89GP_SE Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 just a general question really. When you live in an older climate, does covering the grill with cardboard or something really help with keeping your temperature warmer. I have been having problems wth getting heat to stay in my car, and I was wondering if maybe I should try covering my grill with something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam'ron Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 i noticed a little difference in my regal when i cut a piece to cover the front of the rad itself. not sure if it is actually good for the car though cause it essentially blocks off airflow that is otherwise needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckethead Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I think if your car isn't heating up properly you may have a problem with the thermostat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 my climate is pretty old, and i havent heard of people having too many problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91GPSTE Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 It does work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 my climate's several billion years old. No probs here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimper Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 Short answer yes.... Although always check your thermostat :-).... The case some people in warmer climate doesn't think about is that the airflow around the engine it self cools it down quite a lot especially at high speed. Hence it can be necessary to block that airflow off. Gimper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intern8tion9l Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 i think it only works on big trucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5speedz34 Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I always thought this was for diesels so they don't have trouble starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 If you're hell bent on covering your radiator, only cover half of it. You still need to allow some air through the rad, otherwise your motor will overheat. But do like everyone else says and change your thermostat (make sure you have a 195* stat in there - anything "colder" than that will cause problems with the heat in sub-freezing temps.) When my 93 Cav was overheating, I replaced the radiator and overcompensated by putting in a 180* t-stat. Well come winter time, the sumbitch didn't stay warm enough to produce good heat. I tried the cardboard-over-the-radiator trick and it worked quite well. Come that spring, however, I put a 195* t-stat back in there and heat situation was back to normal the next winter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1234 Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 im not sure. I don't even have an a/c "radiator/condensor" in there, with the pastic covers off the top, so my radiator gets a lot of cold air, and my car is always warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turby Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I always thought this was for diesels so they don't have trouble starting. Bwahahaha What's the cardboard do when it's sitting still? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91GPSTE Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I always thought this was for diesels so they don't have trouble starting. Bwahahaha What's the cardboard do when it's sitting still? Same thing it does for bums. Keeps them warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89GP_SE Posted December 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 If you're hell bent on covering your radiator, only cover half of it. You still need to allow some air through the rad, otherwise your motor will overheat. But do like everyone else says and change your thermostat (make sure you have a 195* stat in there - anything "colder" than that will cause problems with the heat in sub-freezing temps.) When my 93 Cav was overheating, I replaced the radiator and overcompensated by putting in a 180* t-stat. Well come winter time, the sumbitch didn't stay warm enough to produce good heat. I tried the cardboard-over-the-radiator trick and it worked quite well. Come that spring, however, I put a 195* t-stat back in there and heat situation was back to normal the next winter... well up here its pretty normal to get -35 celcius. I recently put a new tstat in it but I think I grabbed the 180* tstat, I wasnt sure what to grab, so what your saying is that I probly put in too cold of a tstat and thats why I am not getting heat. That makes sense. Keep in mind that this is a Lebaron with the famous head gasket blowing 2.5 . Would that affect it as well? Also it has a control valve that lets the warm antifreeze in the heater core, I noticed I had a cracked vac line, so I disconnected the line, and forced the valve to stay open allowing the heated antifreeze to come through. Does anyone know if I can just take out the control valve and just directly connect the plumbing straight to the heater core... i know this may sound confuseing. Now this is gonna be in the wrong catagory. Great!, Just great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regal_GS_1989 Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 you shouldnt have any issues at all with leaving the rad completely exposed. Hell, the main cooling fan in my regal runs 100% of the time, and the temp is the same winter and summer. So if you are having issues, than check the t-stat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89GP_SE Posted December 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 well my colt is really freakin hot all the time, no matter how cold it is outside, and the rad aint covered either, but this car is just being really weird right now so I dunno what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I ran my lumina last winter with the right side of the radiator covered. I think it helped moderate the temp to stay a bit more towards the warm zone. but them I removed, flushed, and reinstalled the heater core and woot!!! warm. I think it can help, but pull it out when it warms back up. And it is no substitute for a good themostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89GP_SE Posted December 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 so it is settled, im gonna buy a new tstat and cover up the rad.. thanks guys ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 On my Lumina I was running a 180 stat and didn't have any heat for two years....put a 195 in this fall and I've got more heat then I know what to do with...the COLD----HOT selector is usually in the middle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1234 Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89GP_SE Posted December 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 changed it over from a 180 to a 195, but it still blows cold.. also installed new cardboard... i dont know what to do anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Heater core might be clogged then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo231 Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 I believe this is totally a climate control problem verses an actual engine cooling problem. My Buick has a 160 stat and I get plenty of warm air out of the heater. Other message boards I'm on also report plenty of heat with 160 and 180 stats in extremely cold climates (B-Bodies). What is happening is that your heater core isn't transferring heat very well. When that super cold air hits it, it just doesn't warm it up enough (transfer coolant heat to the air) to make it comfortable. The thermostat controls the temperature of the engine. Period. Do new cars put cardboard in front of the radiator to regulate temperature? No...their systems are working fine. If you need to put cardboard in front, then your system has other issues. Big diesels require the heat of compression to run...well, when it's super cold, they don't do that well, so they block up the radiators...they also have excessive capacity radiators unlike most passenger cars. To make air hotter on the inside, increasing the coolant temperature will work, and it will make up some for a poor climate control problem, but I think if you work on the climate control side, which can be a total pain, you'll fix your problem and be warm and toasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontiac6KSTEAWD Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Heater core might be clogged then? Mine was clogged, and I had a barely any heat situation. Replaced it, and it will roast me out of the car, and thats with a 180* thermostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89GP_SE Posted December 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 well i have one more idea in my head, and then its gonna be... the heater core Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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