I just got the car back from having new head gaskets put on my V8 S-type, car runs great, and no evidence of the gas leakage into the coolant that it had before. Private dealer was really great and did it on his tab. The workmanship looks great and he replaced the thermostat housing, which is some big plastic pipe deal, looks like a vw bug exhaust manifold. It was broken, repaired and crumbling. I paid for that.

Driving home I had the AC on because it was 85F outside and it started getting hotter on the drivers side only. Dual mode was off. The center air vents were blowing cold, but not as cold as it had been when he had picked me up at the train station 5 minutes earlier. He drove.

I played around with it and found that the drivers side vent by the window was blowing hot, so I shut it. The center vents blowing cool, but not as cold as earlier, and the passenger side vent by the window blowing cool like the center.

And while we're on the subject, is there a manual way to turn on/off the heater or AC, without relying on the CC to deduce it from the settings?

Thanks,
Larry

Is it possible he didn't connect up a wire to the DCC valve or a fuse blew or something?

 

It worked perfectly when the car went in for the head gasket. I am hoping it is just an oversight or something got disturbed doing the head gasket. I don't want to take it back to him because of the distance, and because he has done so much for me for free, already.

thanks,
Larry

 

Larry, under the hood low on the passenger side is the DCCV (dual climate control valve). Hopefully the dealer kept its electrical connector on or it didn't burn out. If it failed then this likely partially fried the CCM (climate control module). Replace the DCCV ($80 from Rock Auto). See what happens. If no change then the CCM (accessed by pulling out DCC dash control panel) may need repair. Many of us experienced your situation and had to replace the DCCV and had CCM repaired.

 

If it was OK before changing the head gaskets you might still have an air bubble in the system. Keep driving the car and the cycle of heating and cooling will tend to work the air out by itself.

Otherwise I agree about changing the DCCV.
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Wouldn't the air pocket impair the heating?
Sounds most like the DCCV.

 

I can't find the dccv. On the passenger side, under the hood from the top there is a black rectangular thing with electrical connectors at both ends. I don't see any heater hoses. And at the front is the abs module. Is it under the car?

 

I believe best accessed behind front passenger wheel? Use the "Search Forum" feature for threads on "DCCV". There's detailed install info.

 

Always keep in mind when you disconnect the battery and then reconnect it you will have to cycle the car. By that I mean you have to drive it the first time up to 50mph for a few minutes. Then shut the car off. When you start the car back up everything will be working again.