3

I bought a 2011 Grand Caravan last November, maybe that was my mistake, buying in the winter.

It has the dual climate control (one driver, one passenger) and a rear control as well.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and this terrible winter is finally letting up. We had a few warm days and turned the heat over to cold on all three knobs only to notice that the passenger side and rear vents were blowing hot air. With the AC on the drivers side does blow cold, but the passenger/rear is always hot.

One additional note: under the driver's seat is a large wiring harness connector that shorted out due to the wet/salty water from the winter. So the driver's seat cannot be adjusted and the seatbelt sensor doesn't sense. I only add this in case the wiring could be causing the vent motors to stop working (but I kind of doubt it).

I'm handy with tools, but I'm not a mechanic by any means. I'm planning on fixing the wiring under the seat soon. Do you guys think that will fix the HVAC issues or am I going to have to tear open the dash? If it's not the wiring how do I fix this?

The warranty is over.

Thanks

Improve this question
2
  • I would bet the problem is blend door motors being bad, but don't know how Dodge does their thing here.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Apr 16, 2014 at 12:35
  • I had a similar issue last year. In my case the passenger side vents were blowing heat. At the end of summer I heard the internal vent slap open or closed and cold air started to come out. This year, it's doing the same thing again but a little different. It's the rear vents.
    – user10165
    Apr 18, 2015 at 4:46

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

It sounds like maybe a bad passenger zone actuator in the HVAC controls causing the issue up front. As for the rear, that could be another actuator. I think there is a separate evaporator for the rear, it could have a clogged expansion valve or a leak. If it's leaking, you should lose the front A/C fairly soon.

I don't think the seat wiring has anything to do with the HVAC issues.

To get at the HVAC bits, you're going to have to remove your dash. There are some videos on Youtube. Don't forget to disable the airbags if you value your life. If you do it by disconnecting the battery, don't forget to wait for the backup to drain (enables airbags to deploy in crash that severs battery wiring).

Improve this answer
4
  • Wow, excellent information. I'm repairing the wiring this weekend. While I'm in there I'll take a look at the dash to see what I find, but that certainly sounds like a big job.
    – John the Ripper
    Apr 17, 2014 at 0:44
  • I fixed the wiring under the seat this past weekend so now the seat is adjustable again and the seat belt sensor works. One new symptom I notice now is the rear window defrost/mirror defrost button is flashing. From some internet searching it appears the HVAC is trying to calibrate due to battery terminal removal. Can this flashing/calibration have something to do with the HVAC issues? How do I stop the flashing? Thanks
    – John the Ripper
    Apr 22, 2014 at 16:06
  • I did in fact disconnect the battery, but I do not have Automatic Climate Control. As I said before though I am going to pull the dash apart in 2 weeks time and we'll go from there. You've been very helpful.
    – John the Ripper
    Apr 22, 2014 at 17:42
  • Came back to mark this answer and award your points. You were a great help and with some googling and Youtube I was able to remove the glove box and noise protector underneath. This allowed me to get at both the passenger side and rear actuators. I've taken them out for now until I can get the new parts. This we they're stuck in the cold position until I put the new ones in.
    – John the Ripper
    May 17, 2014 at 22:59

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .