Case Study: No heat after dealer recall repair

Vehicle: 2014 Ford Escape SE 1.6L 

Problem: Customer complains of no heat.

Case details: The customer states heat was great before taking the vehicle into the dealer for a factory recall to address the cylinder head temperature issue. Many different pipes and wires and so forth were installed at the dealer, so the customer took it back to the Ford dealer and the dealer said their system is functioning as it should. The customer was told the coolant may have “gelled” or the heater core may be blocked.

A technician checked for heater operation, as well as heater hose temp and for the engine coming up to temp, but the heater hoses were cold and the circulation did not seem to be right. There is no overheating and it does not seem to be air bound. 

Confirmed repair: To fix this, the technician replaced a defective brand new heater bypass valve. Then filled the cooling system and bled out the air. 

Reprinted with permission from SureTrack, a value-added feature available with select Snap-on diagnostics tools.