HEATING TIPS

[jacesfestiva]

are there any tips to make my festiva heat better, seems like it takes forever to finally get warmed up and defrosted, and now that it is gettin cold i cant really go out and start an hour before i have to leave, if you guys know anything let me know, thanks

[dahodges]

Make sure it has a factory two stage tstat. Place a cover behind the grill were the raditor isn't.

[packrat427]

How is your cooling system condition .

Has it been maintained , flushed ?
Yes , check the thermostat also .

I had heat in less than 5 min. this morning and was defrosting HEAVY frost on the windshield , and my rear window was already melted
Thanks John ^

[stefan]

dont mean to jack the thread, but related,
how hard should the fan blow? mine seems weak compared to most cars.

[donna]

i set the selecter on floor/defrost setting and i get 160 degree hot air blowing from defrost vent, fan is not very forcefull but does the trick...usually takes 3-5 minutes to get my heat going,,,not sure what t-stat came with the car when i got it... too bad our face vents cant be used during the winter,,,wierd design.

[gdawgs]

When it get's really cold(say -20 F or colder), there isn't much you can do, it will never get toasty warm in the cab. Festivas just don't have great heaters. I usually cut up pop cases and cover up the front end. Place the cardboard right over the entire radiator, and cover up the other side where the A/C condenser would go. This helps to get the engine temp in the normal operating range. When the temp gets above 10-20 or so, you may have to slide the cardboard over a couple of inches to expose some of the radiator. Just keep an eye on the temp gage.

[batstiva]

Festivas just don't have great heaters.

Very true.

And, having completely removed the interior of mine this summer, I can tell you they have next to no insulation as well. Basically they have a little padding around the shifter, and on the floor where the feet go. That's it. :shock:

[phantorn]

I have seen block heater kits that install in a radiator hose,I am at work tho and 90 % of the internet is blocked so I cant post a link sorry

[phantorn]

BRE is the company that offers inline block heaters if I remember correctly,Google it,I disd see 1 on Ebay for a Mopar but it was for an 13/4 hose which would be to big but I'm sure they offer more.

[WmWatt]

Dress warm! It's winter.

[gdawgs]

BRE is the company that offers inline block heaters if I remember correctly,Google it,I disd see 1 on Ebay for a Mopar but it was for an 13/4 hose which would be to big but I'm sure they offer more.

How is a block heater going to help heat the car? Maybe your extension cord is a lot longer than mine is

I suppose you could get a large DC/AC inverter, then plug the block heater in while you drive. It would probably work even better to just get a large AC space heater and run that all the time.

[25Horseplay]

It helps the car warm up faster in the AM.

[mullet man]

harbor freight sells little DC heaters made to plug into a cig lighter. like $15 0r $20. might work good if you velcro it to the dash or something.
link...
tiny little automotive heater

[stefan]

oh yeah, ive got one of those 120v car heaters mounted under my dash... that thing is worth its weight in gold.
ive got it on a timer with my block heater and it heats the car up nicely in the morning.

[donna]

Where do you get the block/radiator heaters and does it have to be just for the Festiva, I know nothing about them, so tell us more about the unit and install process etc....