rcy

I still have this ongoing problem with the heat in my Maxima (88) with the automatic climate control. When it's bitterly cold out (and it is) - let's say anytime the mercury drops below 0 celsius - the car takes a very long time to heat up. I've changed the thermostat, so I know it's not that (unless the new thermostat was defective out of the box). Eventually, the temperature gauge reaches just over halfway (I've got the digital gauge), but if I turn the heat on, it drops down far enough that the transmission drops out of overdrive. Anyone have any ideas - I've been putting cardboard in front of the rad to compensate.

According to my Haynes manual the upper rad hose is the one leading to the thermostat (this would be the hose on the left side of the rad that leads to the thermostat on the left side of the engine (left side as I'm standing in front of the car)). When I first start the car this hose doesn't get hot, BUT there is another hose on the upper right side of the rad that leads to the right side of the engine and this one gets hot right away, which leads me to believe that coolant is flowing to the rad the wrong way??? Does this make any sense?

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rcy
Alright the reason it heats up so quick is because its on the other end of the motor and doesn't have a thermostat blocking it. When your car warms up, the coolant already in the block heats up, so as the car warms up, it starts warming the coolant in the hose. This is normal. When the thermostat opens up, you will notice the heat through the other hose. Also, your problem seems to very common for automatics for weather below freezing. The cardboard will diffinately help. The other option is to use a higher temperature thermostat to help the engine keep it's heat.

S