Engine warm-up FAIL

[user removed]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ne0zoyNeOI

youtube replacement video, a little over 6 minutes.

[user removed]

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...hermostat+cost

seems like the price is the huge part. I would check with rock auto. Got a pair of rear struts for my Sentra delivered to my door for $48. Dealership would have been $3-500 +.
Did the labor myself with a $14.95 harbor freight spring compressor, saved me about $100 per hour of my labor and that's tax free money in my pocket, otherwise spent.

regards
mech

[user removed]

My 37 Ford would get 60 psi cranking on the original 6 volt system with a cranking speed of 100 rpm, about a third of a modern engine. I never let an engine warm up. If I had to deal with ice on the windows. I would either cover them with something, or carry a scraper.

Now if we are talking about sub 0 (farenheit) weather then I would run the engine on max defrost-recirculate while scraping the windows (all of them), or use a spray chemical deicer.

regards
mech

[user removed]

Originally Posted by Miller88

Been there, done that. The first time it wasn't on my dime. I don't want to throw another $200 thermostat at it.

Another possibility is that they knocked the wire off the temperature sending unit.

Best way to check for that is to let the engine run and see if the EXIT cooling hose (the one connected to the thermostat housing) gets hot when the thermostat opens (maybe a few minutes). If the hose suddenly gets hot then the thermostat is working but the temperature gauge is not reading properly, most likely that could be fixed by just reconnecting the wire to the temp sending unit.

Easy for that to happen on modern engines where those things are buried in places that are not easily accesible, but it's hard to believe that any decent repair shop would not check their work and make sure everything was working as it was designed.

regards
mech

[Frank Lee]

No, it's easy to believe.

[spacemanspif]

If Miller's Focus has the same Duratec as my 07, the cost is in the labor. The stat housing is burried under the intake manifold. I'm sure the mechanic knows of tricks to change the stat without pulling the intake but the service department still charges the time recommended by Ford for the job.

Also, with the fan on max hot from the moment the car is started, it will take a long time to warm up the engine as the heater core is pulling out any bit of heat the engine is making as soon as it's made. My Saturn was the same way; would only reach like 120degrees if the heater was never turned off. When my windows need to be scraped, I start the car and make sure the heater is off so that the engine retains whatever amount of heat it creates, enabling the engine to warm up faster and deliver me better heat when I'm done and need to clear the inside of the windshield.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

In 45 years working on cars, I have never seen an engine that would not warmup that was not fixed with a properly operating thermostat.

Bet you never looked at a Gen1 Insight, then :-) In cold weather, it simply won't warm up to full operating temperature at idle. Even with a radiator block, it takes 10+ miles of driving at 50-60 mph to get up to temp. (On level roads, of course: the couple of miles of 5-6% grade going the other way from my house get it close.) Which of course means that idling to warm up the engine is pretty useless.


Though I have to say that I'm not real impressed with the article overall. Take the crap about

Driving too far over the speed limit forces you to brake hard, fast and abruptly...

Not allowing adequate separation from other cars (and things like deer & cows) is what forces you to brake hard. Plenty of places around here where I could do 100 mph (were I so inclined :-)), and never have to touch the brakes at all.

[Xist]

What about a block heater?

[Cobb]

Originally Posted by Xist

What about a block heater?

I have the oem block heater, it prevents the coolant from reaching 32 degrees. Its no match for the hvac set to defrost when its freezing out. My insight is a gen 2, but its like mentioned above. It will never reach 180 if the hvac is turned on from cold. With the block heater it takes a while to exceed 127, then many miles later to get about 150 degrees.

What I do is hold the engine at 3 grand. This way it also charges the ima battery and warming it too up in the process.

[oil pan 4]

Discussion on block heater sizing:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ing-25512.html
Installing a real block heater:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...mer-23893.html
Warming up the engine fast with out external power and keeping it warm even with the heater blasting:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ler-29085.html

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Ahhh, $200 electronically controlled 'stats... Now THAT's progress!

Agreed.
That is precisely why I do not want a newer vehicle.
They have taken something simple, cheap and effective and replaced said element with far more expensive gold plated junk that doesn't work.