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the engine cover under our jeeps keeping on or off

14K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  BlackHawk2016 
#1 · (Edited)
ok we know its there to keep out the eliments so on,but holds in heat ,? some are takeing them off,only thing most dont like is the heat they couse,but still said alot of heat but not as much when off ,the thin cover for the battery ,would make sence to take that off actually supposed to allow it to breath ,thoughts on this an who is takeing them off,but they have a purpose for say up north ,thought i would say in some places,not sure i would keep it on ,hot fla heat the south in general,some think there killing the battery,i would take my battery cover off,that dont seem to serve a purpose the thin felt like stuff:smile:note i know my 406 puts out alot of heat ,i wonder if it battery location is bad .not being in the corner or front of the car ,with air right there to breath better
 
#3 · (Edited)
fix it its broke or may be

that is very much commen sence to most ,though got to wonder ,my jeep after 3 hours sitting at 70 today was still 2 bars hot out of the 4 ,,heat can couse lots of issues,not just the battery failing ,,dont get me wrong i like what they have done ,but have to wonder for longevity time will tell i guess as these are only 4 years pretty much on this model,an every other suv i see is one of these so in say 10 years or sooner will see how many are on the road still ,as much as i like the latitude i have, the jury is still out for the next few years on it ,who knows it may become a idea to not put a cover on the next one.or on the battery .:smile: 5 years run should be up in 2019,just seems there not getting enough air under the hood the grill is not much to it ,there seems to be plenty of air to the radiator but not the engine compartment ,should be great for melting snow of in the winter though
 
#4 ·
ok we know its there to keep out the eliments so on,but holds in heat ,?
In most cases, an engine cover is just an inexpensive way to cover ugly engine components. Then engineers don't have to worry about arranging and designing things to be pretty. In certain cases, engine covers serve additional functions such as keeping spark plug wires arranged and away from hot engine parts while taking a short cut across the top, or: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/11/the-dangers-of-lifting-engine-covers/. This is not the case with the KL's 3.2L and 2.4L. The engine cover just pops off. The thin plastic appears to serve no other function.
 
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#5 ·
well it seems this cover is the one under the jeep with heat issues the placement of the battery not a good spot, an the amount of air that gets in the 7 tiny little grills makes for alot of heat on it an other componants ,seems to be a reason why its there like said to keep out the elements,unlike the covers on the engines ,i am impressed with the looks under the suv in the engine bay as well, though i still like the old school look of an engine,yes its all covers now ,open the hood of a caddy with an ls2 an its 5 covers an nothing can be seen at all ,
 
#6 ·
This does not apply to the LS2 Caddy, but on the ones with the Direct Injection engines, the cover helps dampen the injector noise. When DI was the newest tech kid on the block, it added a lot of noise.

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#7 ·
I have noticed that it does keep engine heat in and in turn heats the battery up quite a bit. Hot battery = Less life I run with the cover off all the time now. When it gets cold this winter I may put it back on but it does keep the engine bay quite toasty.
 
#10 ·
But when the vehicle is in motion there is air flow through the engine compartment. A lot of it.
That is the hot air from the engine is continually being pushed down and out. The only way it has to go.
The Battery will get hotter than normal but the hot air is being generated behind it and being pushed out behind it.
Now with that said, if the vehicle is just sitting there with the engine running, then yes that compartment will heat up. It will heat up a lot with no air flow other than the cooling fan(s).
That cover may actually speed up the air flow, down and out, as it would constrict the space the heat has to rise and the air has flow.
Just my humble opinion.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Heat rises when no other forces act on it. Of course when the vehicle is moving, there is airflow under the hood which varies in intensity and direction depending on many factors.

The battery is in fact not directly under the engine cover, but very close to its edge. With the Jeep in motion, there may be flow under there that negates the proximity of that trapped rising heat under the cover. But as soon as you slow to a crawl, stop or park the Jeep with a warm engine, that heat will rise under the cover and radiate to the sides. Without this cover, it's possible the heat would rise to the hood and spread across the entire underhood surface, and be less intense at the battery. Relatively less intense.

The topic of engine covers has been and is being discussed on many car forums. Conclusions always point to : esthetics, some sound deadening (more or less pertinent depending on vehicle), and perhaps oil splatter protection (more visual than anything). Some use covers to route spark plug wires (not the KLs). Do they aggravate underhood heat problems ? Possibly...

I also wonder about those battery covers (??). Just for looks ? Can't be good for heat dissipation...
 
#12 ·
Heat rises when no other forces act on it. Of course when the vehicle is moving, there is airflow under the hood which varies in intensity and direction depending on many factors.

The battery is in fact not directly under the engine cover, but very close to its edge. With the Jeep in motion, there may be flow under there that negates the proximity of that trapped rising heat under the cover. But as soon as you slow to a crawl, stop or park the Jeep with a warm engine, that heat will rise under the cover and radiate to the sides. Without this cover, it's possible the heat would rise to the hood and spread across the entire underhood surface, and be less intense at the battery. Relatively less intense.

The topic of engine covers has been and is being discussed on many car forums. Conclusions always point to : esthetics, some sound deadening (more or less pertinent depending on vehicle), and perhaps oil platter protection (more visual than anything). Some use covers to route spark plug wires (not the KLs). Do they aggravate underhood heat problems ? Possibly...

I also wonder about those battery covers (??). Just for looks ? Can't be good for heat dissipation...
We always tend to agree don't we? The engine cover has a lot of insulation on it and that will keep engine temps up and most likely keeps the engine noise down to a certain extent, but with an intake on a vehicle (not everyone has one) the sound deadening properties are a moot point.

I don't currently have my engine cover with me, but I have a temp controlled garage I will test today and see how hot it gets with the engine cover off idling. Once I get the cover i'll do the test again, that's about as close to controlled as I can do for testing.
 
#15 ·
Unless your vehicle is experiencing an over-heating issue, the heat in the engine compartment is irrelevant. As stated in the first response, by Rojhan, engineer's don't add parts for the heck of it. It "may" serve many purposes, the least of all maybe to help the engine get up to operating temperature to hasten the heater or other things that work better with the engine warmed up. However, as our wise member already stated, "If it ain't broke....." - don't worry about it.
 
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