Warming up

[Stanza]

Hi folks!
I'm slowly working through the stagnation issues on my 91 festy, and the latest one is the thermostat and heat, which seems off. I replaced the thermostat with the high temperature version, 195 degrees I think?, but the engine is still taking two to three miles in city stop and go to even come up to temperature. Once it does, the heat is passable. Shouldn't this thing be warming up faster? Would the next step to be blocking off the radiator?

[Stanza]

Aaaand after posting this, I noticed the sticky post up top about this very thing. Noob mistake, please disregard. Moderators, feel free to delete this whole thread.

[Rick the Quick]

You may need to flush the heater core. It's best to flush it in the reverse direction. I remove the heater hose nearest the alternator and insert a garden hosed nozzle into the hose. You will be removing the other hose where it connects to the steel line that comes from the water pump. This will be on the drivers side right above the starter. When you have the hoses disconnected turn on the water and keep the nozzle pushed into the hose nearest the alternator. Keep on flushing until you see clear water coming out. FWIW I have blocked my radiator when driving in temperatures down around zero, it's not that cold in Chicago yet. If you do block off the radiator don't forget to unblock it when you get caught on the Kennedy expressway at rush hour. Chicago is where I was born and lived for 30 years. What neighborhood are you in?

[ryanprins13]

Ha, you just described almost every stock festiva on the road now. They do take a few miles to warm up in the cold and then the heat is just passable. They dont make much heat. How high does your temp gauge get?

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