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Winter grille cover?
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:26 pm
by wpgtibook
Dealing with some FRIGID temperatures here on the 'prairies, and looking to retain a bit more heat (the Path doesn't heat up NEARLY as well as my other cars..Volvos).
Anyone know if there is an after-market winter grille cover?
(Note: I've looked high and low and nothing).
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:54 pm
by Zen_master
I too am interested in this if anyone stumbles across one.
The Pathfinder was very sluggish today as I was leaving work with the temp registering -5 degrees at 5 o'clock. You could just feel the transmission and diff fluid was thick like molasses and the gears did not want to turn.
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:11 am
by skinny2
Well a grill cover isn't going to help with gear fluids and such. That's just par for the course in these crazy temps. The only thing the grill cover would really do is help keep the engine at op temps while driving...maybe at idle but not as much. Mine was having trouble staying at normal op temp while idling last night but it was still plenty warm. Once out on the highway it stayed right in the normal range. Which tells me it doesn't need a cover.
You'll see the covers on diesels a lot because they just don't produce the heat like a gas engine and cold air hitting them will actually make the engine cool off while driving. It's not efficient to operate at too low of a temp.
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 5:17 pm
by Zen_master
skinny2 wrote:Well a grill cover isn't going to help with gear fluids and such. That's just par for the course in these crazy temps. The only thing the grill cover would really do is help keep the engine at op temps while driving...maybe at idle but not as much. Mine was having trouble staying at normal op temp while idling last night but it was still plenty warm. Once out on the highway it stayed right in the normal range. Which tells me it doesn't need a cover.
You'll see the covers on diesels a lot because they just don't produce the heat like a gas engine and cold air hitting them will actually make the engine cool off while driving. It's not efficient to operate at too low of a temp.
Would it help the engine to reach operating temp faster?
I only live about 1.5 miles from the expressway therefore I'm getting some pretty good airflow across the radiator right out of the shoot. I wonder if this is keeping the engine from warming up faster than it might otherwise. Then again, my understanding of cooling systems is the coolant isn't "released" to the engine until the thermostat reaches a certain temp so not sure if there's any benefit to the grille cover