How good is your 4th gen heater?

S

Swaro

New member
It's been 0-5 deg F for the past several nights here in the NE US, and I gotta say, this heater ain't cuttin' it. I can leave it on HI temp with full fan for my 45 min commute w/o turning it down...and the cabin is just barely luke warm. Is there something wrong? Can I change the thermostat opening temp? Cardboard over the grill? Never had a vehicle that did this (with same or colder temps). Help...there is no end in sight for the frigid temps. I use recirc for the first 10-15 min, too.

'03 SR5 4WD V8 DORADO
 
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i leave mine on high here in chicago and i'd have to turn it down in 15 min. i'd say it's sufficient, but could be better.
 
Hey There! Yup! I would have to agree with you, the heater in the 4runner is the weakest I have ever had. It takes a good 15 minutes on HI before it really gets comfortable in the cabin. I live in North Jersey and man! has it been freezing! Idon't know how you guys in the upper mid west and Canada deal with it every winter...and I love winter, but this is too much!
 
I have an 04 V8 and it works great. A big longer than some other cars I have driven at first start up to get warm, but if you raise the temp to 80 degrees let me tell ya, it pumps out stuff so hot you think you are getting blasted with Lava. I live NE PA, and we have been cold the past week here, and it works fine.
 
Heat setting???

I leave mine on Hi for 5 minutes and it starts cooking... Make sure you are using re-circ air and set the temp at the highest level. Mine heats up quick, even at -2F
 
Mine works fine. It as in the teens the last couple of days and I had to turn down the AUTO setting to 67 because it was too toasty at 69.

BTW, I always leave it in AUTO and then turn off the AC (Unless its foggy inside). The heat doesn't come on until its been running for a few minutes (because it doesn't want to blow cold air), but once it comes on its great.
 
I think the heater core is fine on the 4th gen. 4-runner. Mine pumps out heat great.

Some recomendations though -

The 4-runner doesn't come up to normal operating temps when it's zero or less out, I can tell this by noting the needle's position on the temp. gauge. Until you are driving the 4-Runner on the highway, where you are *pushing* the engine a bit harder than just in-town driving, the engine (V6 in my case) isn't generating a lot of heat relative to the heat it's losing through the engine compartment and radiator. Once on the highway though, the needle moves to the normal position and there's an abundant amount of heat available.

If you are having trouble with heat, for the short term periods, I'd drop the gear down into 4 or 3, depending on your tranny, causing the engine to run at higher RPM's. This will help bring the engine up to temp. quicker.

Carboard over the radiator is good idea too. Take the time to secure it properly though, and it doesn't have to cover every little bit of it either, just the majority to make a difference.

Recirc was already mentioned, but that will help too.
 
Wow, my heater set at 72* will melt your cornea's.

I was going to complain to the dealer that the heater is too hot.

It was 13* last night.
 
It was -30c (-22F) out where I live the other week. The heater worked but the time for the engine to warm up meant it took a while for it to start delivering heat - putting it on recirc at first is definitely the key - one thing I liked on the Honda Pilot when I looked at it was that its auto AC was smart enough to switch to recirc in really cold temperatures. Shame Toyota did not think of that..
 
Let me correct my former statement with this one: I think the heater works great once its been on for a while, but start up takes so long ( yes I have it on recirc, yes, temp setting is above 80) its just that, compared to my previous vehicles (ford, nissan ) it seems to take significantly longer to warm up on start. Let me also state that I absolutely LOVE my 4Runner and I'm having a fantastic time with it both on and off road!! ( I also like driving over annoying BMW drivers...we seem to have an over abundance of them here in Jersey). Hey everybody, cross you fingers that we will finally get a significant snow here in the NE ( not counting you mountain folks :) Time for doughnuts!
 
I agree - warm up is slow. I am planning on getting a block heater to alleviate the problem a little - for now its decent gloves and cold endurance for the first 10 minutes. Maybe I should get a remote starter....
 
I actually thought that the heater in the 4Runner was great. It has been very cold in New Jersey this week and it takes my truck around 5-7 minutes to warm up with the temp set at 70. Then I have to turn it down because I feel like I am being roasted. I never even went near the hi setting.
 
thought there was a pattern here with the '04's being ok and the '03's not, but then a couple '03's said their heaters were hot.
wonder what it could be...different manuf/source of heater cores?

I do love my 4Runner, however. Just that I rarely get cold...so if I'm cool or chilly...the woman sitting next to me must be freezing!
 
Swaro said:
thought there was a pattern here with the '04's being ok and the '03's not, but then a couple '03's said their heaters were hot.
wonder what it could be...different manuf/source of heater cores?

I do love my 4Runner, however. Just that I rarely get cold...so if I'm cool or chilly...the woman sitting next to me must be freezing!
Click to expand...

Might be a v6 vs v8 thing.

I have no problems with hot air in my 4runner.
 
Sac State said:
Wow, my heater set at 72* will melt your cornea's.

I was going to complain to the dealer that the heater is too hot.

It was 13* last night.
Click to expand...

Mine will do this too, but then other times 72 is cold? I can't figure it out.
 
I only have about a 15 minute drive to work, but always have to turn the heat down on the way. The coldest it's been around here this year is in the mid-twenties, so there may not be much comparison.
 
I've been dealing with temps between -5 and 20 F every morning for the last month. This thing works great and heats quickly--especially compared to my previous grand cherokee! No complaints here! Like everyone else has said, recirc is the key. I do wonder if this could be a V6 vs V8 issue. I have the V8.
 
I have an 03 V6 and it takes longer than any other vehicle I have owned. It eventually (20 minutes or so) gets hot though.
 
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