Damn! It just never ends, does it?? What a Christmas present.
Glad you got your heat back, and I hope the bender wasn't too bad. Once the accident damage is sorted, you probably should take a look at your expansion tank. There's a good possibility it is fractured and letting coolant seep out. Check the bottom of the car right behind the LF wheel for the pink residue.

Cheers,

 

Thank you very much, i'll make sure i check all that.





the Mercury marquis(sp?)

 

Just wanted to give you all an update, I now have heat. I replaced the DCCV today and I must say it was a royal pain. I R&R the valve from the top and I found it had 2-10mm bolts not one 8mm as indicated on a few procedures. I took the old valve apart and found no clogging in any part of the valve. I was as clean as a whistle. It appears to me that one of the rubber solenoid bladders developed a leak causing coolant to reach the head of the valve piston preventing it from moving that resulted in a no heat. At times I would get a little heat in the early stages of driving but it was only for a moment.

I will be providing additional information on my page and will let you know when it is posted.

 

wiafs02 - Ouch!

 

Congrats Gus, way to get it out of the way before the New Year!

BIG bummer wiafs.....

 

Way to go, Gus! Now you see why I always suggest the valve first, then to reassess for the possibility of a restricted matrix. Unfortunately, some poor slobs get stuck with replacing it, too; seems you made out this time.

Looking forward to the posting, keep up the good work, as always!

Cheers,

 

the shops says it shouldn't take more than 2-3 weeks, thank God the other driver's insurance is covering it

 

I think we can give thanks that neither of you were hurt, as well. Give us a report once you are back on the road!

Cheers,

 

i'm really happy nothing happened to, the other driver was complaining of chest pains, maybe because his airbag came out. i'll keep you guys updated.

 

As you know I replaced my DCCV and I now have heat. I put the procedure on my page along with an evaluation of the DCCV problem. I hope this helps!

Link http://www.jagrepair.com/DCCVSType.htm

 

Ah! First class post as usual, Gus; very informative. Glad you are back in the swing.

I haven't torn one of those valves apart as yet, now I don't have to!

Cheers,

 

Thanks for your help!

 

im having the same issue - no heat on drivers side. Im just getting into the workings of the heating system. can someone describe the difference between the heater core and the dccm and how i would determine which one may be culprit

thanks

jaglady

 

Have you looked at my write up?

 

Yes, i have. My service manual states that one side of the heater core provides heat to the drivers side and the other side provides heat to the passengers side. Thats why i thought maybe it is a heater core problem. maybe im not understanding the connection between the heater core and the DCCV .......

 

Your heater core has two separate coolant pathways, one driver and one passenger, but they have a common return path to the cooling system. The Dual Coolant Control Valve [DCCV] controls the flow through whichever side based on panel settings for that side. The DCCV completely shuts off coolant when Max Cooling is requested. Two things can happen, or both for that matter, the heater core can become restricted, or the DCCV can become restricted. Either way it's a loss of heat to the passenger compartment. In my experience, it's about a 50/50 chance both will be required to completely restore heat.

Hope that helps!

 

thanks Steve!that is very helpful.

i noticed last night that one of the hoseos coming out of the DCCV is cooler than the other. i'm leaning toward the DCCV at this point... any thoughts?

 

Wind the heat up to max (HI) and if it doesn't change and especially if that hose doesn't then chances are it's the DCCV. If you're up to it, check the voltages on its two sides. If they swing the same as you ask for very different heat then it's the valve. If they don't move alike then probably the module.

 

That's probably right, but there is more to check and verify. First thing to check is the DCCV solenoid resistances. They should be no less than 15 ohms each. What usually happens is the coils start to short circuit windings, the resistance goes down and the result is HIGHER current draw. That stresses the control panel and eventually takes it out.
The routine is to get the DCCV right, see if the control panel can control the new valve properly, if so, see if the heat is still weak on one side. If it is, the heater core is the final culprit. Obviously, if the panel doesn't operate the DCCV correctly, it will have to be addressed.

Good luck!

 

J have been reading all I can from this post and others and my heat problem seems to be different- heat is equal from passenger to driver but poor and since a cold snap last week very poor- I noticed that while I am driving I get some heat but it blows cold when I stop. Also it seems that the outer vents by the doors are much hotter than the centre vents which do not throw much if any heat- ac in summer was ok. This is only my second winter and it has always taken along time to warm up with no heat until temp gauge is in the middle. My mech suspects the dccv but I cannot afford to repalce the wrong part. Thanks Paul