General Engine overheating slightly.

[ciccio500]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is well.

My wife bought be a rack and wicker picnic basket for my little car last year, and I've since installed it. It looks lovely, however, I've noticed that the engine gets much hotter now, and on a couple of occasions recently it's not wanted to restart until it cools down a bit which has left me sat by the side of the road, or in a supermarket car park with the engine cover open a couple of times.

I'm guessing the addition of the picnic basket is somehow restricting air flow into the engine.

To this point, I'm due to go to Italy in a few weeks, so I have been compiling my usual shopping list of things I'd like to pick up. One of which (and this is where I'm looking for advice) is a hood lifter grill like this.....

Griglia alza cofano sportiva a righe orizzontali Fiat 500 d'epoca

Griglia alza cofano sportiva a righe orizzontali fiat 500 d'epoca La griglia alza cofano sportiva FIAT 500 d'epoca garantisce maggior areazione al motore e tuning performante. Ottimizza il raffreddamento e migliora l'aerodinamicità, aumentando le prestazioni del veicolo. Ideale per gli amanti...

www.500line.it

So my question is, will this help? Is it needed/a good idea? And are there any specific nuts/bolts needed to attach? I can't seem to find any. I'm assuming I already have everything I need to attach the engine cover to it, just need to know if there are any particular bolts I need to attach the lifter to the car.

Thanks in advance,

Fran.

 

[Mike1alike]

I'd say you have two problems there and that grill won't have any effect on either of them. It looks nice, though.
First problem, engine not starting when is hot. I'd say that is 100% due to failing crankshaft sensor, generally. I don't know how your car model is, if it has crankshaft positioning sensor, but if it does, that's it. Next time that happens take a look at the RPM gauge while you're cranking the engine. If the needle stays down, sensor is the problem. If the needle rises up to ~200, sensor's ok.
The second problem is overheating. You've connected that to the basket you installed but... correlation does not mean causation. The engine shouldn't overheat. So you need to take a look and find whats really causing it. Possible causes: faulty thermostat stuck closed, faulty radiator cooling fan not working 100%, clogged radiator.

 

[ciccio500]

I'd say you have two problems there and that grill won't have any effect on either of them. It looks nice, though.
First problem, engine not starting when is hot. I'd say that is 100% due to failing crankshaft sensor, generally. I don't know how your car model is, if it has crankshaft positioning sensor, but if it does, that's it. Next time that happens take a look at the RPM gauge while you're cranking the engine. If the needle stays down, sensor is the problem. If the needle rises up to ~200, sensor's ok.
The second problem is overheating. You've connected that to the basket you installed but... correlation does not mean causation. The engine shouldn't overheat. So you need to take a look and find whats really causing it. Possible causes: faulty thermostat stuck closed, faulty radiator cooling fan not working 100%, clogged radiator.

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your reply. My car is a 1970 500L I'm afraid it doesn't have a crankshaft sensor.

The whole of the thermostat housing has been stripped out by the previous owner along with the flap so it's completely open.

The fan is turning freely and I can feel it pushing air around the engine, and it doesn't have a radiator.

The basket covers all of the grills on the engine cover, hence why I thought this was restricting air into the engine bay.

Fran.

 

[ZaphodB]

Is the basket and position similar to this:

If so I'd say any way you can reinstate the ventilation (if it does block it) is gonna help vastly

I've found a single pic of where that (or something similar) Griglia goes:

You're gonna need an extra set of bolts , looks like you attach it to the car where the original cover goes on the lower hinge pins , then attach the original to that, and it kinda holds the original open slightly at the bottom (greatly increasing airflow )

 

[ciccio500]

Is the basket and position similar to this:

View attachment 470058
If so I'd say any way you can reinstate the ventilation (if it does block it) is gonna help vastly

I've found a single pic of where that (or something similar) Griglia goes:

You're gonna need an extra set of bolts , looks like you attach it to the car where the original cover goes on the lower hinge pins , then attach the original to that, and it kida holds the original open slightly at the bottom (greatly increasing airflow )
View attachment 470059

Hi ZaphodB,

Yes almost, it looks like that one pictured is a slightly smaller basket and offset slightly, mine sits directly in the middle which then covers both grills and the central part of the upper grill.

I guess I'm asking if the extra bolts are specific or do I just find ones that fit?

Fran.

 

[bugsymike]

With the hot weather, it sounds like a good idea to increase ventilation around engine, I assume all the ducting is correct in engine bay.
Tuned up air cooled VW Beetles have a similar raised boot lid modification to aid cooling.

 

[the hobbler]

With the hot weather, it sounds like a good idea to increase ventilation around engine, I assume all the ducting is correct in engine bay.
Tuned up air cooled VW Beetles have a similar raised boot lid modification to aid cooling.

If I remember correctly, when fitting these small "engine cover part openers" you do not need any more nuts and bolts---you can use the original engine-cover mounting points. However what you DO have to do is re-work the top catch for the engine cover in order that you can open the engine-cover without having to remove the 'lifter'---the original catch creates a triangle of retainers. The wicker basket on the engine cover WILL cause the engine to run hot. as the hot air around the engine can't escape, so the engine bay just gets slowly hotter and hotter.

 

[lazylobster]

If it was me. I would removed the basket and frame and see what the outcome is. If no real impact then not related. But I suspect it will be changing the air flow dynamics over the rear lid.

The engines are air cooled and designed to run hot. They can be tricky to restart when hot. You fully depressing the accelerator on start up? I would be more inclined to check vavle clearence setup for starters.

 

[ciccio500]

If I remember correctly, when fitting these small "engine cover part openers" you do not need any more nuts and bolts---you can use the original engine-cover mounting points. However what you DO have to do is re-work the top catch for the engine cover in order that you can open the engine-cover without having to remove the 'lifter'---the original catch creates a triangle of retainers. The wicker basket on the engine cover WILL cause the engine to run hot. as the hot air around the engine can't escape, so the engine bay just gets slowly hotter and hotter.

Thanks Tom,

The lifters I have found online don't come with any fittings, so I know that the engine cover itself has fittings, but surely you need a couple more to attach the lifter to the body of the car at the bottom?

Also thanks for the heads up on the latch, it didn't twig that obviously the engine cover will be sat at a slightly different angle up at the top. Are these easy to adjust do you know?

Fran.