kicks26

I have an 04 Max and continually have had trouble with the heating in my car. It's winter again in Chicago and again I have no heat! For the past two years I have taken my car to 4 different Nissan dealers and NOT ONE knows how to fix the problem! The only thing saving me from freezing to death is my heated seats and steering wheel. Has anyone else had trouble with their heat not working? It just blows cold air no matter what temperature I set the climate control on. The only time it will blow warm is when I'm driving around 50+MPH. I'm taking it to another dealership soon but just wanted to see if anyone else ever had a problem like this.

lightonthehill

I'm not HVAC knowledgable. I was pretty good with heaters fifty years ago, but everything has changed.

This could be an electronic or mechanical problem. The system in the Maxima is fairly complex. For instance, when you turn the system on automatic on cold mornings, it will not let the fan go above low speed until the air coming from the vents has warmed up. And so many functions are interrelated these days. Einstein wouldn't have a prayer at fixing today's vehicles.

All I know is if you have a record of this problem being taken to a Nissan dealer while the car was still under warranty, and it has not yet been fixed, this should be a warranty fix, no matter the time/miles you may have on the car.

Oh, I know one more thing. Living in Chicago, a heater is absolutely essential in any vehicle. Nissan's inability to fix this essential item after four (soon to be five) attempts should make you eligible for a 'lemon law' takeback/replacement.

One of our HVAC-astute posters will soon log in and help us on this.

ramberg

iTrader: (29)

I would call the 800 number and speak to a rep about this problem. As per above reply, your ride should be eligible for the lemon law.

Good luck and keep us informed.

04BlackMaxx

had this happen too, but it stopped....It was only when the car was idling, the heat would change to ice cold air. I noticed it when sitting at a drive-thru. It hasn't happend recently. I was told you might need to bleed air out of the cooling system or something, so when it was happening, I opened my coolent resivoir and it was actually very low. Check that coolent bottle and make sure it is to the fill line. I dont know how it relates to the heat blowing in the car but I think that might have fixed my problem.

jgosses

I recently submitted a post in the 5th Gen area ( around 11/6 ) about adjusting the Climate Control system - however this adjustment is the last of a complete self diagnostic test that on the 5th Gen you can do from the drivers seat - it test doors, sensors, the blower, sun sensor the whole system? I would be surprised if the 6th Gen did not have the same capability. Do you have a shop manual? I bought on of the $10 or so CD's on Ebay - well worth it.

BTW - what does your temperature guage indicate? Do you get any heat on the ECON setting?

bluemaxx

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=497966
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=459766
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=446461
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=362095
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=363945
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=359135
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=350071
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=238595

MDS

Here’s a thought, and it’s not good news. Do you think the Maxima has poor heat because there is none in the cooling system? Think about it. We have a huge radiator designed to dissipate heat rapidly so we can cruise through Montana or the Autobahn at 130 mph all day long without overheating. If the cooling system can handle that kind of heat, it will dissipate the tiny amount of heat produced at an idle without knowing it. By the time the coolant circulates through the system once, there is no heat left for the heater core. The system is too efficient!

In my car, if I turn the heat to 90 degrees, I get a little heat. If accelerate for a second or so, I feel a surge of heat. The instant I maintain a steady speed, the heat reduces. Do other cars have the same problem? I will argue yes. My minivan displays the same symptoms. If I’m on the highway and go up a long steep grade, I have to turn the heat down to prevent roasting. Once the road levels out again, I have to turn the heat back up to remain comfortable.

Our Maxima may have this issue worse than other cars. I don’t know why. Perhaps it is because it's designed to be driven hard. If this is a design issue, there’s nothing we can do other than give the car a little gas to help it out. We may just have to live with it.

-Sin-

Never had a problem with mine and it's set at 85, also in chicago.

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

I like your way of thinking!
I never would have considered that!

Way to throw something out there that might have us 'chewing' on it for a while!

bluemaxx

The engine thermostat regulates the temperature.

MDS

Whoever wrote "A little knowledge is dangerous," probably had me in mind. Having said that, I have a serious question about the thermostat. I understand that the thermostat helps control the engine’s temperature by regulating the amount of coolant that goes through the radiator. When the engine is cold, the valve remains closed and forces the coolant to circulate through the engine. This allows the engine to heat quickly. When the coolant reaches some operating temperature, the valve opens, either partially or fully, and permits the coolant to flow through the radiator and maintain a constant temperature.

Question: When the engine is cold and the thermostat valve is closed, does the coolant circulate through the heater core? If the thermostat’s goal is to allow the engine to heat as quickly as possible, the thermostat valve may block the coolant from both the radiator and the heater core. If this is true, it may support my off-the-wall thought about the cooling system being too efficient.

It creates two scenarios. In the first one, the engine is ice cold, the thermostat valve is closed and the heater core has no warm coolant in it yet. If you turn on the heat, you get cold air. In the second scenario, the engine is warm, the thermostat is open, and the coolant flows through the full cooling system. Once that valve is open, our "magnificent" radiator cools the fluid very quickly. As long as the engine remains at an idle or at low rpms, the radiator dissipates the minimal amount of heat, and sends the heater core only warm fluid. If we turn on the heat, just a little warm air comes out.

In both scenarios, the heater core has either cold fluid or warm fluid, but never hot fluid. This results in little or no heat and almost makes sense.

SilverMax_04

I should acknowledge that I don't know exactly what the cooling system flow diagram looks like in a Max. In general (in GM cars for example), the thermostat only controls flow between the engine and the radiator. If your instructions tell the heater to open to the heat from the engine, then this will slightly slow down the process of warming up the engine (and is why on auto the fan will only blow on slow until there is actually some heat).

Also, if running the heater keeps the engine coolant from reaching the temp that opens the thermostat, then the radiator will not be dissipating heat -- because there will be no (or very little) coolant flow through the radiator.

To answer MDS: If you're driving with the engine warm and the thermostat and heater valve both open -- and a big cold front hits -- the thermostat will close again if the radiator reduces coolant temp below the point where the thermostat is set to open. That is, the thermostat closes again. This is not an on-off close, but a slow closing of the pipe to the radiator. This closing will keep the coolant temp in the engine and the heater core at this pre-set temp of the thermostat. Those having problems may want to consider using a thermostat with a higher temperature setting.

bluemaxx

These apply specifically to the '04 but are probably very close to '05-'07.

MDS

Very nice Bluemax! Very Nice.

So it appears that the heater is located on the backside of the engine and receives coolant all the time, regardless of whether the thermostat permits coolant to flow through the radiator. That tells us two things (at least). One, the coolant has not circulated through the radiator, even if the thermostat is open, and therefore should not have cooled-off. Two, the coolant that feeds the heater has just left the left-side of the engine, which implies it should be very hot.

This pretty much throws my theory out the window. Perhaps rpms and load have a small impact on the coolant temperature, but not enough to explain why the heater of a fully warmed engine doesn’t blow hot air.

Thanks for the chart. Very much appreciated

rabenoja

iTrader: (2)

I've had no problems with my heater yet. It gets nice and toasty! I have a remote start so, I just let it run for like 10 minutes before I go outside. When I get in it is always nice and warm. Even up here in NJ where it can get real cold, if I leave it on 90 it is too hot!

I'd suggest taking your issue up to a higher level. No heat is absolutly unacceptable!

Just thought of something - I would check your temperature sensor inside your car. It might be unplugged....Have you had anything installed under the driver's side dash. There's a sensor on the knee bolster panel closer to the center console that could have been left unplugged. If so, you'll have no control over your climate control...Good Luck.

bluemaxx

I have had the problem. There was no 'girgling' at first but as time went on... RPM > 1200-1500 no problems. Idling at the Starbucks' drive-thru it goes cold.
Bottom line you have to top off the coolant and burp the system.