My heater now has a delay. When i started my car today, it took around 4-5 mins to get the needle to the running temp zone. When it was in the running temp zone, it took about 4-5 more minutes to start blowing hot air. Is this a consequence of my temp gauge, heater core, or the miscellaneous coolant tubing? FYI: I have flushed and changed my coolant about every six months and have a 1998 civic dx with no under hood mods.

Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like a Thermostat issue.

 

Thank you, I'm going to look into it. A little more information: The car used to blow hot air in around 3/4 to 1 mile of driving, it now takes 1 1/2 to 2 miles to do that.

 

How likely is it that the radiator/radiator cap fails? When I fill the radiator and reserve tank with coolant, then drive, I have coolant lost on the top of the radiator, but my hoses look fine. The rubber in the radiator cap looks to be healthy also.

 

The cap could cause leaking. It is a $5 replacement fix from the local Pepboys. I would just go ahead and replace it if you have not done so in awhile.