PrecisionX Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I have a super clean 01 Pathfinder with 126k on it. About a month ago once it got cold at night I'd wake u and start it with a brief few second belt screech and then it'd go away. I also noticed that when I turned the heat on I'd get a weird chirp sound from the dash but it was blowing hot. Driving today I noticed the heat was gone and it was just blowing cold air. The coolant was topped off by the previous owner and leaked a little bit but I checked it cold the other day and it seemed to be an inch below the cap, full enough and I assumed it'd leak a bit due to overfill. Is the heater core toast? Is the vehicle safe to drive until I can stash away the cash to fix it or should I park it when I get home until it's fixed? Really this is the only info I have and I'm mainly concerned with if it's safe to drive or if I'm putting it at risk for serious issues. I can deal with no heat until I get the money to fix it, I don't really know what I'm looking at for repair costs or possible issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 If the dash shows the engine is getting up to temperature, and it's blowing cold air (like no hint of warm air), it's not the thermostat. If your not leaking coolant inside or out, I would gather it's the core. I have replaced some chasing interior coolant leaks, but never had one fail on me. Maybe someone with more experience on the topic can chime in. -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrecisionX Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 The engine is getting to temp and the coolant is just little drips when parked but slowed down since it probably lost what was extra. I think the top off was done cold without compensation for when it expands. I can live without heat until it gets fixed but I can't deal with it if I'm causing harm to it by driving it and something catastrophic can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Do you have an all electronic HVAC or the manual one ? If you have the electronic one, there is a procedure you can do in order to know if maybe your air mix door is stuck closed... if so the air would bypass the heater core and you would only get outside air... Download the fsm and check the HA section and go to page 46... Look for step 3 and hopefully you get code 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrecisionX Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 I'm pretty sure that the HVAC I have is electronic. I've been watching the temp gauge and it starts cold and gets to normal temp fine. I have been leaking coolant but when I check under the radiator cap even cold it looks like it's where it needs to be. Maybe I'm low on coolant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 There's no losing extra coolant, it's designed to overflow into the overflow bottle. If it's dripping out you have a leak and it needs to be addressed plain and simple. A leak that mostly stops when the level drops is likely the radiator leaking at the top of the tank. You could have air in the heater core now which is causing your low heat issue, it's pretty common. Downloading the FSM will help you diagnose any problems in the dash, if any. I'd start with addressing the leak and fully burping the system. That needs to happen anyway... regardless if there's an issue within the dash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrecisionX Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Where do I download the FSM? Also should I add coolant as a temp solution because I do not have the tools to burp the system right away? Is it safe to drive while I diagnose the situation? I agree you're right about the whole leak situation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrecisionX Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Update and observation: The Pathfinder was sitting in the valet garage at work all night. After checking the coolant reservoir and the radiator cap the coolant was an inch below the cap and below the "min" on the reservoir. -the temp gauge went from cold to just below the middle level so I don't think it's the thermostat. -the heat was blowing hot and when I adjusted it from all the way to the right to turning it down the temp in the cabin adjusted accordingly to a warm temp, I messed with the heat settings to see if it'd change temp and it did to the setting specs -the full heat would cool off at idle, it was hottest when I was on the gas and it would retain that level of heat blowing until I was coasting -temp gauge never got hot, just stayed in the middle the whole ride which was roughly 3 miles home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 That's air in the system due being low on coolant. The higher revs force more circulation through the heater core and thus more heat is put out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrecisionX Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 So add coolant to the max level on the reservoir tank when cold and THEN burp the system? How can I go about burping the system? Or should I not drive it until I can burp it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyeager Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 If you have air in the system, you can try to bleed it like this: - start the truck and turn the temp to full hot for at least 10 seconds. Turn off engine. (that opens flow through the heater core) - open the air bleed port (it's at the top of the engine in the water feed line) - remove radiator cap and fill to the top, or until coolant starts to come out of the bleed port. - close bleed port and top off radiator - replace radiator cap - fill reservoir to full mark run the engine until hot and alternate the rpms between 2000 and idle a few times. shut the engine off and allow to cool completely then refill radiator and reservoir as necessary and repeat Or you can substitute normal driving and just top off the coolant before each trip you take until all air is out, which will be indicated by no drop of coolant level when checked cold. Typically, air in the system gets forced to the radiator and stays there (since coolant is drawn from the bottom of the radiator). So bleeding out stubborn air isn't generally a concern. None of this will help you if you have an unresolved issue with your cooling system. Make sure your cooling system is sound. I suggest you find out exactly where that small leak is coming from....that might be bringing in air every time it leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Ad coolant to the radiator. The resoviour is exactly that, a resoviour, extra coolant for the expanded coolant to go when the system is under pressure. Did you pull the rad cap at all when checking the coolant levels? That's what you should be concerned with. Top up the radiator with the appropriate mix of coolant, drive around and check your heat. -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 You should fix the leak....then fill and burp it. Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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