[Chevy71]

Originally Posted by Mountain

Did you try this same day, same weather? Your intake chilling between runs the same every time? When, exactly, was the temp higher?

I’m just curious because I’m going to data log this next time at the track on a NA/factory engine. The intake is in a totally different place on a Procharged setup (next to and above the engine).

My air pick up is in a different place on the pro charge set up compared to a stock car, but pro charger seems to think it is able to pick up plenty of cleaner cool air in this location (I struggle with the idea as well lol). I am referring to the intake manifold in my examples though. When I'm cooling my system I put ice on the manifold itself not the air intake tube.

I have tried it in many different scenarios and always see a climb with the intake manifold exposed. I did do it same night at the same track when we were having issues getting cooled between runs. We noticed it cool much quicker without it, but I was running a few degrees hotter during the run. In general my car will run IAT's about 9-11 degrees higher than ambient, with the overs off the best I can get is 12 above ambient and that is in clean air, it will host about 15 degrees higher on average. It does not matter how hot or cold it is outside, I always compare my temps to ambient. We data log every pass I make at the track and we can see the difference in having the covers off on those. I live in Pennsylvania temps just for reference what environment my car is running in as well. Curious to see how your results compare as well. With the covers off it cools much much faster putting our ice bags directly on the intake manifold.

[Mountain]

Originally Posted by Chevy71

My air pick up is in a different place on the pro charge set up compared to a stock car, but pro charger seems to think it is able to pick up plenty of cleaner cool air in this location (I struggle with the idea as well lol). I am referring to the intake manifold in my examples though. When I'm cooling my system I put ice on the manifold itself not the air intake tube.

I have tried it in many different scenarios and always see a climb with the intake manifold exposed. I did do it same night at the same track when we were having issues getting cooled between runs. We noticed it cool much quicker without it, but I was running a few degrees hotter during the run. In general my car will run IAT's about 9-11 degrees higher than ambient, with the overs off the best I can get is 12 above ambient and that is in clean air, it will host about 15 degrees higher on average. It does not matter how hot or cold it is outside, I always compare my temps to ambient. We data log every pass I make at the track and we can see the difference in having the covers off on those. I live in Pennsylvania temps just for reference what environment my car is running in as well. Curious to see how your results compare as well. With the covers off it cools much much faster putting our ice bags directly on the intake manifold.

Gothcha, thanks! Yeah, definitely sounds like the engine cover is helping your intake from a heat radiation point of view.

Being the stock filter is enclosed, in a completely different area and pulling from a cooler, high pressure area, I’m willing to be I’ll see different results.

[Chevy71]

Originally Posted by Mountain

Gothcha, thanks! Yeah, definitely sounds like the engine cover is helping your intake from a heat radiation point of view.

Being the stock filter is enclosed, in a completely different area and pulling from a cooler, high pressure area, I’m willing to be I’ll see different results.

The heat soak issue I'm talking about has nothing to do with where you are getting air from. It's due to the intake manifold being exposed to the temperatures under the hood without the insulation and shielding of the covers and the liner under the intake cover. My air intake is in the exact same place weather I have my engine covers on or off.

[Mountain]

Originally Posted by Chevy71

The heat soak issue I'm talking about has nothing to do with where you are getting air from. It's due to the intake manifold being exposed to the temperatures under the hood without the insulation and shielding of the covers and the liner under the intake cover. My air intake is in the exact same place weather I have my engine covers on or off.

Your issue was stated as IAT’s getting hot, right?

[Chevy71]

Originally Posted by Mountain

Your issue was stated as IAT’s getting hot, right?

Correct, my IAT's go up when I take the covers off, and drop back down just a few degrees when I put them back on. My air intake stays in the same place with both scenarios.

[Mountain]

Originally Posted by Chevy71

Correct, my IAT's go up when I take the covers off, and drop back down just a few degrees when I put them back on. My air intake stays in the same place with both scenarios.

Ah, I think maybe you’re thinking I’m talking about the manifold. I’m talking about the filter/inlet.

An open filter element, without any shielding, will usually pull in hot air. What you’re seeing is, by removing the intake manifold insulation and cover, radiant heat reaching the open cone filter in your setup. There’s also some convection going on too.

[Chevy71]

Originally Posted by Mountain

Ah, I think maybe you’re thinking I’m talking about the manifold. I’m talking about the filter/inlet.

An open filter element, without any shielding, will usually pull in hot air. What you’re seeing is, by removing the intake manifold insulation and cover, radiant heat reaching the open cone filter in your setup. There’s also some convection going on too.

I think we aren't following each other as a whole haha. The original post was about what happens when you remove the engine covers. My response was the intake manifold, not the air intake/filter, catches heat soak from not being insulated by the cover and the insulation that lays between them and allows the IAT's to creep up on the car.

I'm not sure who brought up the air inlet part of it lol. I can't say what change that made to IAT's because I did not watch them when my car was stock and I had the air box on it. I can tell you running 10 degrees above ambient makes me more than happy lol.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Chevy71

I think we aren't following each other as a whole haha. The original post was about what happens when you remove the engine covers. My response was the intake manifold, not the air intake/filter, catches heat soak from not being insulated by the cover and the insulation that lays between them and allows the IAT's to creep up on the car.

I'm not sure who brought up the air inlet part of it lol. I can't say what change that made to IAT's because I did not watch them when my car was stock and I had the air box on it. I can tell you running 10 degrees above ambient makes me more than happy lol.

On other modern cars I've tested this on, the same has occurred - stock. Both showed HIGHER IAT without with the cover than with. Very small sample set, but I doubt the cover is just for NVH on a modern car. The issue isn't with where the air is picked up (all have been fairly decent/good cold air locations) but the heat soak on the IM without the cover.

[Chevy71]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

On other modern cars I've tested this on, the same has occurred - stock. Both showed HIGHER IAT without with the cover than with. Very small sample set, but I doubt the cover is just for NVH on a modern car. The issue isn't with where the air is picked up (all have been fairly decent/good cold air locations) but the heat soak on the IM without the cover.

The same that I see with my car. Issue comes from the intake manifold itself, not the air intake tube. With my car, up here in PA, the net change in IAT is just a few degrees, but it is higher.

[Mountain]

Ran a street test today about engine covers.

A-B-C-D-A type of test. I ran a cruise test loop and then a simulated stoplight idle. I started with a 2.5 mile cruise at 55mph, took a U-turn, cruised 2.0 miles, at 55mph, in the opposite direction, recorded data (screenshot), pulled into a parking lot and then recoded data (screenshot) after 1.5 minutes, being stopped (idle). I than kept driving 0.5mile, at 55mph, in the direction I was going, took a U-turn, and started over.

Weather was partly cloudy, 86-88F, humidity 53%, pressure 29.91inHg.

Test sequence:
A. No intake insulation and no coil covers (w/ intake cover; how my car was at the time).
B. No intake insulation (w/ coil covers and intake cover).
C. Factory (w/ coil covers, intake insulation and intake cover).
D. All covers removed (no coil covers, intake insulation or intake cover).
A. No intake insulation and no coil covers (w/ intake cover; didn't do the stopped idle test as results were the same).

Got this all in within 45 min.

Conclusion:
No real impact on IAT, ECT or oil temp. The only thing I noticed was that while running no covers and sitting at idle, IAT climbed slower than the other configurations, but not significantly. Noticeable though. Also, there was a 0.1-degree addition of knock retard and a 1.8-degree increase in oil temp with all covers on. It’s possible the KR was possibly caused by some other unknown situation, but the oil temp was a tad lower with less stuff on the engine. Obviously, this is just a "typical driving scenario," but it sheds some light. The results may be a bit different on track.

[Mountain]

In case anyone is wondering, I used the Torque Pro app, with a OBDLink MX bluetooth DLC adapter. The OBDLink MX is a very good quality adapter and is compatible with Ford and GM specific CAN protocols; the Torque app has a bunch of special Ford and GM PIDs you can access if you have a good adapter.

I want to note, the temps I saw in A are the temps I saw all through my drive home from work. I chose 55mph as its a very common cruise speed and that, until you get to around 35mph, the airflow isn’t enough to cool down the temps from being at idle and stabilize. The distance I used for the testing was enough to stabilize temperatures at cruise based on my drive home from work. My past two days of monitoring temps in my truck also support this (yes, I know, different vehicle, but it’s a more worse case reference).

I really don’t think sitting at idle for a very long time will indicate anything as the engine compartment just becomes a convection oven, with everything getting heat-soaked.

[Timbo-1LE]

Finally took it off and popped in the blue covers my daughter bought for me. Black and blue on gray car looks alright