2012 LS3 no heat driver's side only - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

ChrisBlair · 11-07-2019, 05:53 PM

My 2012 1SS LS3 has a weird (to me) heater problem- air is hot on both passenger side vents, barely above ambient temp on driver's side.

Naturally I have not been using the heat. Until today in the rain. Windshield de-fog is a joke.

I do get a slight whiff of coolant under the hood. I see nothing but dry engine and hoses etc however. Under side of hood dry. Couldn't get under it- it's raining and I am still recovering from stroke. Coolant temp never went over 205, and that was in a 300 yard line of stopped traffic.

TommyTheCat · 11-08-2019, 05:14 PM

You shouldn't smell coolant at all unless there's a leak, check your fluid level. However the heat on driver's side should still work, so most likely it's a separate problem with one of the blend doors. I'm not sure about the SS, but mine never gets to 205 F, stays relatively cold around 180 F.

This is a high-failure part on these cars unfortunately, and requires either removal of the dash (and windshield) or some extreme Mickey-Mousing

ChrisBlair · 11-09-2019, 05:05 AM

LOL thanks Tommy, but don't get sidetracked about the slight coolant smell. I've rebuilt the top end of V8s by the side of the road and I was in restoration for 20 years. I have some insight there. I get that many car owners these days haven't a clue about what makes cars work.

I have two separate issues- there's a hose clamp that needs attention under the hood that's leaking so little, the heat evaporates the coolant and I can't locate it yet, and there's an HVAC issue too.

I've had my SS since 2012, 98K miles. 205 degrees is not uncommon for the car, but that would be in summer. On the highway stopped in traffic on 100* day I have seen 215*. 212*F is not the boil-over temp- closer to 247*F- so that's not a priority at the moment.

The blend door actuator is my hope, instead of the blend door. When I change from defrost to heat or vice-versa, I can feel the air cycle from the footwell to mid to high, so something is working. Getting under there is the issue for me so I'm getting as much info as I can.

ChrisBlair · 11-09-2019, 10:25 AM

Hmmm. Now the drivers' side has heat and the passenger side does not. Looking more and more like the blend door and not just the actuator, but the head-sctracher is the fact that it changed,

Is there a reset for this? Hold-down-the-defrost-while-starting-the-car or similar? I vaguely recall a diagnostic mode.

11-07-2019, 05:53 PM	#1
ChrisBlair Buick 455 Fan Drives: 1970 Buick, 2012 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Boston MA Posts: 5,957	2012 LS3 no heat driver's side only My 2012 1SS LS3 has a weird (to me) heater problem- air is hot on both passenger side vents, barely above ambient temp on driver's side. Naturally I have not been using the heat. Until today in the rain. Windshield de-fog is a joke. I do get a slight whiff of coolant under the hood. I see nothing but dry engine and hoses etc however. Under side of hood dry. Couldn't get under it- it's raining and I am still recovering from stroke. Coolant temp never went over 205, and that was in a 300 yard line of stopped traffic. __________________

11-08-2019, 05:14 PM	#2
TommyTheCat SHKE BKE Drives: 2013 Camaro Join Date: May 2014 Location: SoCal Posts: 3,108	You shouldn't smell coolant at all unless there's a leak, check your fluid level. However the heat on driver's side should still work, so most likely it's a separate problem with one of the blend doors. I'm not sure about the SS, but mine never gets to 205 F, stays relatively cold around 180 F. This is a high-failure part on these cars unfortunately, and requires either removal of the dash (and windshield) or some extreme Mickey-Mousing Last edited by TommyTheCat; 11-08-2019 at 05:25 PM.

11-09-2019, 05:05 AM	#3
ChrisBlair Buick 455 Fan Drives: 1970 Buick, 2012 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Boston MA Posts: 5,957	LOL thanks Tommy, but don't get sidetracked about the slight coolant smell. I've rebuilt the top end of V8s by the side of the road and I was in restoration for 20 years. I have some insight there. I get that many car owners these days haven't a clue about what makes cars work. I have two separate issues- there's a hose clamp that needs attention under the hood that's leaking so little, the heat evaporates the coolant and I can't locate it yet, and there's an HVAC issue too. I've had my SS since 2012, 98K miles. 205 degrees is not uncommon for the car, but that would be in summer. On the highway stopped in traffic on 100* day I have seen 215. 212F is not the boil-over temp- closer to 247*F- so that's not a priority at the moment. The blend door actuator is my hope, instead of the blend door. When I change from defrost to heat or vice-versa, I can feel the air cycle from the footwell to mid to high, so something is working. Getting under there is the issue for me so I'm getting as much info as I can. __________________

11-09-2019, 10:25 AM	#4
ChrisBlair Buick 455 Fan Drives: 1970 Buick, 2012 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Boston MA Posts: 5,957	Hmmm. Now the drivers' side has heat and the passenger side does not. Looking more and more like the blend door and not just the actuator, but the head-sctracher is the fact that it changed, Is there a reset for this? Hold-down-the-defrost-while-starting-the-car or similar? I vaguely recall a diagnostic mode. __________________