Blocking coolant instead of WAI?
 

I got a major coolant leak this morning, that got me an idea.

I saw that the engine heated much quicker, obviously. But has anyone tried to block coolant instead on warm air intake?

What i understand, WAI is for getting the engine warm up faster, right?

Any thoughts if this is a stupid idea or worth trying? :)
Of course it needs to be switched back on. My Golf has the pump belt-driven, so it can't be switched off by disconnecting some connector, so it would need some bypass plumbing instead.

I run an electric water pump and turning the pump off during warm up is never something I would try.
The engine block and cylinder heads need to be warmed up as evenly as possible, you want to keep that delta temperature between the heads and block as low as possible or you will be poping head gaskets.
One thing I do is run the pump at lower speed during the winter months for the first few minutes after start up.

So there is some sense in this :)
But i'll do just WAI, it's easier afterall.

The isssue with winter engine cooling is as temperatures get lower the difference in temperature between the coolant leaving the engine and the coolant entering the engine, after going through the radiator, can get fairly large. In some cases over 100 degrees difference is severe conditions, and even higher in very cold areas. In very extreme conditions the heater core can provide all necessary cooling in some cases.

Blocking the air flow over the radiator lowers that temperature difference to a point that more resembles the summer difference, which might be as low (a difference) as 30 degrees.

The colder your coolant is when it enters the engine, the more heat loss you suffer to the coolant and the lower efficiency of your engine. In cooling systems with electric fans, you know you have overdone the blocking when the fan starts running a lot more than it did before your mod, and you are spending a lot of energy running that fan.

I am also an advocate of cooling systems that use the bypass circuit to control the incoming temperature of the coolant automatically to maintain the highest practical inlet temperature, something current systems (with few exceptions) do not do, which is the main reason for blocking airflow to the radiator.

regards
Mech

There is a thermostat already in the cooling circuit that keeps the coolant from going to the radiator when the coolant isn't warm enough. That's pretty close to what you are talking about, I think, at least as far as warmup goes.

The only gain would likely be the power required to run the pump. And you run the risk of getting hot spots if the coolant isn't circulating at all.

-soD

Is your gulf a diesel?
If so a WAI is a waste of time.

LOL, not sure but I'll be there is still some diesel in the gulf :D.
regards
Mech

The old Packards had adjustable fins in front of the radiator that opened and closed depending on coolant temperature, a variable grille block. I think VW and maybe BMW as well as the newer Ford Focus (and I'm sure several others) have thermostatically controlled radiator blocks that adjust to maintain a consistent temperature of coolant LEAVING the radiator. In winter when the thermostat restricts the flow of coolant that same coolant spends more time going through the radiator. Combined with much lower ambient temperatures you have much colder coolant re-entering the engine, which absorbs more heat than coolant that is 60+ degrees warmer in the summer.

regards
Mech

My bad, have had a few slight cases of hypoxica and intoxica the last few days.

i think all the old trucks had louvers on the radiator grill , actuated by the air system, sensed on the coolant temperature

make a helleva noise when the louvers opened