Quote:
Originally Posted by BHarvey
+2 on blocking the entire grill, upper, lower, belly pan, block it all up!
I recently have been playing with a partial blocked lower and the engine does heat quicker, and the engine bay retains heat longer. Finally went to full block for my 5 mile trip to work, which is all low speed in town and the coolant shows 185 before the 2 mile mark, and 194 as I am parking.
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I have the same problem. Short trips in winter = cold operation = lousy gas mileage.
The most effective solution (that is also easiest and cheapest) is to do a full radiator block. On some cars you can simply slide a piece of cardboard in the space in front of the radiator. I'm lucky in that the cardboard will stay there unsupported, and it is easy to insert and remove, taking only seconds to do it.
Another option is to make a warm air plenum that will route engine heat to the airbox. I'm working on one for one of my cars and will post a thread about it soon.