Heater problem

[lovemyfesty]

I have several Festivas (1990-1993) that all have the same problem. The heater does not give out much heat. Is this a common heater problem? I haven't had time to check any of them out yet. Any suggestions?

[firebush357]

Many people complain about the amount of heat that they get from their Festiva. First answer we give is that the heat only works on the Floor and Defrost vents and there is no way to fix that, it was just a cheap design. Second answer is to flush your heater core really well and your heat should come back to like new temperatures. You can also explore different thermostats that open at different temps to see which one works best for you or even try a dual temp one.

[firebush357]

Many people complain about the amount of heat that they get from their Festiva. First answer we give is that the heat only works on the Floor and Defrost vents and there is no way to fix that, it was just a cheap design. Second answer is to flush your heater core really well and your heat should come back to like new temperatures. You can also explore different thermostats that open at different temps to see which one works best for you or even try a dual temp one.

[WmWatt]

It might help to put something in front of the radiator in winter like a piece of cardboard.
It helps to leave the heat off in winter until the thermostat opens to help the engine warm up.
You might want the defrost ON though to get the windshield free of frost and fogging up.
I usually dress for winter and so don't notice the low temperature when riding in the car.

[Doug Brown]

You need the real Festiva/Mazda thermostat (buy it from Mazda) - not some crappy generic one - and then you need to have the fan turned on to setting 1 or 2 or 3 and the heat control moved all the way to the right The inside of the car will get toasty warm within 2 or 3 miles.

The other thing you need to do is open the hood and block off the radiator so the engine gets really hot and the cooling fan kicks on. When the fan comes on, quick as a bunny get back in the car and use a marker pin to mark on the plastic instrument cover where the needle is. You now know when the engine is -- I believe -- 185F.

Good to know for summer traffic or winter snow storms.

You can also put in a cup or two of powered Tide or Cascade in the radiator to clean it and the engine water passages. Leave it in for a couple of days or so before draining it off and replacing it with anti-freeze.

[1990new]

Another suggestion: I assume that you bought the Festivas used from someone else and don't know their history.
Doesn't get very cold here so it's never been a problem for me that the heater doesn't warm up quickly.
Sometimes people will remove the thermostat and let the water run through the radiator continually.
This is not good since the engine is not allowed to warm up to its optimal operating temperature, but if the water pump is going bad it will
allow the hot water to migrate to the cooler water in the radiator and help the engine to stay cooler longer.

My point is.. make sure that you actually do have a thermostat in the thermostat housing.

[jimdigs]

Out of the 5 festivas I have owned only my latest one has real heat. Its the oldest one I have owned as well, 88 4 speed. I tried all the tips on here about the right thermostat and all that. Flushed the radiator and all, nothing worked. Don't know why the 88 has the best heat but it does.