I own a 2020 Outback and this past winter has been cold quite literally. Anytime I use the car from a cold start or even semi warmed up the HVAC blows cold air. The only work around is to run the CVT in manual mode and run the RPM’s around 3000 and I can get hot air out of the vents. Driving on the interstate is about the only place is where I can get good hot air out of the HVAC system. In town if I was getting warm air in auto mode on the CVT and stop at a light for any amount of extended time the air will go cold. My thoughts are maybe a stuck thermostat. I would say once the oil temp is 190ish or so the problem seems to be gone. Thoughts.
2020 Outback Premium
2022 Ascent Limited
5525 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
From what other members have reported this is normal behaviour.
The vehicle supplies coolant to warm the CVT fluid as a priority over cabin heat.
Your work around is the recommended procedure.
SOA 1-800-782-2783, MY11 Outback 3.6R Premium (prodáno v lednu 2022), MY12 Forester XT 2.5 (nejmladší dcera)
MY07 Liberty/Legacy 2.5 (nejstarší dcera), MY12 Liberty 2.5 (zeť)
303 příspěvků · Připojeno 2021
Check you radiator fluid level, if it’s good take it to the dealer- mine heats up in the upper Midwest winters pretty quick, then it’s so hot I can’t stand it! At 64!
1017 příspěvků · Připojeno 2010
Bet your thermo valve is bad, we see that and there is an updated part.
DO you have a check engine light or the blue coolant temp light stay on?
2008 Tribeca denně
1992 Turbo Integra GSR
2008 Tribeca
Honda Civic VX k20a2 1992
5019 příspěvků · Připojeno 2011
blue coolant temp light stay on?
Gen 6 doesn’t have such a light.
1883 příspěvků · Připojeno 2019
I’ve got the same year/model you have. I have seen -20F a few weeks this winter, and I park in the driveway.
Yes, it warms up a little slow.
Here’s what I noticed and can measure without a scan tool. On cold start up, the engine will run at a high idle, with the grill shutters closed until the oil temp gets +85 degrees before it kicks down. At -20 this should take about 3mins. Im sure there is a theory and operation section in the factory service manual that says the exact temps from what censors make the changes.
As seagrass stated, CVT temps takes precedence in the warm up cycle. While it’s still warming up to the point of the t-stat opening, and going into closed loop, the CVT will hold it’s ratios longer and attempt to warm up faster. You are in the right to leave the CVT in automatic and let it do what it’s intended to do. Race a bit and warm up. If you manually upshift, it’s going to bang «gears» and stumble on itself to find the right ratio for the load with thick fluid. Just let it go.
What I do is put it on max windshield defrost and let it go. Since Subaru dumped the «manual AC» cars years ago, the airbox is engineered to put the most heat on the window. The AC compressor will run on defrost at cold. The computer is smart enough to cancel the cooling fan. The compressor load will give you a little less warmup time. Will it blow noticeably «hotter» quicker? No. But you will have warm air on the window, and at least make it driveable. Also, running the rear window defrost will put a load on the alternator, thus the belt, and ultimately the engine, thus creating more load and higher coolant temp inclinations. Load is load, but quicker warming is negligible.
I recommend starting the car, and letting it sit through it’s 3min’ish cold start up cycle.
At your 190F oil temp (especially on a non turbo), the t-stat is already open. Oil warms up slower than coolant on Subaru motors.
The engine block heater offers little. It’s not there to provide heat. There is really not a workaround or a fix. Back when I was still wrenching on cars, and had access to theory and operation databases, on the old single cam EJ25 engines, the T&O stated that the engine block heater was designed to keep the block between 70-76F, and I don’t remember at what ambient temp. The block heater was not there to make the HVAC temps rise quicker, it was just there to keep the engine oil at a warmer temp for cold weather start up. In real life, starting a 70′ engine in 0′ ambient temps will give you some more HVAC heat, but it’s not a magical bullet» that give you heat right away.
Jaký je váš rok, model a objem motoru? Zveřejněte prosím tyto informace ve svém veřejném profilu, aby vám ostatní mohli lépe pomoci.
Palmer Discussion starter
50 příspěvků · Připojeno 2019
I’ve got the same year/model you have. I have seen -20F a few weeks this winter, and I park in the driveway.
Yes, it warms up a little slow.
Here’s what I noticed and can measure without a scan tool. On cold start up, the engine will run at a high idle, with the grill shutters closed until the oil temp gets +85 degrees before it kicks down. At -20 this should take about 3mins. Im sure there is a theory and operation section in the factory service manual that says the exact temps from what censors make the changes.
As seagrass stated, CVT temps takes precedence in the warm up cycle. While it’s still warming up to the point of the t-stat opening, and going into closed loop, the CVT will hold it’s ratios longer and attempt to warm up faster. You are in the right to leave the CVT in automatic and let it do what it’s intended to do. Race a bit and warm up. If you manually upshift, it’s going to bang «gears» and stumble on itself to find the right ratio for the load with thick fluid. Just let it go.
What I do is put it on max windshield defrost and let it go. Since Subaru dumped the «manual AC» cars years ago, the airbox is engineered to put the most heat on the window. The AC compressor will run on defrost at cold. The computer is smart enough to cancel the cooling fan. The compressor load will give you a little less warmup time. Will it blow noticeably «hotter» quicker? No. But you will have warm air on the window, and at least make it driveable. Also, running the rear window defrost will put a load on the alternator, thus the belt, and ultimately the engine, thus creating more load and higher coolant temp inclinations. Load is load, but quicker warming is negligible.
I recommend starting the car, and letting it sit through it’s 3min’ish cold start up cycle.
At your 190F oil temp (especially on a non turbo), the t-stat is already open. Oil warms up slower than coolant on Subaru motors.
The engine block heater offers little. It’s not there to provide heat. There is really not a workaround or a fix. Back when I was still wrenching on cars, and had access to theory and operation databases, on the old single cam EJ25 engines, the T&O stated that the engine block heater was designed to keep the block between 70-76F, and I don’t remember at what ambient temp. The block heater was not there to make the HVAC temps rise quicker, it was just there to keep the engine oil at a warmer temp for cold weather start up. In real life, starting a 70′ engine in 0′ ambient temps will give you some more HVAC heat, but it’s not a magical bullet» that give you heat right away.
Thanks for the background info. I usually remote start my car in the mornings so it will have run for at least 3 minutes or more most all the time. This is only a problem I have had this past winter. This is my 3rd winter on the car and this issue has not happed till this past winter. I would say that the car behaved exactly as you describe the first two winters.
