CRISIS

So it's starting to get really cold over here in Chicago and the past few days have been horrible. It usually takes around 15-20 minutes for the car to warm up to a "comfortable" temperature. Is there anything wrong with this? Or something I should expect from a 14 year old car? The car is all stock for anyone wondering. Civic, b7, auto, 92. Somebody know any good tips or anything I can change out to help my problem? Thanks for any help in advance!

InvaderTrax

Change out your thermostat

cambopheonix56

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InvaderTrax &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Change out your thermostat</TD></TR></TABLE>

My first thought. $15 and 20 minutes of your time should do the trick.

CRISIS

Cool, thanks guys! I was also wondering if there was anyway to get the air to blow out faster. I'll put it on 4 and it is really slow, almost no change from 2 to 4. Maybe I'm just being picky about that, but I'll pick up a new thermostat tomorrow after work.

Archidictus

If you have your "heat" on before your car reaches operating temperature, it's going to take significantly longer for it to be blowing hot air. The air from the vents will only be warm after the car's been at operating temperature for a few minutes. If you're running them from start-up, it's going to be pulling the little heat the car makes out of the coolant and, thus, take longer to heat the entire mass.

Just imagine trying to boil a pot of water but somebody keeps dropping ice cubes in it.

CRISIS

That's really helpful information! Thanks. I'll keep that in mind!

AntiStock

That is good info...my car takes forever to heat up, too...but I always have the heat on right away. I'll try shutting it off when I go to work in the morning...see if it works


On a side note...would it then make sense to have the heater on full while in a racing situation (like AutoX or at the track)? If the heater takes heat from the coolant, would running with the heater on help keep the engine cooler, or would this be negligible?


Modified by AntiStock at 1:53 AM 12/4/2006

Frozen E

haven't moved my selctor lever off full cold since I got the car.

On topic though, check your stat. If it's stuck wide open it's going to take your car a long time to warm up. When you say it takes "soooo long" exactly how long are we talking here? Idling isn't the greatest way to warm your car up. Drive the car while cold and keep the revs under 3K.

::Edit::
Reading is hard.
15 to 20 minutes isn't THAT horrible.

fmrprojects

let the car warm up first before turning on the heater.

squarepusher

you could get an alarm system with remote start / or automatic start for temperature control.

dafuzzbudd

ya for a problem that i had too

CRISIS

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IslandSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">haven't moved my selctor lever off full cold since I got the car.

On topic though, check your stat. If it's stuck wide open it's going to take your car a long time to warm up. When you say it takes "soooo long" exactly how long are we talking here? Idling isn't the greatest way to warm your car up. Drive the car while cold and keep the revs under 3K. </TD></TR></TABLE> I usually wait about 5-7 minutes before I go, when I leave home I have a very long alley that I drive down.

CRISIS

i also left the fan off until the car warmed up, and it didn't make much of a difference. But I'm sure with the new thermostat it will work great. The thing about the 15-20 minutes is that it only takes me 25-30 to get to work. So driving in the cold really sucks. But I'll deal with it until I put in the new thermostat.

Syndacate

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by squarepusher &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you could get an alarm system with remote start / or automatic start for temperature control.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, or at least go start the car and let it run.

When I lived at my house and had to go to school each day in the dead of winter (upstate NY), I'd just go outside, start it up, let it run for 10 min w/ the heat on like low/med or defoggers (incase the window's iced over). Then go back in, finish my coffee, whatever, when it's time to leave, just go out, get in, and go.

Same as automatic start I spose. Just costs less at the expense of walking 20 feet.

sauceja

Another thing being overlooked is your heater valve. Although this usually affects your A/C in the summer.
There is a little valve in your engine bay by the fire wall. Follow your heater hose going inside the car and there should be a little black thing with a wire on it that goes inside the car as well.
If you have your **** all the way to one side try and move the lever. If it moves significantly then it is most likely bad. Could also be clogged if someone used house water and it limed up.

If your blower isn't working right you can check that to. It might be old and on its way out. I haven't really changed many of those but it could be the reason your #2 and #4 settings seem the same.

Also check all your hoses on the heating unit for deterioration and another thing to look at would be your heater core under the dash but you will have to discharge your A/C to pull the evaporator housing out to get to it.

Hope some of this helps you. Get a helms and check all items in your HVAC unit.