Need more heat

[BustaBust]

So my festiva does heat up after some time but does not really gets "hot". This is fine for me but my real problem is any warm air it does generate seems to be nullified by cold air coming through the center vents. Does anyone have a solution for this? Its been below freezing going home at night and the first 20 min I'm reaching to the floor vent to keep my hands warm lol. this is for an 88 carby if it makes a difference. also could I have a thermostat issue since the heat never really gets that suffocating hot like modern cars?

please help a cold grown man

thanks in advance and sorry if this has been answered already

[firebush357]

A lot of the other user blocks their Grills with something during the winter so that it allows the Radiator to heat up a little more. Also you could put a higher temp Thermostat in there to help a little.

[william]

Block the grill and seal the blend door this will keep cold air from coming out of the vents.
I block my entire grill with tape each year . You can block just the rad but the grill block helps warm up and areo dynamics a bit so win win.
Also sealing up the car helps a lot too , I added insulation to the doors on mine and quarters that helped a lot as well. Before my heat was hot but the car was so drafty and uninsulated that it couldn't keep up. Now it will run you out.

[ryanprins13]

Lots of ways to prevent heat loss and get more heat out of the vents but to keep the cold air from freezing your hands and face this is what i did. Clean it well and dry it, then use aluminum foil tape.

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[bravekozak]

Replace the seal on the plenum door. It's probably shot after 26 years.

[BustaBust]

I knew I could count on you guys, will be doing all of the above this weekend. thanks

[TominMO]

Another issue might be the plenum door not closing all the way. The hinges in the door are plastic and get brittle; could crack and break, not allowing the door to close all the way. So you would always be getting cold air in. My car got a lot warmer when I "fixed" this.

Pull the hose going from the plenum to the heater, and check if the door is all the way closed when the fresh air switch is in the recirculate position.

I cover all of my bumper and grill holes in the winter, except the grill hole on the driver side so the rad can get some air, in case the temp rises. But when it's really cold and gonna stay that way for a while, a couple of pieces of duct tape does the trick. The pass. side holes are always covered, year round, so the only one I uncover in the summertime, and then re-cover in the winter, is the driver side bumper hole.

It also helps to let it idle for a few minutes when you start it up, to give the coolant a chance to warm up before driving.

[ryanprins13]

Ok, how cold is it outside where you are and are you able to use a thermometer to check the temp of the hot air coming out of your vents.
On my car after replacing the water pump, rad, heater core, airbox, rad cap and all the hoses i discovered that the heat coming out of the vents wasnt that bad, i was just getting too much cold coming back in from all my rust holes. So i plugged them. Now that i know your actually gonna do some of this stuff heres some more tips which are spread over this site. do a cascade flush of your coolant. http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=160431
This is how i blocked my grille.
Make sure your thermostat is not opening too soon.


Insulate

Just kidding.

Plastic off all the interior including back hatch




Then insulate


Buy a 12v electric blanket for your knees. Its pretty warm to put your free hand onto as well.


The small short bypass hose from by the thermostat housing to the metal pipe- make sure its in ok shape and not kinked. When the thermostat is closed all the heat you get goes through that hose.

I dont have photos but i took pipe insulation & foil tape and insulated the 2 hoses that go to the heater core. The metal hose that goes around the front of the engine could also be done.

Tape off those vents like i showed in my previous post. I got a new black 'air box' took it apart and the seals looked good inside. Installed it and still had some cold air coming out the face vents.

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[harpon]

Always used to block the radiator flow on the old 88 in Indiana. Another thing I've thought about recently is filling the interior metal body with expanding foam- I like to get rid of plastic panels! That would keep the noise and the cold out.
Ready to do the 03 Accent that way.

photo- After the flood, a cottage for sale. Floodline was up to the middle of the three side windows behind the Dodge van. Yes- deeper than the van's top.

[FestYboy]

Don't do the expanding foam... It will trap moisture. You want an open cell foam that can breathe.

[BustaBust]

AF67DB2F-D333-457C-997E-6DC5825262E0.jpg
Aluminum tape worked perfect. For the rad block off I used one of those plastic lawn signs u always see for candidates running for office. Didn’t even have to leave those house for supplies which was nice. Gonna warm up this week so won’t have a full update in a couple weeks.

[BustaBust]

welp. the car has dragon breath for heat now. but it seems I lost track of the temp after my half hour trek to work. about 20-25 min in I acutally had to crack a window and turn off the heat, and thats where it all went wrong. I got out of my car once I parked and hurd the gurgleing from under the hood. immediately popped the hood. the coolant resevior cap busted and was boiling over. immediately turned the fan on( have them wired to a switch). I don't know the extent of the damage yet. hoping I shut her down just in time. I fear the headgasket or worse the head may be compromised. I have to drive it home tonight and will find out soon enough I suppose. I removed the rad shield completely. don't see coolant leaking anywhere else so I'm holding out hope. wish me luck

[harpon]

no gauge, Bustin?

[Eviljimchicken]

welp. the car has dragon breath for heat now. but it seems I lost track of the temp after my half hour trek to work. about 20-25 min in I acutally had to crack a window and turn off the heat, and thats where it all went wrong. I got out of my car once I parked and hurd the gurgleing from under the hood. immediately popped the hood. the coolant resevior cap busted and was boiling over. immediately turned the fan on( have them wired to a switch). I don't know the extent of the damage yet. hoping I shut her down just in time. I fear the headgasket or worse the head may be compromised. I have to drive it home tonight and will find out soon enough I suppose. I removed the rad shield completely. don't see coolant leaking anywhere else so I'm holding out hope. wish me luck

Hopefully your car is not BustaBusted.


I'll see myself out...

[sc72]

Sorry to hear about your problems, I have found that blocking the cold air from the engine works best for me, we are working with a four banger with an aluminum head, in order to keep heat in the engine and letting the radiator do it's job, I block the air from hitting the engine and stripping the heat away. during the summer I bought some sheet tin and molded it to cover the front of the engine not just behind the grill, the more close to the engine the better. Good luck with your engine.