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2013 Heater not working and other issues

7779 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Drewie64
So I just got a 2013 LT/RS from a dealership. The car has 77k miles and I've had the car for 18 days and so far it's been running fine. However recently since the temperatures in North Dakota have been dropping I've noticed the heater is 50/50 on whether or not it blows hot air or cold/luke warm air. As literal as that, I can drive 15 minutes to school with heat just fine but my ride home no heat. The engine reaches operating temp and still no hot air, so I don't think it is the thermostat. I notice if I turn my blower to the highest setting the engine temp actually drops a little bit too. I want to try and flush the heater core but am nervous that I won't flush the right hoses.

Another issue I found is that the daytime running lamps are not turning on. The headlights and high-beams work just fine but not the daytime lamps. I checked the owners manual, put the automatic lights on, and the car is running but still no lights or indicator on the dash.

Any idea what I should do to fix these issues?
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So I just got a 2013 LT/RS from a dealership. The car has 77k miles and I've had the car for 18 days and so far it's been running fine. However recently since the temperatures in North Dakota have been dropping I've noticed the heater is 50/50 on whether or not it blows hot air or cold/luke warm air. As literal as that, I can drive 15 minutes to school with heat just fine but my ride home no heat. The engine reaches operating temp and still no hot air, so I don't think it is the thermostat. I notice if I turn my blower to the highest setting the engine temp actually drops a little bit too. I want to try and flush the heater core but am nervous that I won't flush the right hoses.

Another issue I found is that the daytime running lamps are not turning on. The headlights and high-beams work just fine but not the daytime lamps. I checked the owners manual, put the automatic lights on, and the car is running but still no lights or indicator on the dash.

Any idea what I should do to fix these issues?
Welcome, congrats on your ‘new’ Cruze. Sorry to hear about the issues. It’s only been a couple of weeks since purchase, did the dealer offer a warranty of any kind?
The DRL's only come on when in gear so you may need an observer.
Is your car in a garage overnite?
If so, that explains having heat on your morning trip.....the cooling system had a head start by being out of the weather.
As you found out, you can actually cool the motor by using high fan speeds......this engine is very efficient and efficient engines don't make a lot of heat. Add to this IMO, the heater core is a bit too large, which lines up with pulling so much heat off the coolant you can see the gauge drop.
Actually all cars with small engines do this......good friend purchased a new Honda Civic turbo last year and is complaining about poor heat.....especially when idling waiting for a freight train to crawl by.

Try operating in the recirculate mode for short periods of time (the windows fog up if in recirculate too long).....this mode has you heating, already heated, cabin air and the engine can come up to temp much faster. Stay away from the highest fan positions though.....it'll overcool for sure.

Welcome to the world of itty bitty engines.

Rob
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Yeah, the personal one from the dealership is 3k miles or 30 days but I intend on emailing them and see what they have to say. I can't imagine this being a huge fix
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My apartment does't have garage parking so it's left out over night. But I'll give your advice a try. I previously owned a 2012 Cruze LT/RS and didn't notice this as an issue so that is why I'm having some suspicion.
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