2001 LHS 3.5 L. Little to no heat.

new thermostats are bad out of the box,try another one.did you bleed the air out of the cooling system,this i feel is the problem,water pump is probley ok.

pap, thanks for responding. I checked the thermo and it does open/close, as did the one it replaced. I did bleed the air from the system (bleeder on top of the motor). The fact I get better heat when I'm driving vs. idling is leading me to the water pump. More info.that might help. 2 1/2 years ago, while on the hwy at 75 mph, my lower radiator hose blew off the engine. I was in the midst of a relocation with no tools etc. so had it towed to a dealer. $400 later I was told the problem was the upper radiator hose was collapsing. Ever since that repair, the first time of the season that I turn on the heat, I get that sweet smell. I find no inside coolant leaks in the cabin, but the fact I'm smelling it leads me to think it's the heater core. But if the heater core was bad, wouldn't I get NO heat? The car is due a timing belt so I'll be replacing the water pump at that time. I guess I'm stuck - maybe it's the water pump, maybe it's the heater core. I've even seem some suggest it's the "blend door", which I no nothing about. Just wish there was a definitive way to diagnose the problem without paying two hours labor rate.

if u smelling that sweet smell,blown head gasket on exhoust side,theit wont be any leaks,it the collent drips into cylender ,goes out tail pipe as steam.if heater core was bad,it would be driping on passenger side,to confirm,pull spark plugs spin motor,a mist will come out.

Don't think it's that - doesn't overheat and no white exhaust. I'll get get it checked out - just tired of not knowing what it is. Thanks for the help and tips.

it sounds to me like u may need to have the heater tube & o-ring replaced. these tend to go bad & r lots of work to get to. this is a website that explains that very well. hope this helps. http://bernardsblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/chrysler-coolant- leak-32l-and-35l.html

Your system sounds like the heat exchanger is air-bound. At the shop, we used to nip off that rivet on the thermostat to help coolant get to the heat exchanger. As it stands, you must warm the engine, allow the thermostat to open up, then will allow the coolant to flow through the heat exchanger...it is now that we have to "belch" the system of air. there are a number of ways to do this all of which are a secret~