Cabin Heater not working on Drivers side?

[fixit9660]

I seem to have a heater that is only working on the Passengers side, not the Drivers side of the cabin?

It doesn't matter where the air is directed, screen only, footwells only, dashboard vents only, or any combination; with the heater turned up the air on the left/passenger side is Hot but the air on the right/Drivers side remains Cold.

Does anyone know about the cabin heating arrangements please? I can't find a manual or any documentation anywhere that shows how the cabin heater is put together/operates.

I have disconnected the heater pipes inside the engine bay, (quite easy once you've done it once or twice), and flushed and backflushed with clean water. Got a tiny amount of material out and no improvement in heat. I then bought some Wynns Radiator Flush and put that in. Half the bottle into just the heater matrix for about 4 hours, then put the rest into the cooling system and ran it for a few days before flushing with clean water and refilling with green antifreeze at about 40%. Still no improvement.

I've had a look inside the air duct by removing the cabin air filter (under the glove compartment) and used an endoscope (carefully past the fan) to check for blockages outside the heater matrix, but again, nothing found.

I've posted on a couple of Suzuki Forums and no-one seems to have any real idea, just guesses and general recommendations. I contacted the Main Dealer and they frightened the cr*p out of me. They actually admitted they'd never had the dashboard of the Vitara apart, and wanted the car for 2 days and £150 just to diagnose it. I priced a new Heater Matrix at about £200. I estimated the total cost by them to repair at over £500. I'm not that cold yet!

My next plan is to get some more active/corrosive flushing agent and keep it running through the heater matrix using a pump for a few hours. If that fails, I have the task of dismantling the dashboard to actually get the heater matrix out and clean/break/replace it....

[jwunsch]

Do you get hot air on the passenger side? I mean does it feel its heating it properly. If so I would imagine there's some duct broken or loosened inside the dash if passenger side gets hot air (not just barely warm).

Hard to imagine heating matrix would be done in 6 year old car, unless someone owned it before you and ran with clear water. Tho that would probably be tempting your luck in UK.

[fixit9660]

I get a good flow of really Hot air on the passenger side. I also get the same, good flow of air out of the Drivers side, wherever the air is directed, screen only, footwells only, dashboard vents only, or any combination, so I think the ducts are all good.
The car was a Suzuki Main Dealer ex-demo car before we owned it, so I'm sure it's had the correct coolant/antifreeze mix since new.

[fixkick]

I get a good flow of really Hot air on the passenger side. I also get the same, good flow of air out of the Drivers side, wherever the air is directed, screen only, footwells only, dashboard vents only, or any combination, so I think the ducts are all good.
The car was a Suzuki Main Dealer ex-demo car before we owned it, so I'm sure it's had the correct coolant/antifreeze mix since new.

welcome, 
we have no 2017 suzuki's here USA or Canada, the  maker bugged out long ago, no parts and no books this year. (THE 2 THAT STAYED HERE I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR)
but as all HVAC cars modern uses motor controller actuators. the problem is only these.

1.   fuses blown !
   
2. scan the EOBD (UK version of our OBD2) port, for HVAC ERRORS??? 
   
3. THE MODE DAMPER IS FAILING NOT THE HO/TCOLD BLEND DOOR,  SO WE REMOVE THE MODE ACTUTOR AND MAKE SURE THE MODE SHAFT IS NOT JAMMED.
   
4. THEN CHANGE MODES AT DIAL AND SEE IF ACTUATOR IN HAND MOVES, PROPER. IF NOT IT IS BAD (COMMON) OR THE CONTROLS TO IT ARE BAD.
   
5. THE PROBLEM MY BE PURE MECHANICAL (IN DASH HEATER BOX (AIR DISTRIBUTION) OR ELECTRIC FAILURE.
   
   

GOOD LUCK ! PS MY NEW JEEP HAS HVAC SELF TEST, MAYBE YOURS DOES TOO, SEEN IN THE SERVICE MANUAL 2017.

[fixit9660]

but as all HVAC cars modern uses motor controller actuators. the problem is only these.

1.   fuses blown !
   
2. scan the EOBD (UK version of our OBD2) port, for HVAC ERRORS??? 
   
3. THE MODE DAMPER IS FAILING NOT THE HO/TCOLD BLEND DOOR,  SO WE REMOVE THE MODE ACTUTOR AND MAKE SURE THE MODE SHAFT IS NOT JAMMED.
   
4. THEN CHANGE MODES AT DIAL AND SEE IF ACTUATOR IN HAND MOVES, PROPER. IF NOT IT IS BAD (COMMON) OR THE CONTROLS TO IT ARE BAD.
   
5. THE PROBLEM MY BE PURE MECHANICAL (IN DASH HEATER BOX (AIR DISTRIBUTION) OR ELECTRIC FAILURE.
   

Thanks for that fixkick, I'm grateful for any suggestions as this seems to be a very rare subject.
1. Fuses Blown - I did wonder but I don't recognise any in the Fuse list, and think it would affect all the heating controls?
2. Scan the EOBD - GOOD THOUGHT! I hadn't considered looking at it.
3. When you say the Mode Damper, do you mean the flap that changes the air destination from Windscreen, Dashboard Vents and Foot Well vents? If so this is working well for all destinations. I can also see this flap moving through the footwell vents.
4. I can see several actuators, all working in response to a different control.

If I had to reproduce the fault deliberately, on a 2 zone system I'd just disable the heat control to the driver side, but this is a single zone system? (I believe?). To deliberately reproduce it on a single zone system I'd need to saw the heat blend flap in half and jam it closed on the driver side.

[fixkick]

IS  PASSENGER ON THE RIGHT SIDE RHD CAR  OR LEFT ON LHD CAR. (THE TWO CARS ARE NO THE SAME)
Working on the Passengers side, not the Drivers side of the cabin?
SO WE KNOW THE BLOWER WORKS
 WE KNOW THE MODE WORKS,   HI, MID , FLOOR
JUST MID LEFT DRIVER GETS NO HEAT
IT ONLY BE, THAT VENT HOSE IS LOOSE, OR CLOGGED UP
OR IT HAS ITS OWN VALVE , TO THERE FAILING.


THERE ARE SOME VERY ODD EXCEPTIONS   SEE THIS ON A JEEP
THE EVAP CORE IS FLOODED WITH WATER CONDENSATE,  BELOW IT AND HALF WAY UP THE CORE (BLOCKING ALL AIR HERE, IN A LAKE OF WATER)

SO THAT HEAT AND AC FAILED ON ONE SIDE THE SIDE THAT IS ON THE LOWER TANK LEVEL. (A LAKE OF WATER THERE) AND THE DRAIN HOSE TO GROUND FULLY CLOGGED. (SUCH AND EASY AND FREE FIX TOO,  MAKE SURE AC MAKES PUDDLE ON THE GROUND IF NOT IT IS FAILING THE DRAIN CLOGGED WITH MOSS.

OTHER CARS USE LEFT AND RIGHT HEATER CORES, FOR LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE. FANCY CONTROLS SO ARE NOT HUGELY FLOOD DEPENDENT. WEAK YES.

ON ONE CAR THE  CONTROLS ARE CALLED, CLIMATE CONTROLS GRADE AND HAS A DIAL THAT IS MARKED AS EXACT TEMPERATURES! EVEN 1 LEFT 1 RIGHT

THEN INSIDE THE HEATER BOX (AIR DISTRIBUTION BOX) THE HEAT DAMPER IS SPLIT IN 1/2  LEFT SIDE AND RIGHT AND INDEPENDENTLY MOTOR ACTUATORS TO THEM. (MY GRAND CHEROKEE HAS THIS)(LEFT RIGHT) BUT CAUSES WEAK HEAT AND COOLING WHEN FLOODED, AND LOVES TO FLOOD.

NOT SAYING I KNOW HOW ANY 2017 SUZUKI WORKS ONLY HOW MANY OTHERS CAR DO. IN THIS REGARD.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

I'D FIRST CLEAN THE HOSE UNDER CAR CALLED HVAC CONDENSATE DRAIN FULLY   USE PLASTIC FLEX ROD NOT METAL.
GET READY TO DUCK THE FLOOD,  OF WATER IN THAT TANK ABOVE.
ABOUT 2 QUARTS  (LITERS)