[fintonissimo]

My car is not even a month old, about 1700 miles, but I'm pretty sure something is wrong with the climate system. It started on Monday night, and has gotten worse since then. I have my climate controls set to "max", and the temperature knob is on "hi". I do not have the defog turned on for either the front or the rear, and in the settings, I turned off the option for automatic defog. Only cold air, no heat at all, is coming through the vents. At first I thought it was my fault, that I had the settings set the wrong way. However, after reading as much info about the climate control system as possible, I don't think this is the case. I also thought it was just because it was so cold out (9 degrees F. tonight) that the heat wasn't able to catch up to the cold...but I had preconditioned the car before the trip, and it was about 15 minutes of driving.

In addition to no heat and cold air, I am hearing lots of strange gurgling noises; and sometimes a whining noise that sounds a bit like a teakettle heating up. I will be talking with the service dpt. soon, but before I do, does anybody have an idea what may be going on?

Thanks, Chuck

 

[DonC]

Bummer. Certainly not anything you could be doing. Note that if it's really cold out -- like 9F -- the engine should be running and you should be getting all the heat you need. No different than what you'd see in any ICE vehicle.

 

[Arcanox]

My car is not even a month old, about 1700 miles, but I'm pretty sure something is wrong with the climate system. It started on Monday night, and has gotten worse since then. I have my climate controls set to "max", and the temperature knob is on "hi". I do not have the defog turned on for either the front or the rear, and in the settings, I turned off the option for automatic defog. Only cold air, no heat at all, is coming through the vents. At first I thought it was my fault, that I had the settings set the wrong way. However, after reading as much info about the climate control system as possible, I don't think this is the case. I also thought it was just because it was so cold out (9 degrees F. tonight) that the heat wasn't able to catch up to the cold...but I had preconditioned the car before the trip, and it was about 15 minutes of driving.

In addition to no heat and cold air, I am hearing lots of strange gurgling noises; and sometimes a whining noise that sounds a bit like a teakettle heating up. I will be talking with the service dpt. soon, but before I do, does anybody have an idea what may be going on?

Thanks, Chuck

It sounds like your electric heating element may be faulty. I've seen that problem pop up a couple times on the forum before. Especially with the high-pitched whining; usually that means there's a large amount of current flowing somewhere (I can hear a similar noise while braking hard).

Your ICE should definitely be running though...and that should provide you with heat regardless of the electric heat's functionality. I would take it to your dealer when you get a chance and have them look at it.

For reference: for some reason, ERDTT never kicked in for me tonight on my way back from the store, even though it was very much cold enough. Regardless, I still got more than enough heat from the electric heater (but my range was dropping like a rock). It should definitely be able to keep up with the weather you're experiencing.

 

[accelerus]

Fellow 2017 LT owner here (Heather grey as well)

I wish you luck in the repairs... mine has been in the shop twice with two major failures (fuses) one of the failures leaving me stranded on the side of the highway one morning.

I hope your dealership is good... because the "GM Reps" here on the forum won't do much for you, apparently they are just the "social media team"... when you ask some serious questions or to talk to someone higher up, they shut you down with "we can't do that". Only thing they wanted to do was give me a free year of OnStar navigation (which I've never used and don't care about).... yeah, thats much better than reimbursing me for the almost $100 worth of gas I burned in the loaner on my own dime.

I love the car... but more and more its seeming like a bad decision, considering what I COULD have gotten for the same money (eco-ability aside)

With the crazy cold you guys have up there right now, battery powered heat wouldn't last you very long at all in any condition.

 

[Arcanox]

I hope your dealership is good... because the "GM Reps" here on the forum won't do much for you, apparently they are just the "social media team"... when you ask some serious questions or to talk to someone higher up, they shut you down with "we can't do that".

Actually, they were able to arrange my car to be towed for free by GM from Wisconsin to my home dealer...I'm not sure if it's just different service reps are more inclined to "go the extra mile" or what, but they were pretty helpful to me. Having a good dealer doesn't hurt, though, of course.

 

[BAZINGA]

These are complicated machines, I'm sure your dealer will find and fix the problem. Please share with us what the dealer finds and what they did to fix it, that will add to our repository of knowledge.

I've owned three Volts since March 2012 and have noticed many owners come here first for advice. Good luck.

 

[llninja]

I hope your dealership is good... because the "GM Reps" here on the forum won't do much for you, apparently they are just the "social media team"... when you ask some serious questions or to talk to someone higher up, they shut you down with "we can't do that". Only thing they wanted to do was give me a free year of OnStar navigation (which I've never used and don't care about).... yeah, thats much better than reimbursing me for the almost $100 worth of gas I burned in the loaner on my own dime.
/QUOTE]

But we love Amber. It's good to know somebody at GM is reading these things (it gives me a sliver of hope that she might relay my never-ending pleas to make a voltec suburban - BTW my suburban left me stranded today, probably a starter problem). Plus WOT is a treasure trove if detailed engineering information.

 

[Siklilplaya]

I had the same problem on my 2017 LT. After taking the whole dash out they figured out it was the heater module and the 300 volt wire going to it was arcing. They replaced both on mine and it's been good since. When mine was fixed about two months ago it was one of two in the country with this issue.

 

[DonC]

I had the same problem on my 2017 LT.

The OP isn't getting heat when the engine is running or should be running. Was this the case for you as well?

 

[Joe67]

I'd check the engine coolant level.

 

[TSquare]

In addition to no heat and cold air, I am hearing lots of strange gurgling noises; and sometimes a whining noise that sounds a bit like a teakettle heating up. I will be talking with the service dpt. soon, but before I do, does anybody have an idea what may be going on?

Thanks, Chuck

The gurgling noises would point to there being air in the coolant lines. This could definitely cause a "no heat" situation.

 

[voganni]

Sounds like air to me too, and
the engine should be running in ERDTT at those temps.Do you see any power draw on the DIC when the heat is on?
Who was our Love before Amber, the gal who finally got a Volt?

 

[kubel]

I get the gurgling noise too in my 2017. Heat works fine though.

 

[pinoma]

i have a 2012. Is Max on the 2017 the same as comfort in the 2012?. It isn't on fan only is it? If is set to fan only then there will be no heat unless the Engine is running.

 

[fintonissimo]

Ok, an update! I preconditioned the car this morning before going to work at 7 AM. Just like last night, the heat was there when I first got in the car...but then as I drove off, it started to blow cooler air. My drive was for only 3 minutes. I finished work at 3, and before turning the car on to go home, I opened the hood. I did see some droplets of pink coolant in a couple places...not a lot, but enough to convince me that I should get the car in to be looked at. I started the car up. The engine ran because of the cold, and I heard strange (not normal) gurgling noises. In addition, I thought I smelled coolant. So far, there has been no trouble codes or messages. I went directly to the dealership which was on the way home, but it is not the dealership that I bought the car from. Unfortunately, they won't be able to look at it until tomorrow, and had no loaner car available for me. I need a car for this entire weekend, so I actually had to get a rental car. They said that they will not reimburse me for the rental expense unless the car is in their shop for 3 business days or longer. I was told that a Volt tech will look at the car tomorrow, but there was no guarantee that it would be fixed right away; because they didn't know if they would need to order any parts.

So, we shall see. I hope they will be able to figure what is wrong the first time and fix it for good. I need a car with heat!! I also hope that there won't be any other issues...I need a reliable car that I can count on. The dealer seems to have a pretty good reputation in the community. I bought the car an hour away from my house, because that particular dealer had the best deal. The dealer that the car is at now is only 3 minutes away from my house. I just got back from picking up the rental car. I miss the Volt already! It is sloppy snow and bad roads out there tonight. The Volt handles that snow way better than the rental car, a Nissan Note, for sure! In fact, I am very impressed with how the Volt performs in the slippery weather...WAY better than I ever experienced with my 2008 Prius!!

Chuck

 

[Arcanox]

Ok, an update! I preconditioned the car this morning before going to work at 7 AM. Just like last night, the heat was there when I first got in the car...but then as I drove off, it started to blow cooler air. My drive was for only 3 minutes. I finished work at 3, and before turning the car on to go home, I opened the hood. I did see some droplets of pink coolant in a couple places...not a lot, but enough to convince me that I should get the car in to be looked at. I started the car up. The engine ran because of the cold, and I heard strange (not normal) gurgling noises. In addition, I thought I smelled coolant. So far, there has been no trouble codes or messages. I went directly to the dealership which was on the way home, but it is not the dealership that I bought the car from. Unfortunately, they won't be able to look at it until tomorrow, and had no loaner car available for me. I need a car for this entire weekend, so I actually had to get a rental car. They said that they will not reimburse me for the rental expense unless the car is in their shop for 3 business days or longer. I was told that a Volt tech will look at the car tomorrow, but there was no guarantee that it would be fixed right away; because they didn't know if they would need to order any parts.

So, we shall see. I hope they will be able to figure what is wrong the first time and fix it for good. I need a car with heat!! I also hope that there won't be any other issues...I need a reliable car that I can count on. The dealer seems to have a pretty good reputation in the community. I bought the car an hour away from my house, because that particular dealer had the best deal. The dealer that the car is at now is only 3 minutes away from my house. I just got back from picking up the rental car. I miss the Volt already! It is sloppy snow and bad roads out there tonight. The Volt handles that snow way better than the rental car, a Nissan Note, for sure! In fact, I am very impressed with how the Volt performs in the slippery weather...WAY better than I ever experienced with my 2008 Prius!!

Chuck

Which dealer are you going to? I see you're in the Chicago 'burbs as well...

 

[fintonissimo]

Stasek. Hopefully they won't hold it against me that I didn't buy the car from them!

 

[Siklilplaya]

The OP isn't getting heat when the engine is running or should be running. Was this the case for you as well?

Yes I was not getting heat with Either mode.

 

[Arcanox]

Stasek. Hopefully they won't hold it against me that I didn't buy the car from them!

I've been going to Don McCue for all my service needs, even though I didn't buy my car from them

I bought it used from Wickstrom and honestly don't think they took very good care of it (given the number of repairs I've needed already, and the fact that the tires were 10psi low when I bought it), so I don't really want them servicing my car if I can avoid it.

 

[muzicman0]

I had something similar. When I took it in it ended up being a software update (at least that is what they told me), and it has worked just fine every since. I have had my 2017 Volt for 4 weeks now, and that is the only real problem I have had...well, that and the fact that they did the Android Auto update, and it removed the Pandora App, which was super annoying.