Heat

SAYDII

MEMBER
2002 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
62,000 MILES

I have a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. My heat hasn't been working for about a month now. It used to work on the passengers side and then that failed so now I am left without heat. My AC works just fine. Please let me know what you think is going on because its going to get really cold here soon! Thanks

6 Replies

DRCRANKNWRENCH

MECHANIC
3,380 POSTS

There are a few possibilites;
Thetermostat is stuck open, the heater core has failed or is failing, the heater box door is not moving properly or the heater valve has failed

A few questoins;

Has the anti-freeze been serviced regullarly?
Has the thermostat been replaced recntly?
Are any trouble lights lit up on the dash?

Also if you have access to an OBD2 code reader, it can read DTCs and give a better idea of what the problem is.

Let me know and I will watch this post for your reply and respond ASAP.

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Monday, November 22nd, 2010 AT 1:31 AM

SAYDII

MEMBER
5 POSTS

That is only pert of what I have been through. The service station where I get my car fixed said they cannot find the problem. The heater core was replaces, new anti-freeze, thermostat and everything checked.
They said it was pressure tested? Is that right? They said that there are no leaks and everything works and there are no trouble lights.
I don't know what to do. What could be left? Even if I go somewhere else, what do I say?

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Monday, November 22nd, 2010 AT 2:02 AM

DRCRANKNWRENCH

MECHANIC
3,380 POSTS

Don't feel bad about the maintenance doen on your car. It is never a bad idea to service the cooling system thouroughly if there are any issues. If you didn't you could not have eliminated all the possibiliteis that you have and that is worth a lot of time.

Let me know one more thing. The heater valve is electronic on the Eclipse. You said your mechanich checked it for leaks, but did it get replaced/ Checked for operation?
That is about the only thing left and I have seen one fail on another V-6 Eclipse.

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Monday, November 22nd, 2010 AT 2:03 AM

SAYDII

MEMBER
5 POSTS

I never heard it mentioned. I was told everyting worked and my receipt says, "all cooling/heaterr system componets are working properly and the system is free from leaks"
When I took it back just minutes after gettingit they said that the heater never gets very hot in my car. Is that true?

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Monday, November 22nd, 2010 AT 2:21 AM

DRCRANKNWRENCH

MECHANIC
3,380 POSTS

No, your heater should certainly provide adequate heat for winter and it is not even December. Some cars do have issues at idle with a slight temperature drop but it gets hot again when moving.
I think your repair shop has an issue that a lot of high volume any brand repair centers have. That is keeping up with occurring issues, problems and changes on all the different brands. It is hard enough for a shop that only works on Hondas to keep up with all of the issues pertaining to current issues, recalls, model changes and long term maintenance problems.

It sounds like they assumed the heater valve was working since the heater box door worked and the valve did not leak. However, I bet it is the problem.
I think that is at least the next thing to check. It is probably the only other source for the issue as there are not any others I can think of that have not been checked by your mechanic.
I would suggest going to another service shop to get a second opinion. The site has links to reputable service shops near you if you use the search engine, it will help you out.

Good luck, I hope this helps and let me know how things turn out.

Dr. C