Hi,
Someone recently told me that covering the radiator grille of a Defender 300tdi to help the engine warm up quicker (only during this exceedingly cold weather), is a no-no because restricting air flow through the intercooler can cause damage. Is this true?
Additionally, would restricting air flow through the oil cooler on the other end of the radiator, during the cold weather also be damaging?
Thanks Neil (Reply via group please)
I've seen a radiator muff on a 300TDi that has a gap at one corner for the intercooler.
On the other hand I've yet to know it cold enough that the heater doesn't clear the windscreen in a couple of minutes or the engine take longer than about 3 miles to get warm.
That the heater doesn't heat the cabin in this weather is a design issue...
Only when you're trying to get the maximum out of the engine. I don't imagine that this will apply at the moment.
Again, only an issue if you're getting the engine steaming hot.
There's no reason why you shouldn't blank off all but the top quarter, say, of the radiator aperture. You'll be left with more than enough air flow at the present level of ambient temperature.
If you block off all the air through the intercooler then it won't do its job - which is to cool the air which has just been heated by being compressed by the turbo. You will simply pass the hot air straight through into the engine and it won't produce as much power.
Why bother? The thermostat won't open if the engine is too cool, and that's pretty unlikely. Once it opens and cooler water circulates, it'll start to close again if it needs to. All a rad muff will do is cause overheating under heavy load conditions. I've got better things to do with a muff than put it on the rad.....
TonyB
Only when you're trying to get the maximum out of the engine. I don't imagine that this will apply at the moment.
Again, only an issue if you're getting the engine steaming hot.
There's no reason why you shouldn't blank off all but the top quarter, say, of the radiator aperture. You'll be left with more than enough air flow at the present level of ambient temperature.
Have just ordered one myself on the basis that a lot of my journeys at the moment are short ones and early "heating" is no bad thing. It will have a flap you can open and it is surely not impossible to keep an eye on the temperature gauge
No problem with that in my view. I used to run my petrol IIa fanless and fully blanked in winter. I actually wanted to stop the oil cooler (military fit) from cooling. The 'keep some unblanked' suggestion here was the 'can't go wrong' option.
Thanks for the replies so far chaps.
I thought it sounded a bit like an exageration that it would cause damage(even in this cold spell).
The reason for blanking the radiator in my case is not primarily to speed the heating of the engine, but rather to raise the temperature in the engine compartment generally in order to warm up the washer bottle and pipes - even with a viscous fan it still spins somewhat and draws cold air into the engine bay. I was thinking the heat off the exhaust manifold could in this way be contributing to warming the engine bay.
Like Julian, I seem to be doing predominantly short trips at the moment and just wanted to maximise the available heat-up potential.
Neil
(Reply via group please)
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.