Mine doesn't work that well.... I leave it plugged in all night 10pm to 7:30am. All but one flap is closed. barley get any heat out of if until the 7 mile mark. Plugging in the truck does keep the wait to start light from coming on.....

Seems like some trucks warm up faster than others....

 

I have tried the NO flaps open and even drove on the highway at 40 deg... it just got to 200 ... when it got to 45-0 deg I stopped and opened 3 flaps. Worked well.

I like keeping them closed when it's cold and salty .. keeps that crap out of the radiator. I am hoping it helps with longevity.

It will be fun to see how it works at zero.

Smarty helps it warm up too.

 

I would think with it plugged in 9.5 hrs it should of had heat a lot faster then you did. Have you checked to see if the block heaters is working? I have mine set unplugged for several days with over night temps in the upper teens and with all 4 flaps open have heats in under 7 miles. Today I only had it plugged in for 1.5 hrs (after setting for 3 days) and last night it was 13 and I had 60 degree heat 2.5 blocks from my house with about 2 minutes warm up time and 125 degree heat in less then 4 miles. Being you have under 36K it is still under the bumper to bumper warranty if the block heater does not work.

 

I know it's working, otherwise the wait to start squigly would come on like it does when I neglect to plug it in.

 

Being you said it is working I don't have to many more ideas for you. I still don't understand why you don't have any heat coming out of the vents with it plugged in for 9.5 hrs. Oh I didn’t use the reticulate setting when I give anyone vent temps, the only time I use the reticulate setting is in the summer time with the AC. Yesterday I wanted to see how much heat the heater gives off and I gave up when it hit 146 degrees as I was way to hot in the cab to see how high it would go. Did you buy the Dodge winter front or after market? I have a Dodge winter front on mine.

 

I drove up to Edmonton from Red Deer today and hit minus 33 C(cold enough to threaten monkeys). I use synthetic oil, 3.73 auto, have winter fronts and drove at 110 kilometers per hour. I dropped about 2 to 2.5 (M.P.G.) over normal. I also normally drive at 100 Kph. Truck heater through good heat but the side windows got a little frosty.

 

Yeah it's the dodge winter front and all.... Thanks for all the sugestions. I guess either some trucks are different or maybe the altitude up here plays a part in lack of warming up quickly I'm at 5000ft above sealevel.

 

I don't have the winter front, but I do have a similar problem with the block heater and warming up. I can leave it plugged in for 12+hrs and let it idle for 10+ minutes and it's still barely warm. Plugging it in also seems to stop the auto high idle from engaging (unless it's really cold out).

If my 1st gen is plugged in overnight it's almost hot to the touch and there's instant heat.

 

my '03 305/555 actuall get better, 1 to 1.5 mpg, in the winter on my 600 mile a week commute. The truck is garaged so it doesn't idle much. The few times it has idled with the EB/high idle on it takes ony 2-3 min and there is warm air.
JIM

 

It my be a good idea to complain to the dealership about it and see if by chance the block heater is not working like it should or if you have some restriction in the heater core. Yesterday it was +1 and with out it being plugged in I got 60 degree heat in under 1.3 miles with 3 minuts warm up time, but being it was only 7 above it took 13 miles to come to full operating temp with 2 flaps open. When it dropped to 3 above with one flap open I could see the temp drop about 10-15 degrees every time the thermostat opened up. I also saw my mpg drop 1 mpg on the over head when driving at 55 mph and go up .3 at 67 mph.

Anyway I hope you can find a way to fix the cold heat & slow warm up problem.