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engine/car takes forever to heat up

Woosky117

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
192
Location
Lacombe, Alberta
hey, i have a 92 mitsubishi galant, fwd, with a dohc engine.
i am having trouble with the car not heating up very quickly at all.
i have many theories as to what the problem might be, but i have no idea it im getting anywhere close with any of them.
i have an aluminum rad, and the engine is jdm. the rad and reservoir are full of coolant.

my theories include the water pump, the thermostat, and that i have an aluminum rad being a problem.
any more ideas? any of those i can eliminate?
it takes anywhere from 15-30 mins to warm up, instead of 5 mins with my 91.
and the oil temperature tends to drop a lot while driving.

your help would be greatly appreciated.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worthy.gif

- Dan
 

gvr4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
6,190
Location
central Indiana
Bad thermostat or a bad sensor/gauge reporting the wrong temp. I will never buy a thermostat from any parts store ever again. Last one I had lasted all of 6 months and then froze open. I'm just glad I ponied up the extra cash to get the fail safe one to fail open. I'm running a stock temp mitsu one now and quality is way better then the parts stores "best" thermostat.
 

Woosky117

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 28, 2009
Messages
192
Location
Lacombe, Alberta
is there any way to eliminate which one it is? or should i just get both?
is there anyway to still buy the stock ones new?
 

gvr4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
6,190
Location
central Indiana
I would just start with the thermostat. While I'm sure their have been some failures, the gauge is not known to fail. I'm still on my original sensor too.

Mitsu does still have a stock replacement. I'm pretty sure the part number is in the how too archive.
 

gramkrakr89

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
308
Location
Bunker Hill, WV
If your thermostat never fully closes, you can expect a very slow warm-up.

If your dash gauge moves at all, the thermistor it uses is probably just fine. If the engine starts fine and runs fine after warming up (no CEL), and cooling fans turn on once warmed up, your other sensors are most likely just fine as well.

Replacing your thermostat with a good (new) OE or similar quality unit should be the first step.
 

DDM

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
71
Location
Palatine, IL
I can allmost guarantee you that your thermostat is stuck open from what you are describing
 

IncorpoRatedX

Well-known member
Joined
May 28, 2003
Messages
5,593
Location
Arizona
plus one for thermostat stuck open.

When i bought 649, the previous owner had put a new thermostat in it the fall prior, in the winter it wouldnt warm up. he swore it couldnt be the thermostat because it was new, i told him many times to pull it regardless (two fuckin bolts) and he instead removed the grill and put cardboard in front of half the radiator to help it warm up. It worked, but driving down the highway it would just cool back down.

The first thing when the weather cooled back down and I noticed it wasnt heating up in 5 minutes of starting it? Pull the thermostat and find that it was bent and stuck open... gee... 5 minutes of work and $7 and functioning heat? WOW!
 

raptorWagon

Well-known member
Joined
May 17, 2007
Messages
2,827
Location
Oak Harbor, WA
Quoting gvr4ever:
Bad thermostat or a bad sensor/gauge reporting the wrong temp. I will never buy a thermostat from any parts store ever again. Last one I had lasted all of 6 months and then froze open. I'm just glad I ponied up the extra cash to get the fail safe one to fail open. I'm running a stock temp mitsu one now and quality is way better then the parts stores "best" thermostat.



Never have had a problem with a NAPA or other autoparts store thermostat. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 

89Mirageman

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
2,502
Location
Stantonsburg, NC
You could also have air in the system. I always fill the radiator slowly with the engine running until the upper hose gets warm. Then put the cap on, cut the engine off and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Make sure the overflow bottle is full and it will pull out what it needs.
 

Specter

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 20, 2008
Messages
367
Location
Karachi, Pakistan
I have had the same problem. The car doesnt want to warm up in cold weather. I installed a thermostat and do see improvement, but it takes longer then 5 minutes to warm up. The thermostat had a rating of 72 degree Celicius. So i guess it opens up a bit early.
 
Last edited:

gvr4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
6,190
Location
central Indiana
Quoting raptorreed:
Quoting gvr4ever:
Bad thermostat or a bad sensor/gauge reporting the wrong temp. I will never buy a thermostat from any parts store ever again. Last one I had lasted all of 6 months and then froze open. I'm just glad I ponied up the extra cash to get the fail safe one to fail open. I'm running a stock temp mitsu one now and quality is way better then the parts stores "best" thermostat.



Never have had a problem with a NAPA or other autoparts store thermostat. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif



I wish I hadn't. My NAPA one started opening late and my Advanced Auto Parts one just stayed open or didn't close enough or something. Mitsu one is working perfectly.
 
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