Slow coming up to temp

[Crispin]

In these code(r) temps I feel the 150 takes ages to get up to temp. In the morning it takes around 6 miles (15 minutes) for the need to get to 1/4 on the scale. For much of this I'm doing 60-70mph.

Yesterday I did a slow drive to pick up my daughter (10-15 minutes each way) and did not climb onto the scale until half way on the return trip.

This is irrespective of having the power heat / idle-up switch on or off.


@hamba - how long does yours take?


C

 

[Werneroeder]

In these code(r) temps I feel the 150 takes ages to get up to temp. In the morning it takes around 6 miles (15 minutes) for the need to get to 1/4 on the scale. For much of this I'm doing 60-70mph.

Yesterday I did a slow drive to pick up my daughter (10-15 minutes each way) and did not climb onto the scale until half way on the return trip.

This is irrespective of having the power heat / idle-up switch on or off.


@hamba - how long does yours take?


C

My hundee is the same. It takes a while to get to temperature, even when the fast idle is on.

 

[hamba]

If I jump in and drive it can take a few minutes/miles before its up to temp, it also depends on the traffic I've noticed.
When I am in traffic the needle touches the back of the temp image, when driving it will go up to the middle of the gauge.

I normally start it up about 10 min before we set off in the mornings which helps a little, the idle up doesn't seem to do anything to speed the process up, only getting in and driving it heats the engine up which sucks when the truck is cold inside because the aircon doesn't turn on until the engine starts warming up.

I can't remember where I've read this but apparently the engine only heats up when there is load on it.
Funny thing was not long ago when we were waiting for the ferry one morning I started the truck up to get some heat back in it and the temp gauge moved from below the temp image to again touching the back of it and didn't move past it at all.

 

[Nuclear Chicken]

Current diesels are so super efficient thermally they don't actually give off much heat as waste, hence the slow warm up.

 

[Crispin]

ok, so I'm normal then. thanks

The idle-up switch does not heat up the engine quicker but will (should) heat up the cab quicker.
Assuming it's the same as the 120 -
When it's turned on another pump circulates water through a jacket in the exhaust manifold and then on into the heater matrix. Mine would start blowing noticeably warmer air within a couple of hundred meters of driving.

I can't say the 150 does the same though - it seems not. The air stays cold for lot longer.

As for the idling thing, I read a while back (perhaps here?) that the reason they don't warm up is because the flame front does not really get to the cylinder wall in a diesel when it's idling because they run lean. You need the load (and hence more diesel) to make it warm.
Get a rolling road installed at your house and run it on that in the morning?
Try idle-up, recirculate air and max blower and see if that is quicker?

 

[Crispin]

they don't actually give off much heat as waste, hence the slow warm up.

It's not waste when I am shivering

 

[hamba]

I was tempted the other morning to pull the handbreak up as far as it can go and put it in D to generate some load but I didn't want to risk the truck smashing trough my front wall

 

[Crispin]

lol. That won't be the first time it happened with a member here

There was a chap (Greg, some will know him) who did that with a 90. Bust the gearbox eventually. Apparently due to overheating and not enough cooling. Still - your problem solved

 

[Jack VZJ90]

With this temperature outside it takes longer to heat up your engine and cooling fluid.
So with to cold cooling fluid your heater in your car never gets warm.
Take a piece of cardboard, and cover 1/3 of your radiator.....
works fine ....

 

[Crispin]

but that is the job of the thermostat? Why do people still do that?

The last time I had a cooling "problem" was in South Africa and it was a thermostat stuck open hence the question.

 

[Jack VZJ90]

but that is the job of the thermostat? Why do people still do that?

The last time I had a cooling "problem" was in South Africa and it was a thermostat stuck open hence the question.

Job of thermostat is when engine is on right temperature, it opens to run coolant through radiator.
Lets say it opens when temperature reaches 80-90 degrees celsius, so fluid starts running through radiator.
When radiator fluid temp gets under 80 degrees celsius, thermostat closes a little, so the fluid stream through radiator goes slower and engine heats up again. This is a constant proces going on.

Radiator doesn't lose heat in covered part. (or doesn't cool so much)
Coolfluid comes quicker to temperature.
With cold and extreme cold weather and short trips this works great. (especially short trips, around the block)

If temperature gauge is ok, and your heater doesn't heat up enough, then your heater core in dash is blocked.
The 90 series started in 1996 up to 2003, so the oldest are over 20 years.
So are the heather cores and radiators.
Always use the red / purple coolant.
The blue coolant and just water damage the inner of your cooling system, radiator and heater core !

But !!! at the VZJ engine the heather gets its temperature direct from the engine at the back of the engine.
Diesel engines, ..... most likely the same ....

So conclusion ..... thermostat stuck open