Do you block the radiator in winter?

[ryanprins13]

I have a sheet of acrylic blocking the entire front during the winter. Have a 4inch wide separate piece on a hinge in front of the rad so i can flip it down when it gets warm, up when it gets cold. But my rad is beat so i have to take it all out for summer.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing is that you dont put cardboard or anything else directly in front of or contacting the radiater. You need some space in front of it so that if the fans need to turn on it can still move air.
I have replaced the coolant, rad cap, water pump, thermostat, and heater core on my festiva and still no heat when it gets cold. Lots of heat when its hot out, but not when its cold...


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[TominMO]

mine over heats, I poured water into the radiator and it is still in there just boiling, coolant boils too anyone know how to fix my over heating problem

Depends on why it's overheating. Could be the rad is clogged, or the thermostat is stuck closed or partially closed, for example. If you do end up getting a new rad or even just cleaning out the old one, flush the heater core both directions, install new hoses (all 5--there is a tiny bent one under spark plug #4), and a new 190+ degree thermostat. That should keep you from having to address heating/cooling issues for quite a while.

For that little bent hose, take the old one to a McParts and compare it to what they have. You will probably have to buy something longer with the proper bend, and just cut to fit.

Oh, and welcome to the Forum BTW.

[Top Tier Mafia]

mine over heats, I poured water into the radiator and it is still in there just boiling, coolant boils too anyone know how to fix my over heating problem

[Larry Hampton]

Well, in my other post about a rad cap, I'm wondering if when my car got about halfway up the gauge Saturday with the rad blocked if I cracked the radiator. I'm getting no pressure when "hot" but the water level isn't dropping either. I'm renting a pressure tester Wednesday to check my daughters Exploder cooling system, I'll check the Festy too.

I checked the Festy rad, my hose clamps on the engine were weak and it was dripping at the t-stat housing and the water pump.

I put some worm drive clamps for now, I'll replace the hoses probably this weekend.

[johnmt]

I have an 88LX that never gets to temp. I never looked into it but did run with cardboard blocking most of the rad. at least one winter. It made a fair difference. Of course, I forgot it was there in the spring until I wondered why the gauge was climbing...DOH! My 89L works great, gets heat in a couple miles. I guess I have a car for summer and a car for winter...

[navdoc101]

Just fill your tank and driver north my friend!
Keep driving till you find the land covered in white stuff locally known as snow.
Then lets see if your "heat is fine"!:p

No thanks. I've been to maine at Chrismas one year in my Toyota & it was cold enough for me. Think I'll stay in FL. You are welcome to drive down here

[Larry Hampton]

Well, in my other post about a rad cap, I'm wondering if when my car got about halfway up the gauge Saturday with the rad blocked if I cracked the radiator. I'm getting no pressure when "hot" but the water level isn't dropping either. I'm renting a pressure tester Wednesday to check my daughters Exploder cooling system, I'll check the Festy too.

[Pu241]

I just don't understand any of this! When it gets cooold here my heat is fine. ;}

Just fill your tank and driver north my friend!
Keep driving till you find the land covered in white stuff locally known as snow.
Then lets see if your "heat is fine"!:p

[Pu241]

You know, I also wonder about the valve that opens and closes the coolant flow into the core? If every thing else is fine and this isn't working, you still wont get heat. Anyone ever find this valve to have failed,become disconnected from the slide controls, or maybe clogged?

[GenevaDirt]

I cover the rad but I also block the center air vents from under the bezel. Seems no matter what you do there is always cool air coming in there.

[GenevaDirt]

Have been running a Festy in Ontario winters for almost 20 years. Entirely blocked the rad all of last winter and never noticed any improvement in heat. Recently installed a Mazda 2 stage thermostat and flushed the cooling/heating system but temp gauge still sits where it usually does (less than halfway). Have disconnected the rad fan already a month ago (even though it's not cold here yet) and am preparing to cover the entire rad again come January.
Be really nice if someone could figure out how to get heat out of these cars in winter. I drove a 'parts car' Aspire home last winter from Montreal to Ottawa (150 miles) and that heater worked quite well, so I know it can be done with B3 engines.

you may have water pump problems...but most likely the heater core still needs a GOOD cleaning or you may have some critter bedding inside the core area blocking the heat.

[Bert]

Have been running a Festy in Ontario winters for almost 20 years. Entirely blocked the rad all of last winter and never noticed any improvement in heat. Recently installed a Mazda 2 stage thermostat and flushed the cooling/heating system but temp gauge still sits where it usually does (less than halfway). Have disconnected the rad fan already a month ago (even though it's not cold here yet) and am preparing to cover the entire rad again come January.
Be really nice if someone could figure out how to get heat out of these cars in winter. I drove a 'parts car' Aspire home last winter from Montreal to Ottawa (150 miles) and that heater worked quite well, so I know it can be done with B3 engines.

[navdoc101]

I just don't understand any of this! When it gets cooold here my heat is fine. ;}

[Pu241]

...............
I've also never had to block a radiator with a piece of cardboard before either. We're just entering freezing temps now and my gauge never gets off C and it takes about 10 miles to get warm enough for the dearest to start working.

I put cardboard in there, 16x16 and it gets about a 1/4 way up the gauge like it did this record summer we had. The other day on the way home, it got about halfway up the gauge, but it was 51F.

When do you put it in (tempwise) and when do you take it out?

These things are so cold natured.

Larry,
I think you asked the wrong question, because most of those who responded DO NOT block their radiators because they need the heat, though it does help with that. Most of those who responded do so because of aerodynamics, thus the term "grill block".

Part of your issue is the reliance on the gauge. It is, if OEM, nearly 20 yrs old. The connection is corroded and is not giving a good signal to the gauge. I have had to repair all of my temp connections by removing the connector and soldering the wire directly to the sensor. The senor response and range are improved immediately.

Yes, a bad thermostat will cause you issues, but it was never proved sufficiently for me to say you have to have the two stage one for you to get good heat. Besides as mentioned, if your engine was running cool you'd be running rich and your tail pipe and MPG would show a hit. Another reason to keep an MPG log.

I'm betting on a partially clogged heater core. If it still flows anything, you have a chance to physically or chemically flush it out and restore heat to the cabin.

I run a grill block, and it still takes about 6 miles for heat to come on to a useful exstent. I run mine nearly year round, except under the highest temps. They are only cold natured because of the voulme of air passing through the engine comparment relative to the size and surface area of the engine. The colder the air temp, the more heat is extracted from the engine, even without the radiator.

[iceracerdude]

You need to replace the thermostat 1st, and then see what temp the gauge goes to then. Also make sure you've got around a 50/50 mix of antifreeze to water ratio. All antifreeze is not good. A correctly operating system shouldn't need cardboard.
If the computer thinks the car is cold, it will dump more fuel in, also making the car run cooler than nec.