Too bloody cold!

[CamperVanBeethoven]

Hello again everyone

Now is the winter of our discontent ... and I am mostly discontent with how long the van takes to warm up.
OK, so people tell me a NA diesel won't really warm up at idle. But I've left the thing for 20 minutes and the hot air is still cold. Is this really normal?

Thinking of taking out the thermostat. Would it help?

[ricc]

taking out thethermostat will make it worse.

thermostat is closed when cold, stops the coolant going to the radiator.... so it just circulates round the engine and heater


blocking the front grill with sheet of cardboard to stop cold air flowing through the radiator and over the engine may help.

[joinerman]

Fast idle will help, i wedge something on the loud pedal and leave it at around 1800 rpm for ten minuets.

[Chug]

Does the heater get hot when you drive?

they take a few mins to get warm but are hot when the engine is working, 20 mins and still cold seems a lot maybe your thermostat is stuck open.

[CamperVanBeethoven]

Does the heater get hot when you drive?

they take a few mins to get warm but are hot when the engine is working, 20 mins and still cold seems a lot maybe your thermostat is stuck open.

It does get hot when I drive, so maybe that's it...

There's a low traffic hill near where I live. I have resorted to scraping as much as I can and taking a drive up and down it a few times with limited visibility. That usually does the trick ...

Please note, that was 20 minutes at idle, not 20 minutes of driving ...

[Chug]

yeah even on idle it should be coming through after 10 mins even this weather, I would check the thermostat, you can just feel the top hose where it meets the housing, it should stay cold until the engine is up to normal running temp, if it gets warm quickly then the thermostat is stuck open, or missing.

[cherniy_chack]

At a temperature of -10 g C, my motor with a working thermostat for 20 minutes on the go does not have time to warm up to the operating temperature.
I am 15 kilometers from home to work, in the city it's 20-25 minutes drive.
The motor does not have time to warm up.
This is a diesel.

[gotgcoalman]

+1 on cardboard between the front grille and radiator
No it doesn't cause it to overheat

[vanfox]

I have, inadvertently, run most of the year with 3/4 of the rad blocked off, only been reminded when the temp gauge goes up when pasting it down the motorway, this on a Bosch pumped turbo. Just pootling around town never goes above normal.

The test for heat is to feel the heater pipe from the front of the head. The system is air mix, recirculatory, it should be hot all the time.

[cherniy_chack]

When you put the cardboard in front of the radiator, leave the window opposite the generator to cool it.