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Metris taking 20 minutes to warm up in cold

9K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  Greenmanedlion 
#1 ·
Its starting to get cold in Colorado. I have noticed that my Metris takes forever to warm up. Have to drive for 15 minutes before I see any movement in the engine temp gauge. After about 20 it get to about the 1/4 from the bottom and heat is just lukewarm. Is this just me or are others having the same issue.
I seems like a stuck thermostat but I only have 4k on the metris.
 
#2 ·
That's weird. My car has the cold weather package and is warmish air within a minute of engine start at freezing. My car is warmed up totally by the time I get to the place I go for breakfast/coffee, about two miles/5 min from my house.

I know because my wife goes in to get the food, and I don't cut the engine until it hits at least 85c.
 
#8 ·
Yea, seem a few members taking their Cold Weather Package for granted. Do chime back with what they say. I find my Cargo van is along the same line as yours.
 
#10 ·
Wow, and to think when I was mulling over options, I thought the CWP was just some 'heated seats'. Fortunately, living in North Carolina, there's only 1-2 dozen really cold days that will make this package absence sorely missed. I can deal with that. The other costly option packages are appreciated year round!
 
#11 ·
The aux heater really should be standard in this country, American buyers are not ready for, nor understand, The European concept of everything being extra, with a low base price, cherry picked options, and ordering the car as you want it. Some essential options for buyers get overlooked as being more specialty than they are, and vice versa.

E.g the cold weather package is a must for any state that gets freezing temperatures regularly, whereas the enhanced a/c package is really a specialty item for hot state livery drivers.
 
#12 ·
Totally agree with you on that. Cold Weather packages used be along the lines of Extreme cold...which included a block heater and other sub zero survival features...now just decent cold-start heat is optional lol. Oh well, atleast for me weather calls for warmer temps toward the middle of the week.

I did a test earlier today where I held the gas pedal to stay around 1100-1200 rpm and the engine temp gauge rose much faster than idle.
 
#14 ·
I think I have the same issue. This morning was 5 degrees F. and I was unable to defrost the front windshield and after 18 mile commute into Cambridge the cabin was barely warm. The temp gauge was just above 40 by the time I got to work (all together about an hour on the road) At no point did the ice on the windshield melt from the defroster.

Not a great way to start off the snow season in Boston.
:frown:
 
#16 ·
MB service claims that with no codes or check engine light that can't be the problem.

I am going to set up a video camera on the gauges and let it run for 1/2 hour in the driveway and then send it back if they can't fix it.

I am not driving for 15 minutes with no defroster.
 
#18 ·
I can run mine in the driveway for 60 minutes and it will not get over 40C.
mine is a cargo van. when i start to drive it it will go up to around 85C. if i get into traffic, it will drop to back to 40c. you can actually watch it drop. dealer has no idea whats wrong. we have a fleet of them here and all the same
 
#19 ·
There is no logical reason why it would be designed to do that- an engine is at its most efficient running at it's designed temperature. Catalytic converters, in particular, require high exhaust heat or the catalytic reaction does not take place- one of the reasons modern engines run much hotter than those of pre-emissions cars.

Theory- a bit of moisture got into an actuator for the thermostat valve causing it to either freeze or more likely rust in the wrong position. It could also be a computer programming error. Since I'm sure the emissions would be effected by this, there should be an error code.

Therefore, think of a problem that would cause both this AND the lack of an error code.
 
#20 ·
This is especially annoying for this to happen during the winter season.

Hopefully the culprit is found soon for you guys.
 
#22 ·
Not a big issue here in NC with mid 30s-40s in the morning for most of this winter (loving it!), but I have been driving with the first 4 gear speeds (keeping rpm around 2.5-3k) to get quicker heat in the first 5 min of driving.
 
#23 ·
No Heat

Is there any fix for the engine not warming up?

I mean really. If I'm traveling on business and there is frost or ice on the windows in the morning, I can't turn the engine on and let it melt off. This was one of the primary reasons I went with gas over diesel....instant heat.

What where they thinking that this is acceptable.
 
#24 ·
I don't know why the engine isn't heating up- I suspect it has to be some kind of flaw as it is certainly not universal.

My car heats up somewhere between 55c (outside temperature ~10f) to fully (90c) during my drive from my house to my breakfast haunt, which is a 1.2 mile drive along mostly dense residential streets with several crossing guards and stop signs and strictly enforced speed limits between 25-35 - (there are three schools along the route) I usually average between 17 and 19 mph according to the trip computer.

I do not warm up the car at all or in any way. I turn it to "on" and set up my built in Nav, set my dash Mounted Garmin to speedo mode, set the transmission to economy, adjust climate controls to cold start setting (72f, fan 2.5, all three vents, rear def if needed), and plug in my phone and set up the stereo. And then I start it.

I back out of my driveway and let the car control everything on my drive- this is usually pre coffee, so I am too asleep to do anything but watch for children walking to school.

By the time I drive down my einbahnstrasse to the stop sign (about 200 feet), turn left, and and drive about another 600 feet to turn left again, my auxiliary heater is pumping out heat. By the time I get to my breakfast place it is almost always at 60c or higher, so I feel fine shutting it off and sitting while my wife grabs breakfast and then eating it- it almost never gets cold enough to start the car again before we finish breakfast, in fact. It's ability to stay warmish for hours is a noteworthy feature in fact.

Further two notes- I rarely wear a jacket to the car, and it gets so warm so fast, I never wear a jacket driving, lest I end up like Del Griffith in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

It is presently cloudy 49f and breezy near a lake as I type this. I shut off the car two hours ago. I am wearing a short sleeve t-shirt and overalls. I am slightly on the warmish side. If it was a cold day (25 or less) this is usually the time period where I start thinking about breaking out my jacket. It's usually 3-4 hours before I break out my sleeping bag.

So no, very seriously, not all Metris vans have temperature issues. Mine sure doesn't.
 
#25 ·
I don't know why the engine isn't heating up- I suspect it has to be some kind of flaw as it is certainly not universal.
So no, very seriously, not all Metris vans have temperature issues. Mine sure doesn't.
YOU HAVE THE Cold Weather Package! I believe most complaints is from owners who do not have this option. With that said, it clearly shouldn't take that long for the engine to reach op temps. Hope it is a fixable issue... for winter 2018.
 
#27 ·
And now it's not. I noticed three things. One, passenger side most windshield washer nozzle was knocked off of its mount (easy to re attach), 2) outside temp gauge is about 10-15f optimistic (it's usually close) and 3) when I opened my hood the aux cooling fan was kicking on and off. Which it should not be doing when the van is not even up to operating temperature.

Any thoughts?

Btw: my heat is fine. Would those of you with the aux heater keep an eye on your gauges?
 
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