so to start off i apologize if this isnt the right place to post....

so i have a 2003 track edition 350z and i have no heat.... all the maintenance has been kept up on it... when its warmed up to normal temps i have no heat inside the car.... but yet if i drive around for a little bit the heat will start to work.. but if i stop for a little bit the heat just starts blowing cold air... and im pretty sure one major issue is im stationed in Fairbanks, AK. but im thinking that the thermostat is set to run at a cooler temp. im wondering if i were to get a thermostat that is made to run hotter if that will help.

also the normal temp its been lately has been -10 to 33 degrees lately.

i have searched around but could not find anyone with the same issue. and i wanted to ask on here before i do something thats pointless.

thanks in advanced for the help.

 

Thermostat is bad or you have an air pocket. Simple and easy.

Also I would block off half the radiator opening in the winter where you are

 

I'm in total agreement with Terrasmak, why don't you remove the thermostat and test it in a pan of boiling water to see if it opens, if it doesn't then you need a replacement. If the thermostat is OK then it appears you could have an airlock and your system will need bleeding.

 

If your engine temp gauge reads a "normal" temp when the engine is fully warmed (e.g ~180F), then the thermostat is very likely fine. That would, in turn, indicate an air pocket in the heater core circuit. I don't envy you having to work on your car in AK right now, unless you've got a heated garage.

 

Our temp gauge is a total and complete idiot gauge, normal on the gauge is 130ish to 220ish. In that temp range the needle is in the same place.

 

I am in agreement with K51. It sounds as if there is an air pocket in the coolant system. It could also be that the coolant system is low. I would check both scenarios, just to be safe.

 

That's a bit of an exaggeration, but yeah, I know what you mean.

 

I have an 03 track as well. The 350z is kind of tricky to bleed if you dont know the nuances of the car. The bleeder screw is in the back left of the engine bay next to the battery cover. When the car sits on all four wheels the bleeder screw sits higher than the radiator resevoir. This makes it virtually impossible to fill the system without trapping air. Liquid seeks its own height. The key to filling the system is to... Open bleeder and radiator cap. Jack up front end of car to the point where the radiator resevoir is above or level with the bleeder screw height. Now you can properly fill the system. Poor in coolant until you can see or hear it start to leak from bleeder hole. Close bleeder screw. Fill the rest of the radiator slowly. Lower car back on all fours. Now youll have no mo heat issues. PS dont go back to whom you took your car to for maintenance.

 

+ another for trapped air.

I bet you sometimes get a water rushing sound the first corner you turn.
I had the same sound and your symptoms, bleeding the air out solved it.
And my radiator fans dont ever go to their second high speed setting anymore, unless its 85+ out and im sitting behind another car in traffic.

 

Actually its not, plug in something you can read the ECU and you will see.

 

I've never tried that, but I have checked the temp of the top hose with one of those IR/Laser guns. The gauge on my '08 seems fairly accurate.

 

Thanks everyone for the help i will try all this weekend and i already have blocked off one side of the radiator and i do have a heated garage thankfully. But the temp does read normal.. I hope its the pocket of air thats causing it... I never would have thought of that

 

Bleeding the air from your coolong system will fix the problem. Search here for directions to accomplish this.

You don't need to cover (block) part of the radiator; the Z has a great heater and does not require doing this. I drive my 2003 Z in subzero weather (hit -20 F this year), and the heater keeps the car toasty-warm.

--Spike