2001 Pathfinder warm up question!

[Kar]

How long it takes on 2001 Pathfinder to warm up and start blowing hot air?

Mine needs about 7-10 min with outside temp about 30F. I`m trying to figure out if I need my thermostat to be replaced.

[Pathfound49]

I'm in PA and its F'n cold out right now. Your warm up time is fine.

[AZhitman]

Sounds about right. Most cars require at least 4-5 minutes to reach operating temperature.

If your thermostat was bad, it would actually heat up faster, because the coolant would not remain in the radiator long enough. Unless you have an overheating problem, everything sounds normal.

Cleaning the blower motor and heater box isn't a bad idea... 12 years of who-knows-what can block the warm air pretty quickly.

Welcome aboard!

[Towncivilian]

Here is an awful graph I made which charts engine coolant temperature and engine RPM over about 5 minutes, with an outside temp of 55F. 176F is when the thermostat fully opens.



Logged from my own Pathfinder.

7 to 10 minutes sounds reasonable from 30F I'd say.

I also second the suggestion to change the cabin air filter and clean out the blower motor squirrel cage. This topic shows you how to change the cabin air filter, and see this topic to see how dusty and grimy the blower motor cage and housing can get.

[yngw13]

do you have the VENT closed or open??? (drawing in outside air)

I think the 5-7 min mark is about right (for closed vent)...I mean 30f is freezing temps...just tried it this morning and it took like 15mins for me to feel like I should turn down the heater/fan (with a sweater+coat on me) (weather was a winter mix >sludge> above freezing...maybe 34ish F)

[Densetsu]

When it's -25C / -13F, "lukewarm" air starts blowing around the 7-8 minute mark. It takes a good 20-25 mins before I get actual hot air.

At the freezing mark outside, it's around 6-7 minutes until the Pathy blows hot. The same time I get out of the suburbs and hit the highway.

[fueler]

coolant temp gauge is ok but i dont like to rip on any of my engines until at least 10 minutes of run time, oil takes longer to heat up than the water does. Just because the water is hot doesnt mean the engine is truly warmed up yet.

[Buzzman]

Living in the Great White North all of my life has taught me a few things about winter driving and how cars behave in cold weather.
First thing I learned is that driving a van or SUV, or any other boxy vehicle, takes a lot longer to warm up than a car.
(I'm not talking about warming up the engine BTW). Simply put, the cabin air volume is so much greater in a van/SUV than in a car, so it takes twice as long to feel truly warm in a big vehicle.
My Altima warms up a lot quicker inside than my Pathy, for example.
Secondly, to help the engine warm up faster, don't run the heater fan on high, or even medium speed, until the engine is warm.
The heater core is just another radiator, and running the fan on high speed at start-up only slows down the engine's ability to warm up the coolant. Put it on low speed for the first five minutes.
Thirdly, letting the vehicle sit and idle to "warm it up" only makes it worse.
Start driving the vehicle almost right away. Take it easy of course, and keep the revs at a reasonable level for the first five minutes or so. Driving the vehicle is the best way to warm it up.
As for the oil taking longer to warm up, that's true. That's why I run full synthetic oil in my vehicles up here.
Dinosaur oil is thicker than molasses at cold temperatures, and doesn't flow very well on cold startups. It can take up to thirty seconds for the oil to reach the upper parts of the engine on a cold day. Not so good for the valve train.
Synthetic oil retains it's viscosity at low temperatures, flows better, and greatly reduces friction at freezing temperatures. Save your engine and use synthetic oil if you live in cold climates.
My truck in general doesn't take long to warm up. The seats however are another thing lol. Wish I had heated seats.
Time to hit the junkyards in the spring and see if there are any Pathfinders/QX4's with heated seats still in them.
Cheers for now.

[Towncivilian]

VQ35 Pathfinders have an engine oil cooler which helps warm up the oil to coolant temperature faster, which is a nice bonus. I can have heat in 5 minutes or less on a colder Florida morning or night.

I still wait for the engine coolant temperature to reach 170-176 F before exceeding 2.5k RPM or so.

The coolant temp gauge reads normal starting at approximately 150F. I don't know when it starts climbing over that, I've seen it normal as high as 190F.