GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

This winter, I am finding my Vibe to be rather slow in heating up, I suppose because my morning commute is only 5 min so there's not much time for it to warm up.But! even after longer driving ( 20min later ) the temp gauge is pointing at 80degreet or so ( 1/3 way between 50 and 120 ), the heat still isn't anywhere "toasty"... just kinda warm only.I don't really recall this kind of problem for last yr, what could be the problem? What do I say to the dealer?Thank you

Mine is warm after a 5 minute warm up, and about 4-5 km driving...Gets to the point where it's so hot, it burns.Might be your heater core. Get it dealer-checked.

Perhaps your thermostat is stuck open.

My heater really sucks as well. It doesn't take it long at all to heat up, but it really never gets as warm as I think it should... It has always been a bit on the weak side, and isn't getting any better from what it looks like. It does blow warm air, but nothing where it would feel like it was just about burning you... In the past, that's how I have always gauged heater performance... lol! So mine is certainly deficient.It does work good enough for me, I'm much happier freezing my (removed) off. I get kinda angry when the temps are roasting! I'll probably get mine looked at as well. Wondering if my mystery coolant leak and smell could have something to do with this... Although the level hasn't dropped off much since the fall and the smell has disappeared for the time being... It'll be back in the spring, I bet...

Mike, where is your temp gauge at after 5 min?Mine is barely touching 50 degrees now.BTW, is that your G6 in the siggy?Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »Perhaps your thermostat is stuck open.What's that mean? I normally leave circulation button off just to avoid icing up inside the windows.Thank you guys

Quote, originally posted by huy397 »What's the mean? I normally leave circulation button off just to avoid icing up inside the windows.It sounds like your engine is not getting warm enough quickly enough. The thermostat is part of the cooling system. When cold, it is mostly closed to restrict the circulation of engine coolant to get the engine up to temperature faster. As the engine warms it opens to circulate more coolant. If the thermostat is stuck in the open position, coolant will circulate too quickly and your engine will run too cold, from what you say of your temp gauge that is what is happening. If your temp gauge got up to normal quickly and there was still little heat in the car, then the problem would likely involve the heater core or the valve that directs coolant through it.Start the car and let it warm up without driving it (to limit air going thru the radiator.) If you get the temp gauge close to normal and you have good heat in the cabin, then it is likely the thermostat keeping the engine too cold.If you're under warranty have it checked out by the dealer. If not they are usually simple to replace, as long as they are accessible. I've never looked to see where it is located on the vibe.

I will call my dealer Monday morning to book a time.I was out today and the car simply doesn't get anywhere near hot( just warm ) even when it's completely warmed up.Thanks for your help guys.

Mine warms to about the center gauge level in about 5 minutes or 5-miles of city driving.Check your Heater/AC settings, too. If you're using the Defrost or Defrost/Footwell settings, you're running the compressor and cooling some of the heated air through the AC condenser (to remove moisture) before it gets back to the cabin.There are lots of old threads in Genvibe about heating: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=8052Poor cooling in summer: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5046 (Specifically look at the posting by Hotvibe 12:05 p.m. 07/21/2003)The temperature knob cable may be improperly adjusted, and mixing heated air with air conditioned air, causing poor cooling in the summer. It's possible the same problem is at work here?I had a 4-cyl Escort GT that was so efficient at cooling itself at highway speeds that it wouldn't EVER warm up to 'toasty' in the winter!

Quote, originally posted by huy397 »Mike, where is your temp gauge at after 5 min?Mine is barely touching 50 degrees now.Couldn't tell you, we don't have temp markings on our gauge in the states. But it's usually around halfway.Quote »BTW, is that your G6 in the siggy?Yuppers!!!

At first, I suspected the cable was not adjusted properly, since I had to adjust it last summer to get the A/C working better... But, in the hot position, the little arm is all the way back as far as it will go. (toward the console = hot, toward the firewall = cold if I'm remembering correctly.) So there was no adjusting to that on my car.

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Couldn't tell you, we don't have temp markings on our gauge in the states.Yep, we miss out... uh, it's somewhere between C and H! Such as here, where mine usually stays.. lol!

I remembered mine getting warm very quickly, in fact I think I made a post somewhere about how quickly it warmed up. There's a lot of realestate in the Vibe to heat up after heat starts coming out of the vents though. I agree the thermostat may be stuck open if it's not warming up very quickly.

No doubt there is quite a bit of space to heat and cool with these cars... Has anyone ever wondered if they just stuck the Corolla's HVAC setup in these cars without making any changes to compensate for the massive increase in interior volume? I probably should have got my thermostat replaced when I had the coolant flush done last summer. Hindsight is 20/20.

Air trapped in the heater core will also cause a loss of cabin heat.

The 03's seem to have no lines because mine does. I have an 04.Inder

*brrrr* My heater is now just barely working... The car had been running for ~20 minutes, outside temp was around 29F, but the air from the vents was lukewarm at best. The temperature gauge didn't want to go past the 1/4 mark, so to me, signs are really pointing to that thermostat!Gonna call around tomorrow to get a price quote on replacing it...

yeah, that's definitely pointing to a stuck thermostat.Mine warms up depending on the outside temperature.From dead cold in the morning...40*F ambient.Bottom line after 1 mile, and halfway mark after 3.19* ambient.bottom line after 3 miles, and halfway mark after 6.The blowing air definitely has a 'warm' component to it (rather than just blowing cold air) at the bottom line, and the heat is *blistering* when it's at the halfway mark - at that point, no matter HOW cold it is, I need to turn the temperature down to about the 2 o'clock mark or the heat is *SO* hot, it starts to burn my hands...

my heater doesn't get hot no matte rhow long I run it for. Same with the A/C. It doesn't get cold just "cool". No matter though I allways drive with the windows down. Can't stand hte windows being up.

I replace thermostats at 50,000 in any car. Besides poor heating if they stick closed the engine runs hotter and can do damage before completely stalling out i.e. warp heads and blow head gaskets. Most fail in the open position now a days so no engine damage can be done. My recommendation is yes have a dlr check it out of under warranty and anyone out of warranty getting a coolant change in the future, have a T-stat put in too. Cheap part but can cause a lot of headaches when they go bad.

My 03 GT heats up just fine. After running for about 5 min, it gets very toasty inside. I very, very rarely have to put the temp dial on "all the way hot". Usually if I do, I can barely stand how hot it gets. I only usually have to keep the temp selectin dial just a hair from center (to the hot side) to keep the car comfortable after driving for 10 min.

What's really interesting that I discovered, I can leave the car sitting there idling for 20+ minutes, the gauge won't go above the 1/4 mark, and the air is lukewarm at best. BUT, when I get out and drive it, once the car's been up to highway speeds for a bit it moves halfway and stays there. And the heat starts crankin'. hmm...When I had posted about the issue the other day, the car didn't make it out to the highway. That makes a big difference in the way this thing behaves.