Basic car question?

Question

My sister is under the assumption that her car has to be driven around or running for 5 - 10 minutes before the heater or the air conditioning will work. So she refuses to turn them on until she feels they are ready. Meanwhile we have to sit and freeze or get overheated. Come on its a 2007 toyota Sienna.

Let me add this...She think it will not blow cold or hot air right away.

Answer 1

your sister is horribly misinformed. i used to live in texas, i drove a 2001 toyota 4runner limited and used to blast the a/c once i get in, and it became cool instantly, then ice cold within 2 minutes, and that's in texas summer heat. in the winter it takes a about 3-4 mintutes of the car being on before the heater gets hot, but the heated seats takes only a minute. it doesn't hurt the car to turn any of those on right as you start the car.

Answer 2

In very cold weather, it will take a few minutes for the water in the engine block to heat enough to provide much warmth. I also have a Sienna and it only takes about 2-3 minutes for this to happen. On the other hand, the air conditioning is provided by a pump/compressor that is driven by the engine. So, if the engine is running, you will have air conditioning. If the car has been sitting in the sun, it might take a few minutes for the ductwork to cool and make the air cool that is coming out of the vents.

In both cases, there is not a logical or mechanical reason to delay using the appropriate system. So tell your sister to chill out or warm up, as the case may be.

Answer 3

For heat to come out of the heater the engine must run at least 5 minutes to really detect good heat so not turning the blower fan on for the first 3-4 minutes is a good idea in fact in ultra cold climates like nothern Idaho, Alaska and others turning it on from the get go can actually cause frost to develope on inside of windshield from the cold air from heater/defroster mode...

For the AC when it is hot out it is best to turn it on immediately because the compressor clutch which causes the pump to turn which makes the air chilled has to be electrically activated thru the AC part of the combination Ac/Heater Switches...

However for the first few minutes 3-4 for everyones comfort keep the fan switch on low until the entire AC system has had a chance to expell all the absorbed heat out of the conduits and heater AC box and duct work...

Then switch it to high and you will really notice the difference...

Answer 4

The AC will work right away as it is power driven right off the engine. If the engine is running, it is working.

The heater will blow air but will not provide heat until the water jacket, radiator and heat core warm up. The colder it is, the longer it will take for that to happen. However, turning the heater on will not slow the process and you may as well get what little heat you can as soon as possible.

Tell her she is being silly and her behavior is only reinforcing the view that when it comes to cars, women are stupid.

Answer 5

If it's super-cold, it might take a little while for the engine to heat up enough that it's warm inside the cabin of the car.

In that case, you might wanna leave the car running (in park! Unlocked doors, please!) a few minutes to warm everything up. Turn on the defrosters, all that.

But the A/C comes on faster than that. My parents turn on the A/C when they turn on the car, and it blows warmish air for maybe 30-45 seconds until it, uh, warms up? Cools down?

You know what I mean.

But you gotta get that air moving. Turn it on when you turn on the car--then you'll feel when it starts working. Even heaters don't take all that long to get going.

Sounds miserable.

But people have weird superstitions about things...I guess it could be worse.

I had a roommate who'd run the heater in her car in the summer because she was "too cold" after leaving an air-conditioned building.

Freak!

Answer 6

Heater runs off the radiator fluid (coolant/antifreeze). So for the heater to work properly and at its maximum best you should wait for the coolant to reach operating temperature before you turn it on. (usually aroudn 180 degrees F). Turning it on before can make it take longer to reach that temperature sometimes.

The Air Conditioner takes no time at all to warm up. It work by refrigerant, an evaporater, and a compressor. The compressor starts working as soon as you turn the A/C because its belt driven by the engine. Take no time to warm up or cool down. Its just like a home A/C. There isnt any "warm up" or "pre-heat" button on the house A/C is there? Nope.

Also, if your A/C isnt working then maybe it needs a recharge of refrigerant. Go to www.id-usa.com for instructions on how to do it yourself.

Answer 7

thats half true.
for the heater to work, ur car has to warm up. which means u freeze for the first 5-10 minutes. but if u leave it on, u will be warmer. all hte heater does is extract heat from the engine block. which is like an auxiliary radiator.
as for the a/c, ur car doesnt have to warm up. though i dont suggest it, u can do it. i personally just wait a few minutes then turn it on. depends how hot it is outside. :}

Answer 8

It does take a minute or two for the heater to come up to operating temperature.But waiting until it's hot before turning it on is asking for a broken wind shield.The sudden change of temperature against the glass can cause it to crack if there are any flaws.As far as the air conditioner goes.It doesn't start cooling until it's turned on.So waiting is just a waste of time.

Answer 9

Once the engine is running, then you can turn on the AC unit. It will take it a couple of minutes to start getting cool but at least it is working.

The heater is also ready to go when you turn it on. It will take it a few moments to start getting hot but the sooner you turn it on the quicker it will start to warm up. good luck.

Answer 10

It is her car, so she can do as she pleases, of course. What she is doing won't hurt anything.
A/c will work as soon as the engine is settled, about 30 seconds. Heat takes quite a bit longer as the engine actually has to produce heat. If you put the heating fan on high, it will take longer to get actual heat, but I put mine on low and have warmth after driving one block. It can't blow actual heat right away unless you put electric heat elements in, which is silly.