21 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
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Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCH996 delayed coolant Warming
Reported or suspected cause
foam letting in too much cold air
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
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Reported cause
Based on this, I�m guessing your issue is the foam letting in too much cold air.
Leading evidence: 'foam letting in too much cold air' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'foam letting in too much cold air' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace anything' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
About 3 years ago I had the water pump replaced by the local shop in Birmingham.
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Suspected cause · Original poster
So I guess some of the problem is the the controller software design.
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Suggestion
No reason to change the water pump to fix this symptom - it won�t change anything.
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Suggestion
I don't know the history of my car and plan to change the water pump in the spring; will switching to the lower temperature thermostat affect the warm up time?
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21 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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2002 996 Cabriolet. My car seems to take way too long to warm up in very cold weather. Even in cool weather-ambient 57 F, I have to drive 5 miles (takes 10 minutes) in order to reach operating temp ~180 F. In cold weather, ambient 30's F it takes even longer. My Toyota Pickup with a V6 heats up in ~1-2 miles. About 3 years ago I had the water pump replaced by the local shop in Birmingham. Thoughts?
Thanks. Obgynjo
Dr. Jo, warm up time is not what you should be concerned about with these cars. It's overheating that will kill them. Replacing the water pump was the first right step. Breath easy and enjoy the car!
I want to chime in here as I have been thinking there was a problem with my car also. As a new owner I have no idea how long it should take to warm up. On cold days it takes forever to get heat out of the vents or for the gauge to show full temp. The other cars I own produce heat in the first couple of miles but not the 996!
I'd never thought about the extra amount of coolant or oil being a factor, but it makes sense. I don't know the history of my car and plan to change the water pump in the spring; will switching to the lower temperature thermostat affect the warm up time?
So taking a long time to warm up is normal and I shouldn't worry about air pockets or other cooling system issues?
Warm air shouldn�t take forever. Are you starting and driving off right away on streets sustaining decent speed, or are you in stop and go traffic for the first five minutes. You should have some heat starting to come out within five minutes.
Temps coming off of 100F should happen within 5-8 minutes. 120-140F should happen within 8-12 mins. Full temp might take 20 mins total. But note: full temp in the winter might not be the same as full temp in the summer. My car runs between 188-199F in the winter, but can easily run 194-212F in the summer. Both are �warmed up� and totally normal based on the design of this car.
No reason to change the water pump to fix this symptom - it won�t change anything. Same with the low temp thermostat. That only affects temperature starting at 160F.
Do you run the AC all the time as recommended? I find a big difference in heat with the temp set to �Hi� if the AC is on. Doesn�t affect my other cars but it does in my 996.
First, let me say thanks for the replies. My daily commute starts in a neighborhood but quickly (~1.5 miles) transitions onto a highway, so no stop-and-go driving. Only two red lights between me and the highway. My commute is 15-20 minutes, and I have
some
heat toward the end of that, say at 10-12 minutes. And that heat is tepid at best.
I realize that in colder temperatures (below 40*) it will take longer to get heat just like any car, but even if the temp is around 40* I'm not "enjoying" any heat during my commute. The gauge will read temps as you list, but that doesn't seem to translate into heat from the heater.
BTW I'm a victim of the foam in the vents so perhaps that is a bigger factor than I'd hoped.
Actually I try not to run the A/C when it's cold because I get a
little
more heat with the A/C off that with it on. However about 20-30% of the time the windows fog up with the A/C off so if that happens I'll turn it back on. The fogging of the windows is worse than I see in my other cars--is this also a trait of 996?
And I haven't tried turning the heat up to 'Hi' but it's now on my list.
Sorry to hijack the thread, hope this helps the OP and others--it's helping me, that's for sure!
Based on this, I�m guessing your issue is the foam letting in too much cold air. Now, there could be a problem with your heater core, but I would start with the foam fix.
I haven�t noticed fogging is an issue compared to other cars. I had fogging with my 88 911, but that car�s AC was terrible, so not sure that�s a good comparison. The AC compressor on our cars doesn�t engage below a certain outside temperature, so if fogging occurs below that, it�s tough to remove, short of blasting the air volume and cracking a window. That only works well if it�s not raining. If it�s raining, the AC compressor should kick on to de-humidify the cabin. Folks that report continual fogging might have a water leak due to blocked drains or old weather stripping allowing water in.
I'm having the same problem in my 996 and I see this is a common failure with this model's blower section. I get freezing cold air all summer long, but my heat is mildly warm, not hot like it should be. Oh well. Guess there are worse things to worry about.
+1 This is what happens. There are ways to fix some of the doors in your 996 without removing the whole thing. This is VW, same sh--t on the doors.
You Tube
Thanks to all for all the informative replies. I probably do have a foam problem and I have learned to turn off the A/C, but my biggest beef and the reason I posted, is that on the Auto setting, it blows cold air until the block temp comes up, which seems to take much longer than other cars. Alternatively, my Toyota Rav4 on Auto keeps the fan off until the block reaches a reasonable temperature, after which the fan slowly increases speed as the temp rises. When the block/heater core is near operating temp the fan then blows max until the cabin temp reaches the preset, then backs off to maintenance flow. So I guess some of the problem is the the controller software design. Is the foam hard to fix? I do see foam pieces at the vent control vanes.
Guess I'll use my heated seats......
I agree with what you say about the behavior of the auto climate system as my experience matches yours. Apparently the programmers of the system didn't like how it was done it other cars. In my 996 my habit now is to turn the A/C off and the fan WAY down until I see the temp gauge come up some. And many thanks to "Bash Hat" for recommending setting the temp to 'Hi' - it does seem to produce more heat from the vents. Prior to this suggestion I was just leaving the temp at 72 (like I would in my other cars with automatic climate systems) and waiting... and waiting... and waiting some more.
I'm planning on doing the "easy" foam fix this weekend. While I hate cutting the inner vent housing, I don't want to disassemble the entire dash to achieve the same effect. And boy do I wish I had heated seats...
I did the foam fix this past weekend. I didn't drive the car until Tuesday and it was single digit temps that morning. I had some heat in about a mile and good heat shortly after--like a "normal" car. The repair was well worth it.
Thanks to all who helped with information!
