Cold Heater?

Would a bad viscous fan not allow the engine to warm up properly? It takes FOREVER for the car to warm up. After warm-up there is only slightly warm air coming from the vents.

My test: With the auto off. Pop the bonnet. Turn fan manually. Feel for a drag, which I have. Drag=shot.

next question: If I take the fan and cowl off to replace the viscous unit should I just replace the fan too. I remember reading once that the fan should also be change due to stress fractures and the fan tending to nade taking out the radiator in the process, any truth?

Its COLD I tell you. Thanks.

Reply to
Jack Kerouac
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Nah, just change the viscous unit.

Generally though a dead viscous unit is signified by no movement at all - most have a bit of drag.

Reply to
Exit

Have you had the car long? Have you checked to see if the thermostat is present?

What vehicle do you have?

Reply to
Kieran McCoey

Much more likely to be the thermostat stuck open

Reply to
Simon Mills

On or around Sun, 11 Jan 2004 02:25:01 GMT, "Jack Kerouac" enlightened us thusly:

which engine/vehicle? The TDis are slow to warm up, but do eventually get hot enough. Takes about 5 miles minimum or considerably longer if just left idling on the yard. My V8 seems to take about 2-3 miles on the road to get up to operating temperature from a stone-cold start, though the heater starts to get warm after about a mile.

nah, you get some drag. fan won't turn = shot.

(all engines) Thermostat is your first port of call, then check that there's actually hot water in the heater matrix (by feeling the pipes that feed it once the engine's hot). Low coolant level can on some vehicles lead to not enough water getting into the heater, a very slow water loss (such as our disco has, buggrit) can over a week or 3 lead to the level sneaking down and eventually giving reduced heater efficiency without any other symptoms, if you don't have a water level indicator of course.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

I replaced the viscous fan and shroud on my RR 2.5 V8 with a pair of Kenlowe fans and adjustable thermostatic switch. Prior to doing that the temperature would rise to 50 % of full scale on the gauge and not vary. Now (once warmed up) the temperature can drop as far as 25 % of FS when decending long hills without using engine braking e.g. on motorways. The fans come on at the set temperature OK but it has always puzzled me that the viscous fan and shroud configuration appeared to keep the temperature up. The hearter efficiency has not changed.

Rgds Richard

Reply to
Richard Savage

That's the cheapest route.

Reply to
Jack Kerouac

Its a 90 RR Classic. 3.9L engine.

Fair enough.

I checked the level and its fine. I checked it in three places while the engine was cold. At the overflow, radiator and the turned up pipe leading to/from? the heater core. I found that the levels were acceptable at each location.

Thanks. Someone else also suggested replacing the thermostat as well. Being that is the cheapest/easiest route, I'm leaning on changing it out this weekend.

Reply to
Jack Kerouac

Rubbing it in are we?

Reply to
Jack Kerouac

Not intentionally and thanks for not pointing out the weird engine size quoted!

Seriously tho' I do find it perplexing that the viscous fan equipped engine maintained a constant temeperature while the Kenlowe outfit allows the temperature to rise and fall.

And I didn't say that the heater in the RR was any good, just that it's efficiency was unchanged by fitting the Kenlowes! :-)

Richard

Reply to
Richard Savage

On or around Tue, 13 Jan 2004 21:55:25 +0000, Richard Savage enlightened us thusly:

my experience (1991 J) of Range Rovers is that the heater is pretty good. As is the one in the disco, once you get the engine up to temperature.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

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