crazyye

Hey everyone. I was wondering if other Northern people experience this with their civic. First off I have a 2008 EX-L manual trans.

Last winter and now starting again, I find that it takes a very long time for the coolant temperature to reach the normal operating area (pretty much in the middle of the gauge). I normally start my car a few minutes prior to leaving and I drive mostly highway. Heat comes out of the vent quick enough (on milder days such as -10 degrees Celsius), but even after driving 15 minutes on the highway, the little ticks on the gauge don't reach the middle area. If I turn down the fan speed, it makes it reach operation temperature quicker, but the second I turn the fan back on full blast for heat, the ticks begin to disappear.

I'm just wondering if this is caused due to the very efficient engine or is it a problem. I know they say vehicles are most efficient when running at optimal temperature. I remember last winter that some of the days that were 30 or 40 degrees Celsius below freezing, I never made it to the full operating temperature on the gauge even after getting to work (25 minutes all highway) even after having the block heater plugged in all night.

Thanks for the help.

Eric

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

its just too cold outside. and when you turn the heater on, you are effectively stealing heat from the coolant, which lowers its temperature even more. on some cold days i had to keep the car in lower gear so the rpms stayed up between 2-3k otherwise the engine would never warm up. and youre right, a cold engine is very inefficient. otherwise its a good idea to keep the heater on at least one fan tick on low, otherwise you might cause engine damage if you wait until the car warms up and then turn the heat on (ice cold coolant in the heater core will move into the warm engine and possibly crack the block).

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

It is common even in temps above 0 for it to want to run cool for a very long time. And like you stated if you lower the fan speed it will affect how quickly it gets to operating temp. My gauge won't go back down, but in those temps I could believe it would do so.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah mine went way back down when i was waiting at stop lights. if you drive in 4th (auto) it will never warm up. gotta keep it in d3 and slowly drive 25-35mph so it slowly goes to normal. ofcourse in these kind of temps, its so cold that the seats feel like youre sitting on wood.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

I agree, you shouldnt operate your heat until the car fully warms up. At least I try not to. If I turn on my blower before my car is fully warmed up, it takes forever for it to reach operating temperature.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

wait i never said that lol. you want to keep the heat on at the lowest setting so the heater core coolant warms up evenly with the rest of the car. otherwise you dont want to be letting ice cold coolant into a warmed up engine.

crazyye

Thanks guys. I try to keep it in 4th for a while before putting her in 5th gear. Good to know I don't have something wrong with my car.

Devani

iTrader: (2)

i did see somesone posting temp of -60 C last year. He pretty much said the same thing...takes a long time to reach normal operating range

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

ah I miss read, but I dont think it would be icecold since its sorta close to the motor, honestly never really thought about it like that.

9524tee

It also depends on your oil temperature...

steveoowright

Heh Crazyye,

I have a Civic 2008 DX (Automatic) and also experience a very slow warm up time (approx. 20 min. to reach optimal temperature @ ~-20c....This is obviously a flaw regarding the cooling system.

My 1998 Civic takes less than 5 min. to warm up even at temperatures below -25c and remains at an optimal temperature even when the blower fan is on high and at maximum heat.

Also, the radiator return hose on my 2008 remains cold to the touch as though the thermostat is not even opening whatsoever...on the engine side of the thermostat, the temperature is quite hot to the touch.

I'm just quite amazed that the engine is not over heating on the 2008 civic. I am going to run a few tests on the themostat to compare it with one purchased from a third party.

Regards,

Steve