DCCV problem solved! No Heat.

[tireman]

Found the problem and fixed it. Yes it was the DCCV.
The DCCV is located at the lowest point in the coolant system so all the metal flakes and gunk flows to the DCCV. The coils create an magnetic field and attract the metal flakes which jamb the piston and cylinder. Now, I removed the DCCV and found the piston gummed up, so I flushed the coolant system, clean and polished the DCCV piston and piston cylinder, used gum out and simple green to clean up the valve openings and springs, lubricated with wd-40, reinstalled, runs like a charm. Heat!
This is my second DCCV in the car, 1st one jambed at 85k, the second at 30k. As the car ages, more junk gets in the coolant and the DCCV jambs quicker i believe. If both solenoids check out with good readings 10-23 Ohms, then most likely it is a mechanical or Hydraulic solenoid failure. Solenoids themselves rarely fail. It is much more likely a mechanical failure due to contamination.
PM me if you would like an updated DCCV breakdown report.

 

[joegr]

Very interesting information. It sounds like it is time for a cooling system flush on your car. I think that the factory schedule of every 90K miles is not often enough.

 

[tireman]

Flushing might help

Due to the overheating, leaking coolant components, this 01V6 was flushed several times during its life. Flushing might slow down the progress but eventually the DCCV will clog. The upper chamber on the DCCV cannot be flushed out, you must remove the entire device, open the solenoids and clean it out. The very fine grit will flow up the plunger shaft past the rubber gasket and accumulate out of reach of any flushing. If you examine the polished solenoid piston under magnification, you can actually see where the grit has scratched the surface when the solenoid is activated. Too much grit between the barrel and piston will jamb it. Too much grit build up around the shaft openings will prevent smooth operation.

 

[joegr]

In other words, faulty by design.

 

[tireman]

Yep

The design could be much improved or eliminated. My old cars with electric heaters worked better than this thing and quicker. With this one, you must sit around and wait for the coolant to warm up before you get some heat. What happens if the coolant freezes over night in the DCCV? How long has Ford been making cars?

 

[BCA]

Very interesting indeed. What you are explaining as the cause of failure makes a lot of sense.
So do you think that the DCCV can start to go bad before it fails to work at all? If so, it could explain the issue I am having with my car.
I had the classic DCCV failure symptoms and replaced it about 8K miles ago and everything was back to normal.
About 3 weeks ago I noticed that the temperature out of each of the four dash vents as you go from the driver side to the passenger side gets noticably warmer, especially on the passenger side. I didn't put a temp probe on them but it was significant enough that if there was someone in the passenger in seat they would have been complaining.
So I am wondering if my 49k mile coolant is beginning to contaminate the new valve and causing it to not work at 100%.

 

[Jim Henderson]

There are companies that sell coolant filters that go inline, usually the heater hoses. It is supposed to filter out this kind of garbage.

You might have to find another rubber hose to tap into since I think the heater lines are steel tubing for the most part.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

[cpieler]

did you do a Diagnostic (datc) in the car on the temp controll unit to figure out that the dccv was the problem or did everything just piont to that? i have a 2000 ls v8 113000 miles and the heat is not really hot jus luke warm at best. i did the datc and no codes poped up.

 

[joegr]

did you do a Diagnostic (datc) in the car on the temp controll unit to figure out that the dccv was the problem or did everything just piont to that? i have a 2000 ls v8 113000 miles and the heat is not really hot jus luke warm at best. i did the datc and no codes poped up.

You should start by following the coolant air bleeding procedure to the letter. If you get any air out and it improves the heating, then the next step would be to look for the leak that let the air in. Usually, it is cracks in the degas bottle.

 

[tireman]

+1

No I did not get any codes from the DATC. Do the easy stuff first like Joegr says, if all air out of the system, then go check the DCCV. Use a ohm meter to check if the solenoids are not shorted out,,,if they read good,,,they may just be gummed up. Is this the first problem you've had?

Ok, after a month, I cleaned mine on November 4th, I'm still nice and toasty warm, the DCCV is working fine.

 

[cpieler]

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=60194

 

[cpieler]

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=60194
a couple of times over the summer the driver side would get realy hot and the passanger side would still be on the ac. i would just turn my car off and back on and it was ok

 

[cpieler]

a couple of times over the summer the driver side would go from cold to high heat and the passanger side would be cold. all i would do is turn off and on my car

 

[cpieler]

i tried to bleed today there was some coolant that came out but not much. i bleed it for about 45 minutes, heat on high, and motor was warm. dccv?http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=60194

 

[tireman]

sounds like dccv

sounds like the DCCV solenoid pistons are stuck. you can do an electrical check to see if the solenoids are still good, as I said before.....

 

[BCA]

I thought it was time to post an update on my DCCV issue in hopes that it might help someone else.

As I mentioned earlier, my new DCCV valve was showing signs of failure after just 8k miles. It was last fall and since winter was coming, I decided I would wait until spring to do the job. With the contamination issue that tireman found as a likely cause of failure, I felt that as extra insurance I would have my coolant system flushed first before installing a new valve. So I took it to a local quick lube place that I trust that has one of those flushing systems and had it done. As expected, the coolant that came out didn’t look all that bad but I really didn’t expect it to (about 52k miles).

I didn’t have a free weekend to replace the valve for another month and it ended up working out for the best because shortly after getting the coolant flush done, my DCCV failure symptoms went away. At first I thought great, problem solved; but then figured I would wait a while longer before claiming victory. It has been over 4 months now and I am just about to turn 60k and still no problems and it has definitely been exercised with the hot summer that we had had this year.

I have no definitive proof that flushing the system was the cure, but the circumstantial evidence suggest otherwise.