HEATER TAKE FOREVER

[EddiieeG10]

Recently bought a 2018 Ram 2500 when testing out the truck, didnt really care about the Heater/AC

Now that i need the Heater to Defrost in the morning, It blows fine but takes FOREVER to heat up, cant defrost or heat up my hands!

i need to be running almost normal temps to get some what warm air. I leave the AC button off aswell..

Does the Banks Grid Heater delete help with what im going through? Or is this possibly something else? Like heating core or Thermostat?

Im new to Rams so any help would be appreciated.

 

[crash68]

Does the Banks Grid Heater delete help with what im going through? Or is this possibly something else? Like heating core or Thermostat?

Lack of heat in the cab has nothing to do with the engine grid heater.
Depending on the ambient temperatures, if they're at below freezing you'll want to run a winter front. If the coolant temp doesn't get up into the low 200°F then it's probably the thermostat.
Unfortunately the HD trucks also seems to be disproportionately effected by plugged up heater cores. First sign is the driver's side will be cold compared to the passenger side. Some people have luck back flushing the heater core yet other need to replace it

 

[Jeepwalker]

That's right.
First off, diesel's don't produce a lot of heat till they warm up. 2nd, it takes longer to warm up than a gas engine. There's a lot of engine mass. If a person drove 15 min to work everyday, the truck would just be 'starting' to get warm (and start throwing heat) by the time they get to work. I used to drive 1/2 to work in a diesel Jetta and it was a cold winter ride much of the way there. The vehicle was just starting to get warm by the time I would arrive. Just a characteristic of diesel engines.

So, as pointed out above, what's your tk's temp? Ensure it's reaching it's nomal operating temperature. You don't get much heat at 170* for instance.

 

[chaosh1]

Also, I have found that if you set the temp to 70, the blend doors will do there thing and the air coming out will be colder than if you put it up to max. This is the first vehicle that i have seen do this. It sounds crazy, but it definitely makes a difference. At least on mine. Mine might be broken

 

[ppine]

Put a piece of cardboard in front of your radiator in cold weather.
Every truck in Wyoming uses this trick.

 

[Jeepwalker]

He's in CA though. Depends where at... probably not as cold as Norther Minnesota or WI I'm guessing. That's why I'd be checking into things first.

 

[chaosh1]

He's in CA though. Depends where at... probably not as cold as Norther Minnesota or WI I'm guessing. That's why I'd be checking into things first.

Im in Cali as well. And mine is the same. He should put the temp up to Max and he will see a differance much faster. Temp setting seems to affect blend doors. I thought i had a partial blocks heater core till i did that. It downright gets hot AF quick

 

[EddiieeG10]

Im in Cali as well. And mine is the same. He should put the temp up to Max and he will see a differance much faster. Temp setting seems to affect blend doors. I thought i had a partial blocks heater core till i did that. It downright gets hot AF quick

Will try this, I have a tradesman so i dont have the fancy #s like on larimes,

I will try and set the blow setting half way, and heat max see if it makes a difference, But it just seems to take waayyy to long to heat up, I get the coolant temp to around 180-190s and then it starts to feel somewhat warm but not enough to defrost

 

[Jeepwalker]

Eddiiee ...do you have a scan tool? Or even an Infra-red temp gun? Pull over quick & shoot for a temp reading at the base of the top radiator hose (where it exits the engine) ...while at operating temp.

It might be a good idea if you can get an actual coolant temp reading just to be sure the actual coolant temp is what the dash gauge is reading. On my Jetta diesel, last time the T-stat was flaky the gauge hardly read below what it normally reads (it was slightly lower, but not much) ...yet the actual coolant temp was 15-20* less than normal. The heat was a lot less than normal. Replaced T-stat, good heat again ...problem solved.

I might try that. If nothing else let you can cross coolant or T-stat temp anomolies off your list.

 

[Wild one]

Will try this, I have a tradesman so i dont have the fancy #s like on larimes,

I will try and set the blow setting half way, and heat max see if it makes a difference, But it just seems to take waayyy to long to heat up, I get the coolant temp to around 180-190s and then it starts to feel somewhat warm but not enough to defrost

Spend some time going through the HD section,you'll find lots of threads on heater core issues.

Heavy Duty

A discussion for 2013+ 3500 and 2014+ 2500 Ram Trucks.

www.ramforum.com

 

[GTyankee]

I live down next to the Mexican Border in California

This time of year, i drive at least 10 city blocks to get to the Freeway On Ramp, there are at least 5 signal Lights & at least 1 Stop Sign along that route.

The Heater Starts blowing Heat as i merge on the Freeway

When the engine reaches about 200 degrees, the water running through the Heater Core is almost that temperature too

Sacramento mornings right now, are about 40°F

San Diego is about 48°F in the mornings

 

[mtofell]

Diesels take a Loooonnnngggg time to heat vs. gas so if that's your reference point it might just be normal. I went from gas to diesel and the time to get heat on a "normal" day in winter 30/40s was about 3X.

 

[GTyankee]

Remote Start your Ram when you grab your pants to start dressing.

If the Rams warming up before you climb into cab, it will warm your Cab a bit quicker.

Back in New England, in the late 1950s i would go out to where we had the cars parked, I would start my Dad's & my car up, then go back in the house & drink a cup of coffee. Then we would leave for week.
WE slid refrigerator packing cardboard under our engines &
transmissions when the nights were freezing.
Never had a frozen Engine Block
We did not have antifreeze back then, i think anti freeze became popular around 1960 something

 

[Wild one]

Remote Start your Ram when you grab your pants to start dressing.

If the Rams warming up before you climb into cab, it will warm your Cab a bit quicker.

Back in New England, in the late 1950s i would go out to where we had the cars parked, I would start my Dad's & my car up, then go back in the house & drink a cup of coffee. Then we would leave for week.
WE slid refrigerator packing cardboard under our engines &
transmissions when the nights were freezing.
Never had a frozen Engine Block
We did not have antifreeze back then, i think anti freeze became popular around 1960 something

Antifreeze was around long before 1960,it was developed in 1926.My Dad was born in 35,and he used to talk about having to check the antifreeze in the vehicles every fall when he was probably about 10,and it had been in use from before his time


Ethylene glycol solutions first became available in 1926 and were marketed as "permanent antifreeze" since the higher boiling points provided advantages for summertime use as well as during cold weather. Alcohols such as methanol, ethanol,were in use as antifreeze even before then

 

[nlambert182]

As most have said, diesels take longer to heat up. Forget about the Banks grid heater delete. 1) It's overpriced and isn't necessary and 2) it doesn't help warm up the engine any faster. All the grid heater does is warm up the intake air to help the engine start. The only reason to delete is if the grid heater bolt is loose, and you can check that by doing the wiggle test to the power wire. If it isn't loose, don't mess with it.

You don't start getting any heat in the cab until the coolant temp reaches 122 degrees. You don't start actually feeling noticeable heat in the cab until you get upwards of 130-150 degrees. It will start to defrost the windshield around those temps. Mine isn't fully defrosted until my coolant temps hit about 185-190, which is hard to do while idling.

Start the truck when you're getting ready for work. Give it at least 15 minutes to warm up. After 2-3 minutes, the engine should idle itself up to help it get to operating temps quicker. If it isn't fully defrosted when you get in, WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BRAKE PEDAL, using the cruise control buttons, press the + and it will idle the engine up by 100 rpms each press. You can do this up to 1500 rpms. Let it sit at 1500 rpms and it will finish defrosting. Just don't touch the brake pedal or it will drop back to regular idle. Then you'll need to turn on cruise control and manually set the high idle again.

 

[GTyankee]

Wild One
It did read the history on Coolant & Anti Freeze

But, when i was in my Teens, at my home, my Dad never bought Anti Freeze. At that time, we were living in Connecticut, not very far from New York.
On my Grand Fathers Dairy Farm, we were still buying Motor Oil in Glass Jars, a lid had to be removed & a funnel was then twisted on, i think we used Pennzoil.
After that, we switched to Cardboard oil containers, they always leaked


I went into the Navy just after my 19th Birthday in 1962.
When i left the Navy in late 1966, i believe that most everyone was using antifreeze

 

[Wild one]

Wild One
It did read the history on Coolant & Anti Freeze

But, when i was in my Teens, at my home, my Dad never bought Anti Freeze. At that time, we were living in Connecticut, not very far from New York.
On my Grand Fathers Dairy Farm, we were still buying Motor Oil in Glass Jars, a lid had to be removed & a funnel was then twisted on, i think we used Pennzoil.
After that, we switched to Cardboard oil containers, they always leaked
View attachment 560765
View attachment 560764
I went into the Navy just after my 19th Birthday in 1962.
When i left the Navy in late 1966, i believe that most everyone was using antifreeze

What history are you referring to???
I know in Canada anti-freeze was in use long before 1960


Charles-Adolphe Wurtz, a French chemist, is credited with creating ethylene glycol in the mid-1800s. It was first used commercially in dynamite manufacturing in the early twentieth century (Crankshift). Automobile applications followed about ten years later in the 1920s. Antifreeze is often bright green in color.Jan 28, 2020

 

[Marshall]

A point often missed there are a lot additives in antifreeze that prevent rusting, corrosion in motors and rads

Do not run straight water in any modern motor (For any length of time.)

Dad would drain the water every night in winter if he was using a car or truck, but that was 1920,s
I know in 30’s he used antifreeze
Weather girl said last night Regina was supposed to be -40 but we just cool here at -30c
If you have a dead/ poor battery, at those temperatures they will freeze and break
You can buy battery warmers, good for the HD trucks

BTW standard equipment in winter was a good piece of cardboard covering the rad with a round hole about 10”in the center
Made a lot of difference

My yard tractor I would use old carpet over the whole front end & sides

 

[Jeepwalker]

The OP never really defined what "FOREVER" was ...either in time or miles/distance.

A lot of guys buy a diesel thinking they sound 'cool', but later discover a few unintended consequences of diesel 'efficiency'. One of them bing not as much engine heat to work with. Another being it takes forever to heat all that mass up. By the time you do, you might already be at the end of your journey (if you live in/near town).

Diesels don't like short, cold trips all the time either.

 

[nlambert182]

I don't know if that's a consequence so much... just normal operations. It sounds like the OP doesn't give the truck long enough to warm up. You're not going to defrost a windshield (or your hands) within the first 5-10 minutes of starting a diesel truck in freezing temps. Either start it earlier, or dress accordingly.