removal of plastic piece in front of radiator

[RangerBob]

I had my AC charged up this morning, and the mechanic said that I should remove the black plastic piece in front of the radiator. I think the purpose of this piece is to direct air to the air cleaner. It is 117 degrees out right now and it will soon be 125. I don't think GM designed these cars for such extreme weather. It would allow more airflow through the radiator. What is the downside? I do plan on getting a 160 degree thermostat and getting my ECU reprogrammed when I have more funds.

What about removing the plastic grill and replacing it with a mesh?

Bob
Kuwait

[Injuneer]

Don't remove the panel in front of the radiator. The air dam stops the air and pushes it upwards. The plastic panel in front of the radiator contains the air so it will pass only through the radiator. It also prevents hot air that has passed through the radiator from recycling to the front of the radiator. The tighter all that paneling is sealed, the better the air flow will be.

You could supplement the air flow to the radiator by running ducting from any openings in the nose cone, through the plastic panel in front of the radiator. But just opening up the grill isn't going to accomplish anything. The foam crash cushion is blocking most everything behind the nose cone, so its going to be a bit of work to run ducting through it.

You might also want to look at removing the large rubber gasket that seals the hood to the cowl. That should allow more of the hot engine compartment air to exit. But that will allow water to drip on the engine and the PCM.

[RangerBob]

Fred: Thanks for your clear explanation.

You ROCK!

Bob

[MDMike]

partial removal of cowl gasket?

...You might also want to look at removing the large rubber gasket that seals the hood to the cowl. That should allow more of the hot engine compartment air to exit. But that will allow water to drip on the engine and the PCM.

Won't hot engine compt air also go into the ventilation intake?
With that said, could one perhaps remove a portion(s) of that gasket from areas that will not affect waterproofing, or interior comfort?
Nice take on the radiator sheild....

[Black97]

Wouldn't a fan switch help, especially if you're stuck in traffic or it is slow going?

[97LT1Z28]

What about this radiator additive from Royal Purple. It can give you an edge you need in such extreme heat.....

http://www.royalpurple.com/prodsa/prpice.html

[Injuneer]

I never noticed any problems with the hot air getting into the vent intake. Typically, when the car is moving, the pressure builds at the base of the windshield, and forces the cool outside air to move into the engine compartment. That's why car with carbs used to feature "cowl" hoods, allowing the pressure at the base of the windshield to pressure the air intake.

The big problem was water leaking into the engine compartment. If you could make a sheet metal baffle to keep it off the water off the engine and the PCM it might help, but I never tried it.

Water Wetter and the other surfactents like the one made by Royal Purple seem to work best in pure water. Not sure you get as much improvement when running a water/coolant mix. I never noticed much difference with Water Wetter - nothing dramatic.

One way to maximize the heat transfer capability of the cooling system is to minimize the coolant ratio in the mix. Water is a better heat transfer medium than ethylene glycol. But you can't eliminate the coolant completely, because it also elevates the boiling point, and in a very hot climate, that can be a problem. If you are running a 50/50 water/coolant mix, try dropping the coolant to say a 75/25 mix. (I'm assuming you aren't looking for freeze protection from -30egF weeather). Make sure the radiator is clean, inside and out. Make sure your pressure cap is holding the required pressure. If you have an automatic trans, add a fan assisted cooler BEFORE the cooler in the radiator base.

[Blazer]

Watter wetter rocks I used 2 bottles like 20oz in my hot 350 S10 Blazer an it runs at about 162. Where I was running 3 fans an could not do that. Now I use only the engine fan only unless I an in very slow traffic than I turn on the other fans.
Blazer