.... for those interested in this saga. If not, ignore.

On Tuesday of this past week the service advisor told me they were
"finishing up" the installation of the new engine and would then road
test to make sure everything is ok. I said, "so it might be ready by
Friday?" (this is what Nissan Customer Service in TN had told me).
He said it would probably be done earlier than Friday, possibly
Wednesday after they tested everything.

Wednesday came and went. On Friday I received a call from Nissan again.
She told me basically what the service advisor at the dealership had
told me on Tuesday except now it would be next Monday, (June 26) before
I could get the car back.

I started getting a strong hunch that the new engine didn't solve the
"no heat" problem. The dots didn't connect.

So, this morning I took a ride down to the dealership. The service
manager/director was there. He was honest about it. The new engine was
in but the car still had no heat and they were back to square one.

I said, "I figured that" and reminded him of what I had told him back on
May 30th and what I thought was wrong. I said, "if you want to fix the
problem, you need to install a new heater control valve. It's mounted
on the firewall on the passenger side and has two heater hoses connected
to it, one in, one out to the heater core.

He said they checked for any faults with it in the ECU. I told him the
ECU wouldn't show a fault because the little motor that drives the valve
has an open winding. It burnt up, which connects the electrical burning
odor that I noticed the day I drove the car home (May 27th). I said the
12 volts would be applied, but nothing would happen to open the valve.
There is no positive feedback to the ECU that indicates the valve position.

It also explains why the electrical burning odor disappeared. Can't get
hot if no current is flowing in the windings.

I said if they warm up the car, set the temp to max and feel the hose
going to the valve, or measure it with an IR thermometer, it will be hot
on one side and significantly cooler on the other side of the valve.

The problem is that the dealership's hands are tied when it comes to
warranty work. They can't do anything unless Nissan authorizes it.
The service manager is more frustrated than I am. I think it's kinda
funny. They spring for a new engine (which it didn't need) and ignore
the customer input that was intended to help diagnose the problem.

Anyway, he asked me to call Nissan Customer Service and tell them
exactly what I had just told him. Turns out they are open today
(Saturday) but I had to leave a message. Awaiting a return call.

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