Very little cabin heat.

Upholstery, floor mats, seats, window tint and anything inside the vehicle and not electronic
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viper
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 11:12 am

Very little cabin heat.

Post by viper »

I might have read it before, do Vibes have poor heater systems?Considering the punny coolant transfer pipes through the firewall and -20F the windows freeze up on the inside. I haven't driven it for 2 months. My wife's Quest van has abundant heat too much so. We had so far the worse winter on record in So.west Wisc.Another excuse is the Vipe's Fuzion tires don't get me much traction. I was thinking of blocking the bumper air intake slots, the lower ones,or wait for warm weather. Don't really need the car anyways.
NibCrom
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Re: Very little cabin heat. (viper)

Post by NibCrom »

My Vibe has no trouble keeping the cabin warm. I hardly ever have the heat on about level 1.
Kamikaze
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Re: Very little cabin heat. (viper)

Post by Kamikaze »

Mine usually takes about 8 minutes to warm up.. after that, it blows decent heat... not the hotest stuff. but it keeps us warm, we don't get cold...I'll also turn on my seat warmers, that sure warms up the seats quickly!
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WaveAction
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Post by WaveAction »

mines warm in about 5 minutes or less, keeps me warm constantly..but then again my vibe is new so it's different i guess and if the windows freeze up on the inside of the car..that means theirs a seal leak..like ur windshield has a small leak so condensation gets in and creates frost on the inside of the window..or atleast to my knowledge thats how it is
Sublimewind
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Post by Sublimewind »

Ever check the coolant, to see if it might be LOW? Fusions are summer tires, herd to believe they suck in the cold??
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ColonelPanic
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Re: Very little cabin heat. (viper)

Post by ColonelPanic »

The heater was never really that great in mine either. It certainly didn't heat up if you started the car up and let it run, never got anything out of it until you took it out on the road. But my new car is like that too, probably a side effect of a tiny engine or something.If you're getting ice / extreme fogging on your windows, I would first suspect a bad heater core. Or a water leak inside the car which is rather common.
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jimincalif
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Post by jimincalif »

Mine always has plenty of heat. Check the coolant level. Also what does the engine temp gauge show? Does it warm up normally or stay cold? Could be the thermostat is stuck open.
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lovemyraffe
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Post by lovemyraffe »

Mine always has plenty of heat once warmed up.
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kunkstyle
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Re: (jimincalif)

Post by kunkstyle »

Mine's fine. In -30C I'll have the heat 3/4 and the fan speed to 2 or 3.Inside windows will frost up just from people breathing inside. I aim the outermost dash vents towards the windows to compensate.
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WaveAction
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Post by WaveAction »

nah they dont frost up when ppl breathe..they frost up cause of condensation..you're thinking of windows fogging up when ppl breath..i usually have my fan speed on 2 with the heat all the way up and like kunk, have my 2 outer vents aimed at the side windows
viper
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Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 11:12 am

Post by viper »

I am happy to read most have decent heat, BUT my question was BLOCKING the bumper intake ports temporary, insert or something like that are these on the market?
Sublimewind
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Re: (viper)

Post by Sublimewind »

Quote, originally posted by viper »I am happy to read most have decent heat, BUT my question was BLOCKING the bumper intake ports temporary, insert or something like that are these on the market?You could block part of it... I've seen people use cardboard for what it's worth, you throw it away at the end of the season.. block half of it and see what happens.. I see big rigs do it a LOT...
piecuch1
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Re: (Sublimewind)

Post by piecuch1 »

Mine takes about 5-10 minutes to warm up. If I want to be warm it needs to be on 2 or 3.
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Vibr8tr
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Re: (piecuch1)

Post by Vibr8tr »

What would you gain by blocking it, wouldn't that risk hurting the car? Maybe I just don't understand what you guys are thinking of doing, but it sounds dangerous to me. Any part of ym engine that is suppost to be breathing, I would want to leave that way. But I am wrong alot
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kunkstyle
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Re: (Vibr8tr)

Post by kunkstyle »

Blocking an intake by the bumper? Isn't the HVAC intake between the windshield and the hood? Is your recirc on? If you're taking all the air from outside it's not going to heat up as easily.@piecuch : As far as damaging anything, by just blocking the HVAC, no there won't be any damage. It's not blocking anything in the engine. You're thinking of the engine air intakeQuote, originally posted by viper »I am happy to read most have decent heat, BUT my question was BLOCKING the bumper intake ports temporary, insert or something like that are these on the market?Thought your first question was if Vibe's have poor heat. I read that and skimmed the rest. Oops.
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wyatt89
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Post by wyatt89 »

blocking works well, people do it all the time up here...just cut out some cardboard the size of your grille and zip tie that stuff on, if you are lucky and have the older (and better looking vibe it will stay put better because the hood overhangs...my vibe always had fairly good heat...my friends mom has this crappy little mitsu dimage or something and that thing will melt your face off AND turn you into an icicle, that thing has an insane ac/heating system...oh yah and instead of cardboard go to hobby lobby and get some of the plastic version of the cardboard, it will last longer and you can paint it to match your car if you got bored
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vibolista
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Re: little cabin heat

Post by vibolista »

covering up part of the air flow to the radiator is ok in places where the temperatures stay really cold during the winter. would not be good in more temperate areas. when the weather starts to warm... you take whatever you use to block the air flow out. i saw a honda civic with a car bra that had vinyl behind the screened portion to block the radiator intake. worked pretty well and looked good. that was a few years ago. cardboard is more frequently used. you'll see diesels using this method to keep engine temps up. never had a problem reaching normal operating temperatures with a gasoline engine... even with air temperature well below zero... but it does take a little longer to get there. if you drive less than 5 miles or so, your vibe would not warm up when it's really cold. you should see if your coolant level is ok. also, if you leave your recirc on, moisture will tend to build up inside the car causing the windows to fog or ice up inside. check to see if the air intake at the base of the windshield is clear of ice or packed snow. that's just like having the recirc on. allow fresh air in or try running your a/c for a while along with the heat. if you get a chance when the weather is warm enough, clean the inside of your windows and see how moist the interior carpets/floor mats are. wet carpets can be a big source of interior moisture.
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prathman
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Re: (viper)

Post by prathman »

A couple suggestions:1) blocking portions of the grill to keep out some of the cold wind should be fine and is pretty common in colder climates. Don't know of any commercial product just made for that, but it's easy enough to take a sheet of the fiberboard frequently used for school posters and other projects and cut out the right shape and then strap it into place.Just keep an eye on your temperature gauge, especially on longer trips - you certainly don't want the engine getting too hot..2) Since most of us aren't having this problem (one of our Vibes is also living in Wis. and seems plenty warm), there may be something wrong with yours that's resulting in a slower and less effective warmup. One easy thing to check is whether the radiator fan is coming on too soon. It's controlled by a thermostatic switch and shouldn't come on unless the engine is getting pretty warm. The one in my old Nova/Corolla is broken and runs all the time when the car is turned on and this failure doesn't seem too uncommon. Another possibility is that the engine thermostat isn't closing properly when the engine is cold. That's worth checking if the temperature gauge is taking an excessively long time to get up to the normal range (mid-scale or a bit above). If the temperature gauge is coming up ok but you still don't get enough heat then I'd suspect the heater core or some blockage in the heater/AC air ducts or the cabin filter.
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