Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
Wow, that is really slow warm up. Even my Prius gets warmed up enough to blow warm air on my 7 mile mostly downhill commute in the morning.
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Does the 2nd gen Prius have a coolant thermos? If so I wouldn't compare its warmup time to anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miller88
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My older Corolla has a considerably longer warmup than my Civic, ~6 mi vs ~3 mi.
I'm guessing the place to look is the thermostat - the valve that controls coolant flow to the radiator. Now you've got me thinking I should at least see if the Corolla has a thermostat.
It's hard to imagine the dealer wouldn't check the thermostat after you complained about slow warmup.
Regardless of underlying mechanical questions, grill blocking will help warmup times. WAI benefit is debatable since the ECU may retard timing to prevent knocking, but the probability of benefit is greatest in cold weather.
EDIT: I don't think anyone has a definitive test on the efficacy of grill blocking on the inside. I think it probably works reasonably well, as long as it's stiff enough and secure enough so the pressure can't push the edges back and cause air to leak past the block. Blocking on the outside is a somewhat safer bet.