Extreme time to hit operating temp

[85AmCfreak]

Its been cold but not that cold mid 40's maybe high 30's. My problem is this it takes a really long time for the eagle to hit operating temp I can't understand it. I have the Weber 34/36 The choke works on high idle but takes about 15-20 minutes to warm up. I can't have this its ridiculous I'm burning through fuel like there's no tomorrow somebody please help 

[68AMXGOPAC]

Are you talking driveability warm up, or just Temperature warm up ?

[amcinstaller]

start with your thermostat. while i ask the same as the previous poster, i had a similar problem in my honda a while back. well, close but the honda would take at least half an hour to warm up and would lose all heat on the highway. turns out the thermostat had actually half fallen apart in the housing when the previous owner had it, and the "valve" had wedged itself sideways, basicly never closing and always allowing passage of coolant.

[carguy87]

Have you checked that your choke is properly adjusted? That spring steel in the housing can lose it's "spring" if overheated for long amounts of time and can simply weaken if it's an older unit.

[IowaEagle]

The same thermostat falling apart thing happened in my XJ -- same symptoms.

[BenM]

I'm a big fan of having a little cardboard in front of my radiator if it's a steady below 40. About half of the radiator blocked when it's below 15.

Make sure your fan clutch isn't stuck tight, you should be able to move it without turning the pulley while cold, but it will be a little stiff.

Mostly, though, I agree that the thermostat sounds stuck open.

How does it behave once warmed up?

[85AmCfreak]

The choke is properly adjusted and the thermostat is about 2 months old. Its a stant 195 temp thermostat I do not drive any of my cars until they are thoroughly warmed up so its just sitting there in the driveway. Takes at least 15 minutes on a good day to warm up. The coolant is topped off and the water pump is pumping. Once its warmed up there are no complaints it runs like a dream but this initial warm up is really getting to me.

[amcinstaller]

yea, fan. if its really cold put some cardboard on the front. i know what you mean about a well warmed car. i used to drive my old honda after it was warmed fully. then after thinking im wasting gas i statrted driving it right after it started to show heat but it started to clack really bad and then the clack turned into a knock.   with this one (different car, similar make, model, mileage) now i just let it hit full running temp before i go and no problems so far

[ammachine390]

Mine will take a good 20 minutes to warm up if it's just idling. If i drive it, it warms up in about 10 minutes.  It has been shown that a car only needs 30-60 seconds of warm up time to get all the fluids moving. Best way to warm a car up is to drive it. Just don't beat on it while it's cold.

[thereverendbill]

I dunno if a plug in block heater would help ya out, might not hurt to try

[85AmCfreak]

I got to really be honest with you guys, there aren't too many of these cars out there. I hate making bad first impressions, there is no way in heck I am putting a piece of card board in front of the radiator. As if the looks I get now aren't bad enough imagine driving around with a big brown piece of cardboard wedged in front of your radiator thanks for the suggestion but No thanks LOL there's got to be a better alternative we can definitely come up with something better. Is it the clutch fan that causing this??

[mudkicker715]

Mineroasts you out of the car in 5 minutes. As for drivability no problem. One pump. Turn key.

Tink715'seagle same thing. Minus the first few minutes the idle is high

[IowaEagle]

The Eagle and the Concord, at an idle, do take some time to warm up

[thereverendbill]

I got to really be honest with you guys, there aren't too many of these cars out there. I hate making bad first impressions, there is no way in heck I am putting a piece of card board in front of the radiator. As if the looks I get now aren't bad enough imagine driving around with a big brown piece of cardboard wedged in front of your radiator thanks for the suggestion but No thanks LOL there's got to be a better alternative we can definitely come up with something better. Is it the clutch fan that causing this??

you could paint a piece of cardboard black just me looking on the sunny side

[dkoug]

Ouch -  lots of bad advice about the necessity to warm up the Eagle in proper condition for longer that a few minutes.
An Eagle or any vehicle that is warmed up for more that a few minutes is being worn out much quicker than the following method.   Imagine me getting into my 82 Eagle in Edmonton at -24 C.
Pump gas twice, turn key, jumps to life, clean windshield of snow or ice. (say 4 minutes)
Drive away without using high revs.  This also works at -39 C in the Canadian Arctic. Cabin heat in 3 blocks of slow driving.

By idling for 10, 20, 30 minutes the fluids do not warm up fast. Proven by lack of cabin heat. This results in cold engine components beating each other to death!!!!!!!!! 

By driving away without revving engine the fluids warm much faster and thus less wear on the internal components of the engine.  An even cabin heat in a few blocks.