Hood blanket... literally? (engine compartment thermal insulation)

[theunchosen]

Thats actually what I was thinking. . . If the heat retention gets too high during the summer it will crucify your engine(V8? I think the 98 came in V6 as well. . .not sure off the top of my head.)

Some form of fine mesh might actually be a good compromise. Take mesh and put it over a candle put your hand there and then remove the mesh. Should allow enough airflow during the summer to keep you from overheating but on the same note(as long as you can park nose protected from headwinds) retain heat. Kind of a maximazation problem? Too much doesn't work for the summer too little kills you in the winter. I went with very fine mesh to cover the grill on my nose, seems to work alright with my tiny 1.5 inline.

[Christ]

The nice thing about fine mesh, like cottonweave, steel wool, most canvas meshes, is that they stabilize airflow before allowing it to pass... which means that while MOST air passes over it, the part that doesn't will be stable and smooth, which cuts down on airflow significantly over an open hole, but still allows enough air to exchange some heat if necessary.

[FastPlastic]

Ok finally got some time to compare some of the numbers. I'll post my data for others to compare in the next thread when I have time. Sadly I don't have exact comparisons. But it seems to be making a difference.

[trebuchet03]

Promising data

[FastPlastic]

So the weather isn't cooperating when it comes to trying to put insulation on the underside of the hood. First we got freezing rain putting a good 1/4" layer of ice on. Now the temps dropped down to about -4. I did manage to get another run of test data very similar in starting temp and duration to one of the ones from before the weather stripping though.

Before
Starting temp:161F
Ending temp:79F
Ambient temp: 14F
Duration: 1hr 30min
Change:82
Winds: Calm

After
Starting Temp: 181F
Ending Temp: 94F
Ambient Temp: -4F
Duration: 1hr 30min
Change: 87F
Winds: 20-30mph

Considering the run after was 21F lower then the initial run and we had winds of 20-30mph. I would have to say it was well worth the $3 investment and will pay itself off in no time(assuming it hasn't already). By the way I still managed to pull almost 15MPG out of it at -4F. EPA is 14mpg in case you were wondering.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by FastPlastic

So the weather isn't cooperating when it comes to trying to put insulation on the underside of the hood. First we got freezing rain putting a good 1/4" layer of ice on. Now the temps dropped down to about -4. I did manage to get another run of test data very similar in starting temp and duration to one of the ones from before the weather stripping though.

Before
Starting temp:161F
Ending temp:79F
Ambient temp: 14F
Duration: 1hr 30min
Change:82
Winds: Calm

After
Starting Temp: 181F
Ending Temp: 94F
Ambient Temp: -4F
Duration: 1hr 30min
Change: 87F
Winds: 20-30mph

Considering the run after was 21F lower then the initial run and we had winds of 20-30mph. I would have to say it was well worth the $3 investment and will pay itself off in no time(assuming it hasn't already). By the way I still managed to pull almost 15MPG out of it at -4F. EPA is 14mpg in case you were wondering.

Well, if it doesn't pay you back in gas mileage, it should pay you back in longevity... 21 degrees is a little over 10% of the coolant temps, assuming everything is copacetic with your cooling system.

GOOD find.

[basslover911]

Hi! Im sorry to bring back a little old thread BUT...

Can you put the "peel and seal" tape directly on the engine block? I want to somehow make a blanket directly on the engine block but need something that can resist the heat (probably 180 degrees or so)... I think this is the MOST effective way of keeping heat in, by directly going to the engine block instead of the hood

[shovel]

Originally Posted by basslover911

Hi! Im sorry to bring back a little old thread BUT...

Can you put the "peel and seal" tape directly on the engine block? I want to somehow make a blanket directly on the engine block but need something that can resist the heat (probably 180 degrees or so)... I think this is the MOST effective way of keeping heat in, by directly going to the engine block instead of the hood

It'll fall off, the adhesive gets soft at high temps.

[basslover911]

So what CAN you use? I want it right on the engine block (obviously not touching the headers)....

[Christ]

Engine temps get higher than fluid temps, and your coolant can reach up to 220degF without really trying at times. Engine paints are good up to like 270degF for a reason. You'd need something like ceramic coating or similar, or a polyplastic sealed insulator.