I have an '03 Touring. I just wanted to ask if anyone knew anything about the heating system. My heat is cold unless my foot is on the pedal. I want to turn on my car in the morning with the heat up a little bit, leave it there for ten minutes, and then drive to class. I come back ten or fifteen minutes later...the engine is warmed up...but inside the car is still freezing because the air isn't warm yet. Does anybody else have this problem? Any suggestions?

 

just start driving and it'll warm up faster...don't floor it, but getting the car moving and not just idling works best...my car always takes a while to warm up too when i just idle

 

I had a buddy recently who complained of his heat blowing cold at idle...

He said he had low coolant and once he replenished it, it blew warm at idle again?

*shrug*

 

I was low on coolant, also I had an air in my coolants hoses. Once we got coolant thru hoses. Heat was good!

 

+1. The question “How to warm up the engine (associated with your question)” comes up every winter. The best way to warn the engine to operating temperature is to drive it, not let it sit.

If the temperature is freezing or below. Start the car. Wait 60 seconds. Drive off. Keep the RPM below 2,000. I cruise the local streets in second and my foot is NOT on the throttle. When the temperature dial moves (its a LATE indicator of engine temperature) drive as normal.

The heater will not function at an optimum level until the engine is warm. I turn the fan to MAX as soon as I start the car. Cold air from the fan doesn't bother me.

 

Question of the Day:
Do you have the A/C button light on or off when using the heat? I can feel no real difference either way although I do need the light on for better window defrosting. You guys?

 

They dnt get very hot while just at idle.I crank sit almost minute or when your idles starts comming down a little making sure oil is circulated thru engine and go but slow and easy till temp goes up.

 

Stupid A/C is always on! I wish it had a temp sensor to not activate when below. It's also not good for it to turn it off quickly after it's turned on. Doesnt hurt to have it on, but decreases fuel economy.

 

I sit in my Z until it gets up to normal temperature. Then I drive it. It's within seconds that heating system starts to get hot. Needle needs to be right in the middle of Hot and Cold before I even move it.

 

Your wasting fuel.

Best way is to get the car moving like stated above after 60 secs to get the oil circulating.

Might also help to not run the fan until you reach operating temperature as this may delay the warming up of the motor. Running the heat, as you may recall, is the first line of defense for an overheating car as your interior air is heated by passing over a coolant-filled finned coil, essentially a mini-radiator.

 

F ucking drive!!!!

 

I only have a/c on if i need to demist the windscreen, otherwise leave it off but have the dial turned to auto.

 

I turn off the A/C light every single time unless defrosting or actually using A/C (which is a rarity as I'd rather drive with the windows down and listen to the honies whistle...)

 

It's been around 20 and 30 degrees in VA and my 03's heater smells like bad eggs with or without AC.

 

Thats because the condensation mixed with dust and dirt when you used your AC in the summer is still in the system. Its needs to be flushed out of system, so give it time and it will go away, in that time just tolerate the smell.

 

Damn, maybe I am a little too cautious. I guess 2 minutes should be fine in 10 degree weather.

 

My A/C light only comes on when I either turn it on or I have it set to "Auto." If I set the temp to 90 degrees, why in the world would the A/C come on?

Why?

 

that's crazy. How long do you sit there like 10 minutes each time you start the car? I wait until the needle moves and then drive. That gives plenty of time for the engine to circulate oil and get warm. Even that long is probably over kill.

 

When you put the heat on 90 and don't have the fan speed set to auto, push the recirc. button. Your compressor will turn on! Why? We can only guess that it is to keep the air dry so the windows won't fog up. This is ridiculous b/c the heat is on b/c it's cold outside. When it's cold outside the air is already dry.

I used to do this in all my previous cars to get the interior heated up faster since the interior air temp is warmer than outside fresh air. Now I have to wait till the engine is warm enough to cool the outside air b/c I refuse to have the compressor running during the winter.

Note: It is good maintenance to run the a/c periodically throughout the Winter to keep the seals lubricated. This may have been a secondary motive for Nissan.

 

Wow, overkill. I didn't know it was that bad. I just had it set in mind that I wanted to drive hard right out of the driveway, so that's why I got used to warming up the car completely. But it does make more sense to just let it warm up for a minute or two and then drive off slowly until warmed up. I'm going to start doing that from now on. Thanks for the heads up guys.