[maroonsentra]

It's like -6 today. I warmed my car up for about 10-15 minutes. Got it, still super cold. Drove to work about another 15 minutes and never got warm. Only cold air blew out. Is this due to the weather or is the heater core not working properly?

 

[IanH]

well its a chilly 24F here this morning, The SR20 is slower than the Ga16 to warm up but was fully up to temp about 6 miles, or half way to work for me.
What did your temp gauge say ?
If it reads low then you may have a sticky thermostat, or it may open early.
The SR20 was like that, never got fully up to Temp in 11 miles. Changing the thermostat fixed it although the original i took out was closed. ie it looked OK, but i didn't test it, just tossed it.

 

[maroonsentra]

well its a chilly 24F here this morning, The SR20 is slower than the Ga16 to warm up but was fully up to temp about 6 miles, or half way to work for me.
What did your temp gauge say ?
If it reads low then you may have a sticky thermostat, or it may open early.
The SR20 was like that, never got fully up to Temp in 11 miles. Changing the thermostat fixed it although the original i took out was closed. ie it looked OK, but i didn't test it, just tossed it.

temp gauge was good which is what confused me. Maybe I don't have the proper mixture. I'm going to check that. It warmed up later and worked fine when the temps got higher.

 

[IanH]

Yes then the most likely is reduced flow.
Check the hoses to make sure the heater supply is not restricted.
most cars have a heater shut off valve, so when the A/C runs the hot water is off.
Maybe this is not fully open ?
I don't even know for sure the B14 has one of these?
I think you have worked on the heater and A/c unit more than anyone on here ( at least in recent history.)

 

[maroonsentra]

Yes then the most likely is reduced flow.
Check the hoses to make sure the heater supply is not restricted.
most cars have a heater shut off valve, so when the A/C runs the hot water is off.
Maybe this is not fully open ?
I don't even know for sure the B14 has one of these?
I think you have worked on the heater and A/c unit more than anyone on here ( at least in recent history.)

There is no valve that I am aware of. I am going to check the levels and get back with you.

 

[sentra77]

i have the same problem so i took it to the shop cuz i dont want to deal with it i just got a call back from the shop and they told me that my thermostat was stuck open and i have a clog in my heater core and i guess its cracked from the clog. just got the bill $200. :wtf::

 

[maroonsentra]

i have the same problem so i took it to the shop cuz i dont want to deal with it i just got a call back from the shop and they told me that my thermostat was stuck open and i have a clog in my heater core and i guess its cracked from the clog. just got the bill $200. :wtf::

that sounds fishy. Same reason I always do the work myself. I simply added some coolant to fix the issue. Was a bit low which usually will cause heating issues. Sounds to me like to go stiffed big time. Even though it is possible. I'll probably change my thermostat over the summer when I do a flush again. If the heater was really bad, I think your bill would have been like $400 and not $200 since the heater core alone is like $161

CourtesyParts :: [27115] CORE ASSY-FRONT HEATER - Sentra / 200SX (B14U) 1995-1999


So they charged you $39 to install a new one? Not likely....

 

[94_nismo_freak]

in the winter i just use a small piece of card board in front of the rad. not fully blocking it just to dampen the air flow but i have a hard body and the fan is always running i do it every winter cause up in n. idaho it gets efn cold

 

[maroonsentra]

in the winter i just use a small piece of card board in front of the rad. not fully blocking it just to dampen the air flow but i have a hard body and the fan is always running i do it every winter cause up in n. idaho it gets efn cold

This is plain stupid. Don't do this. Winterize your car right, use the right mixture is the key. Keeping fans running all the time will wear them out and not good for the motor as that means it's getting hot enough for the fans to constantly run. The fins on the radiator are there for a reason.

 

[IanH]

Well i am still curious as to why the 3.5 L pathfinder is fully up to temp in under 1.5 miles and the SR20 takes 5 -6 miles ?
My GA also only took about 2 miles to warm up, so i suspect it is the cooling system design, the top outlet is warm as soon as the engine starts, so blocking half the radiator may make a lot of sense.
This was common practice in England with the old English cars.
So long as you watch the temp gauge and don't completely block it all off i don't see the harm.
the temp difference on the radiator in summer is say 200 -100 = 100 F
in winter say 200 - 30 F = 170F

So the air flow can be reduced by 100/170 ( or efficiency if you want to think of it that way)
And that's close enough to half for me !!

 

[94_nismo_freak]

i dont fully cover up the rad just PART of it and it has never ever hurt my vehicles it a good fix for people on a tight budget or if it is REALLY ef'n cold and it work just DONT block off fully or ya stupids will have prob and i usually dont matter if you winterize it right if the temp outside is ummm 10 degress or there isnt one when you drive down the freeway you engine will be overcooled and the heater wont work as well ass it should