Ok to start off I drive an 02 2.5rs. It has about 85k on the odo. Problem- Ok so when my car is at runing temp while car is in P (ya i got an auto :ugh the heat will be on Full Hot and it comes out as if it was on like mild.. so like not hot at all.. Then when I drive it gets hotter, then when i stop cold again. I dont know if this is because it was -5 all week haha or if something is F'ed up. Im new to the Subaru Thing and cars in general.. this happened to me in my last car (97 Contour) and i think it was the water pump. Anyone know why this would be doing this?
totally normal, its just the severe cold. Its been discussed in other threads recently. Something that will help is to place a section of cardboard in front of your radiator to allow it to heat up the fluid at a normal rate. At -5 its hard to expect the car to even be able to heat up coolant/antifreeze that quickly.
it could be other things.. like a sticky thermostat... usually when you drive it would get colder then sitting as really really cold air is flowing over it....
This is true, but the fan shouldn't cool the radiator off that much. Check your coolant level in both the overflow tank and the radiator(don't open cap when it's hot!!!). If it's low, that can cause very uneven heating, as you get trapped air pockets which don't hold heat like coolant does. As you accelerate again, coolant circulates, pushing the air from the heater core...giving you heat again. Hope that makes sense.
My car does this, and it always has in the winter, 3 different stats and two different rad caps. I have an aftermarket temp gauge, if my heat is on even on the lowest setting it will eventually cool it down to about 120 deg. Try a bag or cardboard on the rad. A PAPER bag, not plastic.
