[Vwdiesel] thermostat?

[pmdolan at sasktel.net]

I have been diddling with VW diesels since we sold our very first 
copper 4 dr. deluxe in 1977.  They never had enough rejected heat to 
warm an interior at idle but the ALH we have now is by far the worst at 
heating.  It takes far longer to  reach operating temperature than 
any other (water cooled) car I have ever driven.  A 92C thermostat 
makes a heck of a difference, as does a full nose bag.  Plugging it in 
for an hour before driving (I use a much larger heater than Frost, but 
same design) also helps a fair bit and is kind to the engine.  But, in 
the end, it is still a cold-hearted beast on a -40 day.  I have been 
seriously considering building a hybrid 96C thermostat (parts beside 
the computer as I type).   BTW: the warmest interior of all I have 
enountered was strangely a MkII Jetta 1.6TD my wife once had.  It 
would pump hot air out within 3 km from cold start (highway loading, of 
course). 

On Tue, 3 Jan 2012 12:37:46 -0600, Chris Geiser <cfgeiser at gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all;
>
> Here in WI it dipped down to 5 degrees (F) this AM.  This is my first cold
> weather with the new-to-me 04 TDI. Car sits outside at night. 
> I did a bunch of city-type driving initially this AM dropping kids at
> schools, then I was on the highway for about 20 minutes before I got to
> work.  The car did not reach full operating temp during the 30 min of easy
> driving (30-45 mph) - temp gauge needle made it about 1/4 of the gauge,
> when it usually sits dead center once warm.  It only reached full operating
> temp (center of the gauge) once I got on the highway. 
> I believe the gauge to be accurate from feeling the heater output, which
> got warmer as the needle rose. 
>
> Anyone else in cold climates -> Is this normal for these cars to have
> trouble warming up, or should I think about changing out the thermostat?
>
> TIA;
>
> Chris
> _______________________________________________
> Vwdiesel mailing list
> Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
>
>