Getting the hot air out.

[Paveltolz]

Where to get your own

With permission from the Mod of Mods, here is the contact information for the manufacturer of these louvers.

RUNCOOL® HOOD LOUVERS

Robert A. Buerlein is the owner. Good guy to talk to and easy to work with.

http://raceace.com

6767 FOREST HILL AVE. • SUITE 305 • RICHMOND, VA 23225
(804) 355-1758
Fax (804) 320-3223
EMAIL: [email protected]



If you're interested, give him a call. Maybe he'll become a site sponsor if enough of us invite him in.

 

[Crankme69]

Very nice job looks great.

 

[NVW]

Looks really good, if it were possible under hood temps with it blocked and open would be interesting.

 

[Paveltolz]

Looks really good, if it were possible under hood temps with it blocked and open would be interesting.

Yeah, I'm kicking myself a bit for not accumulating any data on temps before I started cutting the hood and fenders open. The contrasts would be good to have. Even though they would only be relative to my truck because of the lift, altitude and temperature of the day, route driven and location of the sensor, there would at least be a curve manifested that could have proven fairly consistent across the fleet. I say this because of all the variences reported by members when discussing underhood temps around the factory PMD location.

It would help with the claims made by the manufacturer to have a little validation. Still, with out the louvers and with the hood 'blanket' in place, the whole hood was almost too hot to touch after an 18 mile commute from work on a cool spring day. Now, as I may have mentioned earlier, there's no blanket and after the commute on even hotter days the hood is cool to the touch while the louvers are plenty hot. So, rule of burnt thumb says they're working as advertised.

But, the data can still be accumulated since I've ordered the new insulation for the hood tonight. Next week, I'll get it in place, block the louvers and make a run with the temp guage from my multi-meter in place. Then I'll reverse the run with the louvers clear and post up the results. I'm still out of town so it will be a week at least. Where should I take the readings from...one inch below the vents, center mass on the hood or towards the back near the firewall.

 

[schiker]

Where should I take the readings from...one inch below the vents, center mass on the hood or towards the back near the firewall.

I suggest somewhere up front near behind the radiator. Thinking a cooler reading with louvers must be more air coming through stack.

But then again the back of the engine bay is so crowded it might even get hotter. Thinking if air is not being pushed around inside the compartment and flushing it as a whole as much since it might be escaping easier through the hood.

What does that mean I dunno the goal I assume is to increase flow across the stack and hopefully more air flushing around engine would also increase heat dissipation of engine from a little surface air cooling.

I think air can cool the thin metal areas like the valve covers and oil pan an appreciable amount but the block is too honkin big to air cool.

Might want to watch any negatives like the back area under the turbo near the starter now might be robbed of air flush and the turbo and down pipe might radiate tremendous heat. Note I found some melted wire loom near the starter on clutch R&R.

Did some enclosure testing of stationary diesel engines and large heat sources like the down pipe and turbo need to have air flow around them. The turbo might be better now but near the DP might want to watch for any gremlins.

 

[Veg_Out]

I think it looks great. Well done!

 

[handcannon]

I'd be real interested in seeing the temp data when you get it. I'm interested in anything that is proven to help control motor temps.

Does anybody know if there are some type of louvers that are fastened down from the underneath side? I'm just being picky, but I don't like the pop rivits visible all over. To me it's just like having a nice set of natural wood kitchen cabinets and fastening in the shelves with lag bolts through the face frame (I'm a cabinetmaker).

Don

 

[Paveltolz]

I'd be real interested in seeing the temp data when you get it. I'm interested in anything that is proven to help control motor temps.

Does anybody know if there are some type of louvers that are fastened down from the underneath side? I'm just being picky, but I don't like the pop rivits visible all over. To me it's just like having a nice set of natural wood kitchen cabinets and fastening in the shelves with lag bolts through the face frame (I'm a cabinetmaker).

Don

One of my thoughts as well but there's the cross member supports to consider. It took me a while to warm up to the idea and then longer to get the courage up to cut holes in my hood.

I had mulled over other options and decided that if the current mounting became an asthetics issue sitting on top of the hood and looking a little Frankenstein with the rivets, I could work with a body shop to crease/lower the edges of the hood where the louvers overlap and thus have them sit relatively flush with the hood. Afterthat it would be a matter of body filler, sanding, priming and then painting. Challenge would still be working around the supports/cross-members.

Another option is to send the hood to a shop and have the louvers cut directly into the hood. PRICEY!

However, I was told by the guys at the local O'Reilly's that Wyotec (sp)offered such services in one of their courses. If someone can back up or refute that, I'd be greatful.

Temperatures: Most likely I'll have the insulation in this weekend. RAAMaudio is only 50 miles away from where I live and he shipped them today. I'll set the temperature sensor an inch below hood center towards the back of the motor; take a closed and then open reading with the warmed up truck motoring along at 50 mph on a fairly flat road. I have a seven mile stretch of road w/o traffic lights that will serve nicely. Stay tuned Saturday....:thumbsup:

Measuring Air Flow: Today at the SPECOPS convention here in Tampa I saw a small, hand held windmeter that was programable and would transmit it's data but the vendor wasn't willing to loan it out. Oh well. That part will have to wait.

 

[dangerousdave]

Tip for the next truck; Scribe the hinge locations and take the hood off. I'll have mine up against the wall, hung from the rafter or eaves, depending on weather

I usually pop off the springs and pivot it up for most top engine work, 2 ropes to the rack hoist and secure.

 

[schiker]

Measuring Air Flow: Today at the SPECOPS convention here in Tampa I saw a small, hand held windmeter that was programable and would transmit it's data but the vendor wasn't willing to loan it out. Oh well. That part will have to wait.

We used probably something similar it had a little fan that air would spin and it measured how fast it spun. We were testing different fans. I think the one I saw was an Extech brand?? The engine distributor would take several reading like a tic tac toe grid map then average them all together. There are spots like center of fan and corners that have reduced air flow compared to center of the "donut ring" of the fan blades. Can't remember I think it was a 4x4 grid of measurements. I have heard air flow measurements are not all that precise/repeatable/accurate and really you get a comparative average for the most part.

 

[Paveltolz]

That's the brand, Extech. The "fan" wasn't more than 1/2 an inch in dia. Pretty techie piece of kit. Maybe there's an app for my phone!

 

[Franko914]

One of my thoughts as well but there's the cross member supports to consider. It took me a while to warm up to the idea and then longer to get the courage up to cut holes in my hood.
<snip>...

I measured mine ten times and cut once... I wasn't about to weaken the cross member supports. 4" thin abrasive disc on the Makita angle grinder. Patrol car pulled up and two officers watched me plunge cut the second hole. Cleaned as well as I could, then liberally sprayed (three coats) with galvanizing compound.

It only took a short time for the stainless steel pop rivets "look" to be a non-issue. Really happy with the hot air being SUCKED out of the louvers once the truck gets moving. Was planning on installing a couple of 9-10" low profile fans directly under the hood to force hot engine air out when truck is not moving... never got around to it. Nice job on yours!

Regards,
Franko

 

[Paveltolz]

Looks good. I like the contrast of the light on dark. :thumbsup:

I wanted to do what you did with the hood liner but mine was in no condition to retain so out it came. I'm picking up some reflective material to place inside the the support members and then place the RaamAudio material over it all. The Raam stuff I purchased is only a 1/4 in thick so a little impov is in order. Otherwise it was going to end up looking like an aluminum foil covered mess.):h

Again, nice job.

 

[SmithvilleD]

I've considered the idea of fender vents towards the rear possibly exhausting enough underhood air (at speed) to potentially help airflow thru the radiator/cooling stack.

Wondering if a few short pieces of string taped to your driver's side fender vent would confirm if there's outward airflow?

W/ the '97+ cooling upgrades & Dmax fan, my truck tows well in 95-100 degree temps & peaks btwn 205-210 on the toughest hills. But my turbo project's exhaust routing will work best w/ a 2 or 3" body lift.

The body lift changes the rad to engine height so the OEM rad shroud will be compromised. Going to stout electric fans is an option but readymade aftermarket fan solutions are rather expensive.

I'll be replacing the front fenders before painting next winter & would try to incorporate something like the Powerstroke Ford's or Escalade vents (made functional) if they'd actually pull some underhood air out?

 

[Paveltolz]

I've thought about the string in the hood and on the side vents. Driving would be an uncertain test in my mind because I wouldn't be sure if the air was coming out of the vents or the string just dragging in the air flow. So, string test at a stand still with the engine idling up to 2000 rpm. Observe, photo and post up the results. I've got a couple of ideas for an 'at speed' test that will prove comical whether they work or not. If what I'm reading on the "Fender Freash Air [intake]" thread is what I think it is - that at speed, the ridges in the vents create a low pressure burble which draws the air out rather than over pressure under the hood pushing the air out. Buddy or Great White will straighten me out though. In the mean time, I've got family visiting with some fun nephews to mess around with so nothing going on this week with the truck as family, and you all know this, comes first.

 

[SmithvilleD]

I'd wondered about that also. The string might need to be shorter & tied to inner fender structure - then you do you see it, maybe someone observing from another vehicle.

I've got a magnehelic/differential pressure gauge around here somewhere. May just put a hole in the possible vent location on the old fender(s) & test it not long before replacing the fenders.

 

[Franko914]

MPG of Electric Fan Pushing Through Louvers

I've attached a .zip file of a movie.mpg showing one electric fan pumping engine compartment air out of the hood louvers at standstill (remember, much air coming out below engine, too).

Somewhere, I also have another movie.mpg showing streamers on a stick placed six (6) inches in front of the grill being "sucked" towards the radiator with one, then two electric fans pulling behind the radiator (but that's for another thread...).

 

[Paveltolz]

Thanks for the movie post. Pretty much the plan I had come up with, to use a shop exhaust / cooling fan on high only I was going to light off a smoke generator in front of the grill to see if it would pull through and exit out the vents. This way is cleaner. I will go with SmithvilleD idea of securing the yarn inside the fender and see if it gets pulled/pushed out the side vents.

 

[Turboman]

Is rain water or water from a car wash an issue? Does it drain directly on top of the engine? Is there a possibility of "cold" water hitting hot engine componets causing cracking? I am not being negative to your effort, just curious.

 

[Franko914]

Is rain water or water from a car wash an issue? Does it drain directly on top of the engine? Is there a possibility of "cold" water hitting hot engine componets causing cracking? I am not being negative to your effort, just curious.

The louvers' vents face rearward, so even a hose soak from the front or even from an angle will not pour or heavily drip water into the engine compartment (I tried by placing a cookie pan under them). Splashing the water stream directly onto the windshield resulted in water cascading down past the wipers and, then, directed into the channels protecting the fresh air vent intakes. A bucket of water didn't do much either. You will have to direct the water stream into the louver from behind to get worry-enough water in there. You won't get any more water from up top than through the radiator. The louver design is pretty solid: narrow louvers angled rearwards.