2015 Pathfinder Platinum, no heat at idle.

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Archer
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Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2019 10:01 am
Location: ON. Canada

2015 Pathfinder Platinum, no heat at idle.

Postby Archer » Tue Aug 20, 2019 1:49 pm

Hi, and thank you for taking the time to read this article, as I try to resolve the problem, I will seek help from anyone that will offer it. NOTE: I continue to go the dealerships and complain of not having any heat. To date, nothing has been actually done to fix the problem except a heater core flush. Nissan customer service and the dealerships will not admit any issue exists, and i have no leads on what to do next.

I have a 2015 Pathfinder Platinum with 70,000 km’s (under 45,000 miles). I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada where winter temperatures will get to -35 C (or -45 with the wind-chill). That’s -31 to -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

So to the problem then..

The temperature of the heat while accelerating is kinda warm, it gets to a balmy 55 degrees Celsius (130 F.) which seems like it would be hot, but it really isn’t. For example, my dad’s 2012 Buick gets to 88 degrees Celsius (190 F.) again.. It’s just air, so it’s not burning hot.

The heat temperature is not any better in the summer either, so it’s not a question of “it can’t keep up in winterâ€.



My first question is this: can anyone with a 2015 take readings of the temperature of the heat at the vents using a digital meat thermometer, this must be taken while under acceleration, at full hot, full fan speed.

Part 2 question: Does the temperature of the air steadily decrease while at idle.

**Please don’t use a heat gun to check temperature of the air.. that won’t work.

Question 3: the engine temperature gauge on the dashboard; Can someone please tell me how high the needle gets. Mine never makes it to hallway, it gets only about 3/8’s of the way up.

I’d love to know if any mechanics out there can tell me straight up what the problem is.

Cheers, and thank you in advance.

Archer


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Aug 20, 2019 2:45 pm

I haven't worked on the R52's, but I am a former Nissan Master Tech (I retired in 2003). Whenever I checked heat output from a Nissan, it was always 140 degrees F. on a properly working system. Nissan coolant gauges with a properly operating, genuine Nissan, thermostat, are almost always close to dead center on the gauge. Aftermarket thermostats, in my experience, tend to run a little cooler in many cases, causing the needle to read a little lower. If it hasn't been done, already, I would suggest replacing the thermostat with a genuine Nissan part. It "could" be that an aftermarket thermostat had been previously installed OR the current thermostat is partially stuck open. I can't guarantee that this will fix your problem, but that's what I would do if it were mine.

Archer
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2019 10:01 am
Location: ON. Canada

Postby Archer » Wed Aug 21, 2019 1:20 pm

Thanks for the info. I'll ask the dealer to check if its an original thermostat.

Separately, I am glad to hear that a thermostat can get stuck partially open.. I think this may be the problem.

If that is the case, and its stuck open a bit, would the temperature of the heat coming out of the vents drop at idle? Is that a thing?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Aug 21, 2019 9:00 pm

What happens when the thermostat is partially or fully stuck open, it keeps the coolant constantly circulating to the point where it doesn't get as hot as it normally would (with a properly working thermostat). Often, concerns may include adequate or warm (but not hot) heater performance at idle, but cooler heater vent output once the vehicle starts driving at speeds. Also, the coolant gauge needle will sit at or near the lower end of the gauge reading.


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