Cold car!!!

My car doesnt warm up quickly enough!! today it was -31 degrees celcius in the morning, and it wasnt even warm by the time i got to work (bout 5 miles).

On a side note, in the summer, the temp gauge never reached past 1/2, and in the winter, it barely goes over 2/3...

That and the fact that when the heater is on high, it doesnt seem to blow that much air at all. Is there a filter somewhere for the heater?

Would the thermostat cause this? Is it hard to replace?
-Ross

[Subafreak]

Yes there is a good chance that the thermostat is the problem. When you get the new one make shure to one from Subaru I,v had problems with aftermarket ones. It's not that hard to replace as long as you have some automotive abilitys, and a warm place to work on it is nice too.

[mattski]

Personally I don't think that 10 minutes of driving is enough to get everything "hot" when it is -32 degrees celcius outside. That is seriously cold even as -25.6 degrees Fahrenheit. It was only 17 degrees F this morning and it took ~10 minutes to get my car warm.

Matt

[LarryIII]

Ticallion,

-31 deg. C = -23.7 deg. F (or about 24 degrees below zero for us USA types)

At those kind of temperatures, you should let your car idle for about 10 minutes just to warm up.

[svx_commuter]

The thermostat is at the front bottom driver side of the engine. Two 10mm head bolts hold it in. Take off the bottom cover, remove the lower hose to drain fluid, remove 'stat' housing and install new stat and new rubber gasket. No RTV required and it is easy

Damn it!! that's one thing i didnt wanna hear!! Drain the fluid!! LOL... alrighty i guess i have to get down and dirty and ruin my manicure! (JK of course)

Originally posted by LarryIII
Ticallion,

-31 deg. C = -23.7 deg. F (or about 24 degrees below zero for us USA types)

At those kind of temperatures, you should let your car idle for about 10 minutes just to warm up.

10 minutes? that's a little excessive! 2 is more than enough to warm up the oil and get the engine to a relatively well operating temperature. Of course, i drive the car like I'm a grandmother with a fear of braking into the double-digit speed.

[LarryIII]

Ticallion,

Yup the engine and oil & water/antifreeze will start to warm up in 2 minutes.
But what about the rest of the car.
The ATF needs to circulate and warm up a bit at idle with the car in Park.
The exhast system needs to heat up to evaporate moisture especially if the drive to work isn't too long.
As the exhaust heats up it will radiate heat to the struts & rubber bushings and tires, making them a bit more flexible.
It's cheap insurance. It only costs gasoline.

Besides it will give you time to comtemplete, or listen to your favorite music or think about the great time you last had with your significant other. Or you can plot how you're going to screw over people at work to climb the corporate ladder to sucess. Whatever rocks your boat.

Or you can sip hot coffee or tea and marvel at the design ingenuity of your new after-market cup holder.

[ensteele]

Thanks Larry - I'm gonna try that next time I warm up the car. My problem is that the dogs fog up the windshield and played 6 games of tic tac toe on the windows with their noses by the time I am ready to drive.

[LarryIII]

Which dog usually wins.