Winter grille blocks

goonarmy

Rad muffs are common on more agricultrial motors. Not seen em for modern vehicles but should be ok.

Mankysteve

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Doing a bit of reading elsewhere I've found people discussing that the cold coolent in the radiator will end up going to the engine once the theremostat allows, which will then cause engine temp to drop.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/how-does-grill-block-help-engine-warmup-25061.html

the thermostat will close again.

Ultrasonic

Mankysteve wrote: »

the thermostat will close again.

Yes. I think what will happen is that the thermostat will open and close at gradually decreasing time intervals, but each time it opens coolent that has been being cooled while sitting in the radiator passes into the engine. If a grill block reduces how much the coolent sitting in the radiator is cooled then the effect will be to reduce the time it takes the engine to reach a stable operating temperature. I think...

Ultrasonic

goonarmy wrote: »

Rad muffs are common on more agricultrial motors. Not seen em for modern vehicles but should be ok.

Many would describe the PD engine in my car as pretty agricultural .

forgotmyname

If people do decide to block the grills something like that is safer than some
bodges i have seen.

Bits of hardboard or chipboard wedged in with no real support. Seen a few burnt ones when fitted to cars with the exhaust to the front.

Netwizard

Ultrasonic wrote: »

I think this sort of thing is pretty common in colder countries, and there are plenty of sources online discussing the effects. So I'm pretty sure they do help engines warm up quicker.

I've only ever seen this done in seriously cold places (where temps drop to -40 or so).

I don't think grill blocks are really required for -4 / -5 temps :rotfl:

Cant believe how barmy this county goes when the temps start dropping a bit!

The best things you can do for your car are make sure your antifreeze is the right strength and make sure your thermostat is in good working order

Regardless of what I have driven through winter, its never taken that long to warm up that you would need grill blocks!

Ultrasonic

Netwizard wrote: »

I don't think grill blocks are really required for -4 / -5 temps :rotfl:

I didn't suggest it was required, just potentially helpful . Two points that make it a little more relevant for me are that:

1) My car is a diesel.
2) My daily work commute is only 9 miles long.

Oh, and I'm interested in the aerodynamic benefit as well, although I appreciate the effect may be as small as a 1% increase in fuel economy from that. I've considered grill blocks in summer before for exactly this reason but have always been reluctant to experiment with DIY options.

Not that I've at all made my mind up to buy one of these at the moment.

Ultrasonic

Netwizard wrote: »

The best things you can do for your car are make sure your antifreeze is the right strength and make sure your thermostat is in good working order

Out of interest, how can I test my thermostat?

Norman_Castle

On a nine mile journey in the winter most of the cooling will be done via the heater.

I've considered grill blocks in summer before for exactly this reason but have always been reluctant to experiment with DIY options.

Have you considered why car makers leave a hole in front of the radiator?.

Ultrasonic

Norman_Castle wrote: »

On a nine mile journey in the winter most of the cooling will be done via the heater.

You're right that will be a factor. I try to keep the heater on as low as I can whilst keeping the windscreen clear for this very reason. Even at the moment my engine takes noticeably longer to warm up, when to be honest I don't actually need to have the heating on all. (I do have it on minimal heat so that the CC dehumidifies the air to help keep the windows clear. Octavias aren't the best for internal condensation...)

Have you considered why car makers leave a hole in front of the radiator?.

Yes. It is designed to stop the engine from overheating when under the most extreme conditions - say towing a caravan up a hill on the hottest summer day. Plenty of people run partial grill blocks in summer, in winter I really don't think this will be of any concern from what I've read. The grill block in question would only block off the top grill on my car, there is another grill under the numberplate. But I would of course monitor the engine temp and take the grill block off if I found it was causing a problem.

It's perhaps worth mentioning that modern cars tend to have much smaller grill openings than older cars, and that Ford have designed a complicated automatic grill block for the latest Focus. These were I'm sure done for aeordynamic reasons but will also have an impact on engine warm up and cooling.

Edit: I just realised your comment was in reply to me mentioning using a grill block in summer. Yes, I would be much more cautious about using a grill block in warmer weather. I certainly wouldn't risk having one on at the height of summer.