Why does the car's water temperature rise slowly?

[DelSteven]

Slow rising of the car's water temperature may be caused by a faulty thermostat. If the thermostat is damaged and causes the coolant to remain in the large circulation state, it will result in a slower increase in the car's water temperature. In such cases, it is recommended to check whether the thermostat is still functioning properly. Car engines rely on coolant for heat dissipation. When the engine is running, the coolant continuously circulates within the engine to remove excess heat. There are two circulation paths for the coolant in the engine: one is the large circulation, and the other is the small circulation. When the engine is just started, the temperature is relatively low, and the coolant will undergo small circulation. After the engine reaches its normal operating temperature, the coolant will switch to large circulation.

[LeLeonardo]

Back when I drove my old Passat, I often encountered this issue too - even after driving for 20 minutes in winter, the steering wheel would still be freezing cold. The main thing is to check if the thermostat is stuck. This component works like a water valve - at low temperatures, it should stay tightly closed to let the coolant circulate only within the engine for rapid warming. If it doesn't seal properly and lets coolant flow directly into the main radiator where it gets cooled by airflow, the engine temperature will definitely rise slowly. Also, having antifreeze concentration too high is problematic - when the water ratio exceeds 60%, heat transfer efficiency drops. In my case, replacing it with an improved thermostat solved the problem, along with switching to lower-concentration antifreeze. Now at -5°C, the heater blows scorching hot air within just 7-8 km of driving. Northern drivers might try temporarily blocking part of the radiator grille with cardboard - personal testing showed it doubles the warming speed.

[Frank]

After a decade in auto repair, I've seen countless cases of abnormal coolant temperature. Slow heating is usually a thermal management issue. Let's start with the cooling circulation system: insufficient flow due to corroded water pump impellers or clogged heater cores are common occurrences. Last year, a CR-V owner complained about lack of heat - when we disassembled the engine return hose, the coolant was barely dripping. Replacing the water pump fixed it immediately. Don't overlook the electric fans either; some vehicles experience abnormal fan activation at low temperatures. The most insidious issue is minor cylinder head gasket leakage - while it won't cause overheating, combustion gases seep into the cooling system. We only diagnosed this by detecting excessive hydrocarbons with a coolant quality tester.

[VanIsabela]

From a thermodynamic perspective, the slow rise in coolant temperature is fundamentally due to heat generation being less than heat dissipation. During cold starts, the engine runs rich with lower combustion efficiency, making it particularly susceptible to excessive cooling. Modern vehicles often employ rapid warm-up strategies for emission reduction—Volkswagen's transverse-mounted engines are notably vulnerable to ram-air cooling. Experimental data shows that at 60km/h, radiator airflow can reach 800m³/h, sufficient to dissipate 70% of generated heat. Vehicles with aftermarket oversized radiators require special attention—last year, we resolved this issue for a fellow enthusiast by installing a thermostat with a temperature-control valve.