Quote:
Originally Posted by BGTV8
Guys, fiddling with the under-engine shrouding affects thge air-pressure behind the radiator and can affect the amount of air drawn thru the radiator .... you might be cooling the sump. but you may also be affecting the efficiency of the radiator .... take care to monitor engine coolant temps with mods like this.
I drove a Ford XR8 Ute (Oz spec "truck") with the hood unlatched (on the safety catch) for only 4 klicks having filled the washer bottle at a freeway services area several years ago, and was puzzled as to why the coolant temps were elevated ... had gone from normal 92DegC to 105DegC .... it was because air was going over the top of the radiator and pressuring ithe engine bay behind the radiator and radiator efficiency was compromised ... same thing can happen if you are letting air into the engine bay from below.
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Based on hard Data this would not seem to be a concern. Very little air is being introduced at the sump vent and it is close to where air is being extracted from the rear of the lower cover.. I've monitored my water temps with an accurate digital Scangauge for over a year now and this engine typically runs pretty cool...178-182 thermostatic controlled degrees with or without the vent. I agree that propping the hood open from the front as you describe is not a good idea and does significantly screw up the designed flow pattern, BUT introducing some air at the
rear of the hood can be very beneficial at reducing engine bay temps with no affect on engine cooling numbers. Removing the Gasket at the point the hood meets the rear of the engine bay promotes flow into the bay and out the bottom. My Digital datalogging on two cars now, an Audi TT that runs hot, and an LS3 Corvette, has shown a reduction in these bay temps af around 18 degrees, again, with no impact on engine water temps. I haven't logged the Z temps, but here's a chart from my Audi experiments. (Cold start-up, light traffic, country roads, and heat soaking idle upon return)
On the Audi, this difference prolongs the Wiring and Vac lines (both problematic in this turbo'd car.
Gaskets on the Z:
