Cold climate Montero Owners

[KarmannMarco]

Hi guys.
I just recently moved to Colorado after living in Houston for the past 8 years.
Before that I lived in Iowa where the winters are pretty damn cold and snowy.
As cold as I remember being I don't remember ever having to wait forever for the heater to warm up a car even in below zero temperatures.
Here in Colorado when the temps are in the 30s-40s or higher my heater generally starts working after 10 or so minutes.
When its 20 or below sometimes after 20 minutes there's still no heat coming out.
Example this morning it was 11 outside and I went out and started my truck to warm it up before I took my son to school. I let the truck running for 10 minutes then went outside with my son.
After a 10 minute drive to school and back the temp gauge was in the middle but the heater was still not making heat. Eventually the heater always start working but on the colder days it can go 20+ minutes before it starts heating up. On a regular day 30+ degree day it may only need 10 minutes.
Coolant is new ( did a timing belt 4 months ago ) and I just topped off the radiator couple days ago to be sure ( it needed about two quarts )
I don't think I have a coolant leak anywhere. Driveway is clean and I don't have wet carpet due to a leaky heater core.
The engine always come up to operating temperature just fine and it never overheats or runs cold.
Is this just the norm on the extra cold days and I'm not remembering ?
I remember starting my car in the morning when I lived in Iowa in very cold weather and after a little while the car would be nice and toasty.
Any ideas?

 

[Toasty]

Maybe the heater core is plugged up or partially clogged. Also check the actual valve IIRC it's cable actuated and maybe the bushing/rodclip is broken not allowing a full 1/4 turn causing minimal flow.

Thermostat? are you running one? There are a number of issues running without can cause, one being that it will take forever to heat the coolant up two would be the lack of an orifice and i'm guessing the flow through the heater core would be diminished.


I live in Az by the way so it's very possible i don't know what i'm talking about.

 

[blackohio]

Same problem 30 minute drive no warm air. Dont need heat just air warmer than 50º. Gonna have a look today to see if heater core has been bypassed.

 

[KarmannMarco]

The thermostat was changed with an OEM one 4 months ago when I did the timing belt. What's the best way to access the heater core? I don't think its the actual heater controls/cable because once the heat start working it's works extremely well.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

We were in the single digits last night, my 98 started right up this morning and warmed up nicely, and of course the butt warmers are very nice to have.

 

[KarmannMarco]

No heated seats on my 96 Sometimes I miss the cloth seats from my old LS.

 

[evol911]

Drop the glove box down by pushing the 2 black tabs on each side in. Then look up in the dash to the left. You can see the cable that hooks on the air blend door. To reset the door, unhook the cable from the post, pull it up from the snap clip its pressed into then turn your heat to full, push the lever with the post as far forward as you can (towards the front of the truck), re-hook the cable on the post while holding the lever forward, then press the cable into the snap clip.

I just had to do this in 94 SR after taking the dash apart to see that it's a pain to get the heater core out. And FWIW, its been around 25-30* degrees around my parts and even if I let the truck idle for 5-10 minutes before leaving for work in the morning, it still takes a couple miles before the heat is hot and the inside temp gets only to around 65 after I arrive at work 25 minutes later. Big volume of air to heat up in these trucks.

 

[KarmannMarco]

Thanks for the tip ill try that.
I just went outside ( its now 31 and sunny ).
Started the truck and within 5 minutes there was warm air coming out and the temp gauge was barely coming up.
Within 10 minutes the truck was blowing nice and hot air.
Odd how 20 degrees makes such a difference on how it operates.
Checked for coolant leaks all over and nothing. Not to mention my driveway is clean. Drove around for 15 minutes the get the truck nice and warm and the system pressurized and still no leaks anywhere.
When I did my timing belt in August I topped off the radiator with new antifreeze. Last week when I checked it I had to add a couple of quarts and 20 minutes ago I had to add almost another quart. I don't see any leaks anywhere and I don't have a blown head gasket so I'm a bit confused.

 

[mapper]

Be sure your center dash vent isn't switched to the blue "fresh air" setting. When I first bought my montero I accidentally moved this and it took me a minute to figure out why the heater wasn't hot. Don't want to go on a wild goose chase with something that simple amiss.

You might have air bubbles in your heater core that are "burping" out. That might explain the irregular heating AND the seeming disappearance of coolant? Just a thought, bleeding the heater core may not have been high on a mechanic/previous owners priority list in TX. Furthermore, make sure your heater core isn't leaking into the cabin. You should be able to smell that, however.

Temps here have been in the teens a bit recently the truck will blow warm air in a couple minutes and hot air under 10 minutes. Though I don't need the heater much thanks to those aforementioned butt warmers in the winter package :sombrero:

 

[mapper]

Drop the glove box down by pushing the 2 black tabs on each side in. Then look up in the dash to the left. You can see the cable that hooks on the air blend door. To reset the door, unhook the cable from the post, pull it up from the snap clip its pressed into then turn your heat to full, push the lever with the post as far forward as you can (towards the front of the truck), re-hook the cable on the post while holding the lever forward, then press the cable into the snap clip.

I just had to do this in 94 SR after taking the dash apart to see that it's a pain to get the heater core out. And FWIW, its been around 25-30* degrees around my parts and even if I let the truck idle for 5-10 minutes before leaving for work in the morning, it still takes a couple miles before the heat is hot and the inside temp gets only to around 65 after I arrive at work 25 minutes later. Big volume of air to heat up in these trucks.

Pre-warming the truck usually doesn't do a whole lot, aside from bad things for the motor/emissions. If I jump in my truck on a 20 degree day and drive my 5 miles, 8-10 minute, mostly freeway commute, my truck will be warm before I get to the office. I am wearing a jacket so it probably isn't 65 inside, however, I don't even keep my house that warm!!!!

 

[plh]

adding heat to the seats isn't too bad of an upgrade. I put in kits from Amazon in both the '92 & '93. About $50 for each truck to do the front buckets. 12F this morning. Glad I did the upgrade, especially after returning from Bangkok yesterday - Was 95F there.

 

[mapper]

Drove Montero this morning to watch how it warms up. This is before sun up so no solar effects.
Here you go

6:49 started truck and scraped light frost off windshield, drove off. 19 degrees. Turn blower to #1 and vents to defrost
6:52 pulled onto to freeway after a slow first mile (20-30 mph), bad timing on the traffic light this morning. Truck at 1/4-1/3 on temp gauge. Window cleared of steam from my breathing, switch from defrost to panel vents, air was noticeably warm on my face, run freeway at 65ish mph
6:54 truck at full operating temp 1/2 on gauge
6:55 heat feels fully hot on face, though cabin definitely not "warm" yet
6:56 pulled off freeway and would have unzipped my jackets were I not almost to work, turn heat blower off
6:58 parked at work, cabin already getting too warm for me with jackets on. My jackets are a light hooded sweatshirt (hood down) and a med. weight fleece. I wear light gloves because the wheel will never warm up on this commute. I need a bimmer with a heated wheel :sombrero:

Anyway, there's your information overload for the morning. Clearly I don't have any looming deadlines at work right now

My other cars all operate somewhat similarly on this commute with the Turbo motors warming slightly faster and the van cabin taking longer to warm. I never really worry about warming the cabin though, I usually only use my blower for the front windshield work.

 

[ljense8]

This is my Monty at 3:30am today. About 15*F(should qualify as cold climate) and 1.5 mile commute through downtown to work, taking about 6 minutes. It was just starting to blow warm, with the temp gauge at about 25%, when I hit the front gate.

 

[KarmannMarco]

Well guys I finally figured out the issue after 2 gallons of antifreeze disappearing in a couple of weeks. Turns out I'm getting some slow coolant dripping from under the transmission. I will look into it in detail tomorrow but I noticed it dripping/accumulating off of the transmission support. There isn't a drop of coolant anywhere in or under the engine. Could it be leaking behind the engine and only dropping off the transmission? Is there any coolant lines that run above the transmission?

 

[KarmannMarco]

I'm lost. No coolant leakes at the hoses on the firewall. No leaks around the radiator. No coolant splashed onto the bottom of my engine. Intake manifold is dry. Yet still theres coolant drips accumulating off of the transmission supportt. The is no visible dripping neither at idle , under load or after a 15 minute drive. Carpet is dry so not the heater core (and even so it would not explain the fluid on the transmission support. No overheating at all and the transmission fluid stays at a constant 195.8 degrees according to my reader. The coolant on the transmission support is clean and green so I know its not mixing with anything else. I'm clueless.