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Focus 2014 Titanium - Cold Weather, poor heating


Motherwell
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Hello,

Got my Focus in the summer, first day of strong frost and switched it on to Max heating and left it for 10 mins.  Got going and drove for another 10 mins and the air blowing out was still only lukewarm at best.

I would have expected hot air after 10 mins idle and 10 mins driving at least.  The auto A/C was up full and still nothing, am I just being pedantic or do you think a wee trip to the dealers is in order?

Cheers 

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Petrol engines do take significantly longer to warm vs a diesel engine.

I had a rental Citeron C3 that was the same until about 30 minutes into the journey.

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My 2010 Mk2.5 1.6l petrol is the same despite the gauge coming up to temp within 3/4 mile or so. At least the heated seats only take a couple of mins!

I turn the a/c off as soon as the windscreen is clear but mine is manual

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19 minutes ago, DJ_Andy_M said:

Petrol engines do take significantly longer to warm vs a diesel engine.

I had a rental Citeron C3 that was the same until about 30 minutes into the journey.

I think you've got it mixed up there, diesels usually take longer than petrol to warm up.

My 1.0L starts blowing out warm air after about 1.5 miles or 3 minutes after starting up. My commute is only 2.8 miles and it's already warm by the time it's get there!

When it's below 5c I d start it a few minutes beforehand though. 

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I also definitely say Diesels take longer to warm up than a petrol engine.  That is a sign of their extra efficiency over a petrol engine. They do not waste so much energy in creating heat.

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My mum's 1.0 Focus heats up really quick.

I've used it for work a few times and I can be sat at the lights waiting to exit the industrial estate and it will almost be up to temp, blowing warm air and activating stop/start, lol.

Have you checked your coolant level?

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Not checked coolant level, but car was only serviced in August so I suspect it will be okay.  Will have a look later, thanks for the heads up.

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Of all petrol engines, the 1.0 is built for fast warm up times. That's why it has a cast iron block.

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Check your  coolant thermostat as this could be sticking open

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Is this easy to do? I can check the coolant level, but unsure where this is.

 

Cheers

Drew

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My 1.6 tivct takes about 10/12mins to warm up to full heat with the max heat button. As it uses the AC pump, your AC topped up? Usually with the pump running, I assume, it makes the engine warm up quicker as it's putting a bit more load on the engine.

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My mk 2.5 titanium petrol takes bout 3 min for the needle to go from cold to fully upto temp and give out hot air. Granted I did a coolant flush and change, air con regarding n pollen filter change recently but I wudnt think that wud make v big difference.

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17 hours ago, Motherwell said:

Is this easy to do? I can check the coolant level, but unsure where this is.

 

Cheers

Drew

Unfortunately I don't know where your coolant thermostat is as I don't have your engine . It will be somewhere in the radiator coolant pipes  probably mounted on the engine itself .Its main job is to keep the engine at the correct temperature  IF it is stuck open (a common fault) it will be that your car will take longer to warm up it will also mean that the heater will not work very well and  also take along time for the engine to warm up.  Used to be a simple job  can do it yourself but on a modern engine you never know where it may be hidden. a good idea if they still make them is if faultly change it to a winter stat as apposed to a summer stat ( they don't make 'em for all cars just make a general one).It is the reverse if it sticks shut  your car will overheat and probably spit coolant all over the place out of the coolant filler cap seal. This is only a possibility it could be other things like an air block in the heater system or even really old dirty coolant if its not been changed for a long time (unlikely as your car is a 2014 if I'm right).Have a look on Utube on how to test a car thermostat quite simple just a bowl of hot and a bowl of cold water. This is just my opinion and I may be wrong but  thisis where I would look FIRST.

 

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Forgot to say if available a Winterstat will allow the car to warm up a bit quicker that a standard stat

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Is your car fitted with a Kysor radiator shutter?

Could it be stuck open

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Hi all,  It was the coolant!  Less than Fk all in the thing, like a trickle leading into the hose. Stuck almost 2l in and then fired it up from cold and heating restored.   I am a bad owner!  Lesson learned all and thanks for your help

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23 hours ago, chrisroberson99 said:

I think you've got it mixed up there, diesels usually take longer than petrol to warm up.

My 1.0L starts blowing out warm air after about 1.5 miles or 3 minutes after starting up. My commute is only 2.8 miles and it's already warm by the time it's get there!

When it's below 5c I d start it a few minutes beforehand though. 

Hmm fair enough. All of my diesels have warmed up faster than my petrols. All Ford I might add. My current Focus kicks out heat within 5 minutes.

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4 minutes ago, DJ_Andy_M said:

Hmm fair enough. All of my diesels have warmed up faster than my petrols. All Ford I might add. My current Focus kicks out heat within 5 minutes.

I believe that diesels have often aux heater installed from factory. I haven't heard that you could order this for petrols.

This is the one I'm talking about:

 

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32 minutes ago, Motherwell said:

Hi all,  It was the coolant!  Less than Fk all in the thing, like a trickle leading into the hose. Stuck almost 2l in and then fired it up from cold and heating restored.   I am a bad owner!  Lesson learned all and thanks for your help

Keep an eye on your coolant level over the next few weeks. I have never had to top mine up on any of my cars between servicing. You might have a little leak somewhere.

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Being a 1.0, I'd check your Degas hose, although being a 2014 it may have the later hos fitted, 2 litres of coolant is quite a lot, have a read of this thread 

 

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On 11/23/2016 at 0:31 PM, Motherwell said:

Hello,

............ and left it for 10 mins. 

on a side note , most car owners manuals advise against this , suggesting the car should be driven away shortly after the engine is started so it reaches operating temp as soon as possible as ticking over at just 1000 rpm or so from cold isnt a big enough engine load to get thermostat opened quickly.

 

and my understanding was that  petrols always heat up quicker than diesels simply because petrol fuel combusts at a higher temp than diesel fuel.

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On 23/11/2016 at 1:33 PM, DJ_Andy_M said:

Petrol engines do take significantly longer to warm vs a diesel engine.

I had a rental Citeron C3 that was the same until about 30 minutes into the journey.

are you sure, my mums 1L polo MPI not turbo(66 plate) heats up within 2-3 miles. 

my focus st takes at least 10+ (STD lol)

 

Jamie

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I sometimes run the car on idle in my work time breaks, takes just a few mins for car to warm up.

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  • 2 months later...

Hello all,

My Focus is draining coolant faster than I think it should.  Still under warranty (6 months left).  Would the dealer fix it under warranty or just rip the ***** and think of a number?

Cheers

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If it's a fault with the car then yes it's covered under the 3 year warranty. 

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