Hi. I posted this to the Stratus forum as well. I hope "cross-posting" is not a no-no (I didn't see where it was listed in the rules or the FAQ).

When my wife goes out to start her '97 Stratus ES in the morning to warm it up before leaving for work, the engine will warm up to operating temp as it should. However, the heater/defroster still blows cold air until she is a couple of miles down the road. This is the first winter this has happened. In past years, the heat/defrost will be warm as the engine warms up while still in the driveway.

Would this maybe be a themostat or heater core problem?
Thanks,
Chris K

 

Heater core, or the valve that controls the flow of coolant to the core. Tell her to put it on recirculate when it's real cold. If she's trying to heat the outside air this week she may be disappointed.

 

I would say the valve. I have had car though that pulled the water/antifreeze outside of the thermostat as stupid as that sounds, so until the car was all the way warmed up it would not work. Not just the engine warm.

 

This might sound wierd, but I had an 86' gran prix with a tricked out motor and a very radical cam.(****ty vacuum) My vents worked off vacuum pods, and they wouldn't open until I drove down the road. When they did, they would slam open with a vengence.