I have a 5-speed 07 corolla, my problem is in the cold months in chicago after 5 min idle, I have little to no heat. have dealt with this issue on this car for 2 years and dont wanna do it again. its just so damn clean burning dosent generate heat when frigid, is my assumption. (BTW i took the car to toyota, year one when it was 10degrees out said is performing like expected) complete BS this in my opinion is a big design flaw, and mind you this is an easy driven new condition 1.8ltre. Shame considering it (is) was the top selling car in the WORLD
I have blocked up the upper grill and 80% of lower grill, and finally its like an american car's heating quality. There is a significant difference in the temp gauge and the heat it produces, one notch down from middle on temp guage. Is this temperature acceptable, or anyone forsee problems with leaving the grill blocked in winter?
One would state that if the engine temp needle is below 50% on cool side, temp it is OK, however i am wondering if anyone knows what temp that car runs at 1/2 way point, and what temp exactly if possible is it running at one notch cool of half temp. Hopefully theres something there that made sense, thanks for reading
Last edited by wireman134; 11-16-2009 at 06:43 PM.
Little heat after 5 min in the cold at IDLE is normal. The fastest way to get heat is to drive it then turn on the heat. Letting the car idle is the most inefficient way to get heat.
One notch down from half is close to normal, somewhere around 180 degrees or so. I would guess half way is a bit over 200.
well when it snows i like to leave early for work, I like to allow for extra time. I will usually sit in my car 15-20 minutes before work and have a smoke, when it below 20 degrees, i have to use a plug in 12v heater as supplemental heat, and that pos sucks too lol, mr positive today haha so what i am wondering how much grill blockage is too much, or when it becomes mechanically unsafe. Even a tick below middle temp/gauge the heat is scorching temperature with the grill covered. thx!
As long as the temperature on the needle doesn't go MUCH over halfway, you're fine with the blocked grille. The thermostat is designed to open at between 176-183*F. The cooling fan turns on at an engine temperature of 199*F.
The engine runs cooler than conventional American engines (which typically have a 195*F thermostat, and operate in the 200-210*F range). This may be one reason you don't get as much heat as you're used to, or as quickly.
Blocking the grille will not bring you heat faster if you're letting it idle warming up. The vehicle is not moving and there's no airflow across the radiator anyway, so blocking the opening won't do anything. It most likely WILL enable the car to warm up much faster as you start to drive. I would expect the heat to work very well after the car is up to temperature, but imagine that it would take forever to get heat just sitting there and letting it idle. It'll take a while for it to warm up that way. The engine is so efficient, it just doesn't seem to generate that much heat.
I live about 300 miles north of you so I know what you're dealing with. Some people may rant about fire hazard, it getting caught up in a belt, etc. But if you're half-way careful this will not happen. Granted it won't help much, but obviously the cardboard will act as additional insulation between the cold-cold outside and the not-so-cold engine during warmup and has to be of benefit.
It also helps to retain engine heat when you run errands around town resulting in quicker warm ups after being sitting in a parking lot for a half-hour.
Good luck!
Last edited by thecase; 11-17-2009 at 06:38 AM.
Reason: typo
If you wanted to wrap the engine with something, I would think a thermal blanket of some kind would be much more effective than essentially a pizza box. A blanket could be retained better (so it doesn't fly around), would be fire safe (unlike cardboard), and wouldn't get caught up in anything it's not supposed to be (caught up in). It would also be a much better insulator.
I drive a 2006 in Ottawa, Canada. On days like -5 to -7, I get warm air on a cold start after 2-3 min. After 5min all windows are fully defrosted. My normal running temperature is one tick below midpoint (is it normal BTW?). I figured that it detects that heat is needed in the cabin and directs coolant flow through the heater first, slowly opening up the flow through the radiator as needed. Maybe it does not do the same thing for you? I also noticed my hood does not get fully defrosted even after 15-20 min driving -- good thermal insulation?
Do those who live in Canada have the cold weather package? I am not sure if there is electrical heat elements in the ducts.
I have no idea. I have never heard of it though. Mine is made in Canada, that's true, so maybe... Maybe it's just a malfunction? I have wired stuff going on with mine, which might be related: Corolla 2006 LE: hissing noise on passenger side lega rea
"cold weather package" is available as an additional option here in the states as well. I stupidly took this feature thinking it meant 'heated seats' lol. I know im a dumb newbie. Also i got a Carbon Fiber Hood with VENT for airflow. Im just curious if this good or bad for winter? It never goes below zero here in NY
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Corolla No Heat, Cardboard? 07
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