I recently bought a 98 LS Integra. Now that its getting colder, I've noticed that it takes FOREVER to warm up to operating temp. It takes about double the time of what my 93 Civic did. The teg takes even longer than my H22 EK and it had an alum radiator.

The previous owner installed a Mugen Fan switch and Rad cap. Could these be the culprits? Or do the tegs just take longer to warm up?

Help me please! My *** freezes in the morning

 

Mine used to do that last winter, what is the tempature outside?

My temp guage would barely read, and my cooling system is stock, it could very well just be the weather or maybe your heater core is going?

 

I have a Mugen thermostat and it seems to help get up to temperature quicker..

make sure your thermostat is not always open (needs replacing)

 

Well, what exactly does the Mugen fan switch do? Is it the actual sensor that detects the coolant temperature and signals the fans to turn on? Or is it a manual switch that you can turn on and off to activate the fans? In any case, I doubt it matters, as it is the thermostat that determines when the coolant goes into your heater core.

Your radiator cap just keeps pressure, and has little to do with your heat. I would first check on the condition of your thermostat. Perhaps it's stuck up or it's not even there. The fact that your other car is a Civic and you're now driving an Integra probably doesn't make a significant difference. Even though the engine of the Integra is physically larger, I doubt there's that much extra coolant that it would actually take longer to heat up.

When the temperature outside gets significantly colder, it will take longer to warm up. Last winter, I would have to drive for nearly 10 minutes before it got to normal operating temperatures. In the summer, I barely got out of my development (less than 2 minutes) and it would be there already.

 

I'll clarify some things:

The Mugen Fan Switch, from my best knowledge, is a replacement of the stock fan switch that kicks the fan on earlier. Correct me if I'm wrong. This is my assumption.

Outside temp has been around 40-50*F, which makes this problem very strange. because I've driven other cars in subzero temps and they still warmed up faster.

I've been commuting to and from school for the past 3 years now. I've drivin my 93 Civic, 99 H22 Civic, and now the 98 Integra. I take the exact same route everyday, driving the cars the exact same way.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by shamoo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well, what exactly does the Mugen fan switch do? Is it the actual sensor that detects the coolant temperature and signals the fans to turn on? Or is it a manual switch that you can turn on and off to activate the fans? In any case, I doubt it matters, as it is the thermostat that determines when the coolant goes into your heater core.

Your radiator cap just keeps pressure, and has little to do with your heat. I would first check on the condition of your thermostat. Perhaps it's stuck up or it's not even there. The fact that your other car is a Civic and you're now driving an Integra probably doesn't make a significant difference. Even though the engine of the Integra is physically larger, I doubt there's that much extra coolant that it would actually take longer to heat up.

When the temperature outside gets significantly colder, it will take longer to warm up. Last winter, I would have to drive for nearly 10 minutes before it got to normal operating temperatures. In the summer, I barely got out of my development (less than 2 minutes) and it would be there already.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Once again Shamoo has said everything needed.
haha. Good work!

 

Try Burping Your Coolant System aka Take Off The Radiator Cap,Start Car And Let Run To Normal Operating Temperature Or Until No More Air Bubbles...Or Till The Coolant Starts Overflowing.....You May Need To Add A Little So Check After The Engine Cools Off And Once The Air Is Out.....Hopefully That'll Help You Out Man, Later

 

cheapest and easiest thing that wil most likely fix it is your thermostat is stuck open. esspecially if i cools back down fast when you turn your heat on, or are cruising with no load on the motor.it's about $20 and is most likely your problem.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by danthemang3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it's about $20 and is most likely your problem.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I get my thermostats from Pep Boys, and they run $5-8.

Did you check on your thermostat status? The problem seems to be somewhere in there. Who installed the Mugen fan switch? Not to flame, but if you're not exactly sure how it works, then perhaps someone else did it. In the process, perhaps they removed/messed with the thermostat? All your symptoms seem to point there.

How is your heat? Does it come out hot? When it does warm up, how high does the temp gauge go? A little less than halfway? Or a significantly less than that? If it's the latter, chances are your thermostat is either stuck open, or not even there. Go check it, takes about 10 minutes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 0Q0Q0Q0 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Try Burping Your Coolant System aka Take Off The Radiator Cap,Start Car And Let Run To Normal Operating Temperature Or Until No More Air Bubbles...Or Till The Coolant Starts Overflowing.....You May Need To Add A Little So Check After The Engine Cools Off And Once The Air Is Out.....Hopefully That'll Help You Out Man, Later</TD></TR></TABLE>

Haha....every word begins with CAPS! Its a new sentence with every word!! Not flaming...just funny

BTW...i have the same problem, if it is a problem. Mine also takes a lil longer to warm up than my civic did. The real problem for me is, i only have a 2 mile ride to work, so im lucky if i get heat by then Hopefully the turbo im about to put in will take care of that