Nate Finch

Anyone else experience this? I noticed it first a couple weeks ago when I went out to my car to let it heat up for a bit before I got in... like 20 minutes later I go out to the car and it's blowing cold air! The thermostat on the engine says it's fully warm, but the air is cold, like 50-60 degrees (warmer than outside, but still...)

Same thing happened to me just yesterday. Engine finally reached temperature while I was sitting at a stoplight, and when the blowers turned on... cold air.

In both cases, hot air started to blow as soon as I started applying gas to move the car.

Is this a known issue? Is it something that's fixable? About to take my Max in for it's last warranty work before 36k, so wondering if this is something I can get fixed.

Thanks,
-Nate

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

you know that idling is the worst thing possible for your car, and the least efficient way to warm up the car.... Right?

20 mintues?!!?

You left the heat in AUTO right? If in Auto, and warm air doesn't begin blowing out in 5-10 minutes while driving, yeah, say something.

patang

I have a similar issue with the heater. When I am driving on the highway, the air comes out warm/hot. When I am stopped in traffic shortly after, cold 60 F air is coming out of the ducts, even if the temperature setting is at 75 F.

Killah Kane

What does Idling do to the car negatively? I like to idle, sometimes just park by the river here and just chill for a bit, but I didnt know that this could harm the car. What does it do?

dla

to the 20 minute idle just to warm-her-up.
Two things I can think of 1. Check the coolant level. 2. Listen for a gurgling noise from heater core (tsb for this one). They both could cause insufficient levels of coolant to flow through the heater core.


What nismo is talking about here is starting a cold engine and idling till the temperature needle reaches its normal level is the lease efficient way of actually warming the engine. “Least efficient” in terms of gas consumption anyway, the car is sitting still and burning gas. The engine will warm at the same rate weather the car is sitting still or driven gently (keep RPM's low till temperature is normal).

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

I have this same experience in my Max and Pathfinder. I let the engine warm up for @ 10 minutes in the morning, when time permits, and when the temp is below 20. Once I back out of the garage and move down the driveway I can feel the warm air start to blow. I think it may have something to do with the air moving across the heater core?? What do I know, I'm not a mechanic. Just my .02.

I also let it warm up b/c the auto trans shifts hard when its cold and I don't want any problems there.

MDS

Nismo and dla are talking straight. A warm idle is bad for an engine because of the excess time required to get the metal up to operating temperature. While the cylinder, cylinder head and piston are cold, the fuel does not burn well. During the combustion process, it produces much more carbon. This carbon coats the cylinder and works its way into the oil as the piston goes up and down inside the cylinder. You may notice that if you idle your car too much, your oil may become dark quickly. That dark is carbon and it reduces the slipperiness of the oil. Even synthetic oil is vulnerable to this effect.


The quicker the engine warms, the less time it spends producing the carbon. Upon a cold start, most experts will tell you to give the engine 30 seconds to get the oil to the top of the engine and perhaps thin it slightly if very cold. Then drive it easily until fully warm. The idea is that when you give the engine fuel, it produces more heat and reaches operating temperature quicker.

04BlackMaxx

I had a scare a couple days ago when i noticed my feet were cold when i was @ idle waiting for mcdonalds to bring me my food and it was like 20 out. The heat was on auto, 90, and it was blowing ice cold air...I thought I had another thousand dollar problem and flipped out. I turned the fan off and put it back to auto and it warmed up to normal...shoudnt have happened though, first time the car ever blew cold air when on auto and hot...not a good sign.

This does not relate to the idle issue though because the car was already fully warmed up, I believe it was a glitch in the thermostat and it somehow stopped producing hot air and had to be reset.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

MDS made it sound very good....

Biggest problem is waste of gas. Also the car warms much faster driving, and all the components warm together. Instead, you have a partially hot engine with a cold tranny, tires, brakes, and other components still cold.

Also, think about why stop and go (city) driving is bad. It requires you to have more frequent oil changes and more wear on the engine. Why? you do a lot of idling.

"Rabbit" starts is also mentioned as bad. Ideally ( I do) you should start gradually for the first 2 miles. Going the speed limit and trying to stay close to 2k RPM during acceleration. Of course if comfort is your priority, driving hard will heat you up the fastest, but will cause the greatest engine wear since cold.

Even the manual states to start driving after 30 sec. of start up.

04BlackMaxx

It happened again today, sat idling waiting to get into carwash....got cold air while heat is at 80....give it some gas and rev up...heat returns. I've had it up to here with this car, im still waiting for my ABS to be back, just in time for the end of winter! Ugh!

This is yet another problem with the car that unfortunately it sounds like im not the only one...it has nothing to do with idling, that discussion was besides the point. There is something wrong here, and its yet another non-warrentied issue at my mileage. I can't trust this car anymore, its days are numbered.

willysmooo

todays engines dont really have too much damage from id'ling...most thing is a waste of gas..check out your mileage thing when idling...other than that i would worry about your engine.....engines past 1985 or so are pretty well designed.

MaxJ04

iTrader: (4)

dude i had the same problem last month ... heat wouldn't come on unless i rev the engine .. but yeah when it was on idle the heat wont' come on ... there is air in ur cooling system get it flushed ... i took it to nissan and they did a flush and that ended my cold snap ... lol once they take out the air in there your fine .. my heat comes on once i start driving from a cold start ... well little by little anyway ... good luck

MaxJ04

CanadianMoFo

There is a TSB for air in the cooling system for our vehicles. It should be in the stickys at the top of the forum. Print a copy and bring it into the dealer for service.

CM

Mr.Sparkle

If idling is bad then my engine should be blown by now. There are many times when I idle the car for an hour or two. I also have remote start on my alarm so I let it get nice and toasty inside, about 20 minute idle several times a day.

dla

That's exactly what I said in post #5. Air in the cooling system is the the "gurgling" tsb. That is what caused my max to not have heat after the engine reached normal temperature and while at idle. Here it is:

http://www.nissanhelp.com/Ownership/.../NTB03-072.htm

Also check the radiator cap, here it is:
http://www.nissanhelp.com/Ownership/.../NTB04-018.htm

Nate Finch

Thanks for the tip, I have to get that air in the cooling system TSB performed, I'm glad to hear it sounds like that fixes it.

-Nate

tubells

what shd. be blown up is YOU!

in Ontario.... idling over 3 minutes will result in a fine! (extreme cold or hot weather exempted).

This law exists here (and i'd be surprised if some US states did not have it) for some good reasons. nismo & mds are right... except they gave reasons to save your car only... think abt others as well!!

eclipticrider

iTrader: (1)

so is this gurgeling what i hear sometimes when i accelorate?

to me it sounds kinda like water or some liquid flowing and it sounds like it's coming from the front passager side...

and thats covered under recall?

tia

dla

It's not a recall, it's a tsb. If your vehicle is under warranty, the dealer should perform the tsb at no cost. Yes, the gurgling noise is most noticeable during acceleration. Print the tsb (or at least have the tsb number) and contact your dealer.

eclipticrider

iTrader: (1)

i just got my car and the bumper to bumper warrenty expired about 10k miles ago. so i opted for the exented warrenty from the dealer.

this would still be covered by the extened warrenty right?

thanks again

eclipticrider

iTrader: (1)

ok, finaly got to the dealer and had them do it with the extended warrenty but they come back the next day and say that since the problem is due to an air pocket in the cooling system the extended warrenty doesn't cover it!!!!! That is complete B/S IMO. so now i've got to go tomorrow and raise Cain

so how hard is this to do myself, i'm pretty mechanically incline and i read the TSB but that seams like there are way too many steps and unessary things...

any help is appreciated

tia

bluemaxx

This may help: http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...0&postcount=11

eclipticrider

iTrader: (1)

so does
"Shade tree you park the car on a steep drive with the front of the car uphill. Maybe jack the front of the car up some too. The object is to make the radiator filler the highest point in the cooling system. Run the car at fast idle and keep add coolent a/r to keep it completely full."
work?

CanadianMoFo

It's a bylaw passed by the city. Not a province wide law. Though it probably should be.

CM

PETZUK

You're just wasting gas if you warm your car up by idling. Modern engines don't need it. If you just give it a half minute or so to get all the fluids circulating, drive the first few miles without pushing it. That's all the warming up you need.

I believe that most owner's manuals say this from just about every manufacturer.