the thermostat.

Heater Core

The heater core itself can go bad.  Over time, they are known to clog and fail.  If you have a heater core that clogged, it’s not going to be able to pass coolant through.  Without the warm coolant going through it, there can be no heat.  A bad heater core can also leak, so watch out for that.  Feel your passenger floorboard to see if it’s wet. 

Heater core’s are typically pretty affordable .

Hose to/from the Heater Core

There are two hoses coming to and from the heater core.  They both should feel warm or hot to the touch with the engine on.  If one of the hoses is hot, and the other one is cold, that is a pretty good indication that the heater core is clogged.  If the neither hose has any heat, you may have air in the cooling system, low fluid, or low pressure.

If you look at your temperature gauge, and the engine is running hotter than normal, but there is not heat coming from the heater you may be having issues with the water pump.  Try taking the vehicle out of gear and revving the engine a little.  If you feel the heat start to blow hot for a few seconds that’s an indication of a bad water pump or low coolant.  Also, the serpentine belt going to the water pump going bad can it not turn as fast as it needs to.  

Here’s symptoms of a bad water pump from Autoblog.

Conclusion:  Heat Not Working Chrysler 300

It can be tough to find why your 300’s heater is blowing cold.  But, using the info above about how and why a heater would fail can make it a lot easier.  If there is anything you would like to add, please feel free to leave a comment below.