Long post coming. I need to explain what's going on, so please be patient. Well, as some of you may have noticed, it's been twelve thousand and six degrees here in the Northeast every day essentially since Summer started in June. And my VX has not been happy. When the ambient temperature has been over 95 (once again, pretty much every day) the temp gauge has steadily crept up and rested gently against the H line.
At first I thought, oh it's a little low on oil. Which it was -- because we all know how that game works, right? Look at the VX wrong and it drinks a quart of oil.
After religiously keeping the oil topped off I saw that it was still running way too close to H. Next, I thought that perhaps my cooling system had a malfunction. So I checked the radiator (brand new) coolant (perfect and full) thermostat (perfect & nearly new) etc. I even bought a new radiator cap thinking that maybe it was something as minor as that. The engine compression is perfect on all 6. Exhaust system is essentially brand new. But day after day, especially under load, my poor VX was running hotter than it should and sometimes right at the H line.
So this evening I thought, well maybe the engine just isn't getting enough "relatively" cool air being vented into the engine bay. So I did a little experiment where I cracked the hood and drove it for a couple of hours, in the same heat, and under the same conditions, just to see if there was any difference. Surprise surprise! Doing this one thing resulted in a HUGE difference. Now the temp gauge is on the low end of the dial and it doesn't seem to mind being under load with the A/C blasting, going up a hill, etc.
So you begin to comprehend where this post is leading. Assuming that what I've just observed is valid and my engine simply needs more cool air vented to the engine bay, what are the most sensible options? Obviously, I can't run around with my engine lid cracked open, as this might not work out so well if I'm driving 65 mph down the highway and it decides to fly up at an inopportune moment. I don't want to cut holes in my OEM hood. Ideally, I want to find a way to direct cooler air into the engine bay, perhaps by routing hosing from the grill or wheel wells.
I appreciate your patience in reading this diatribe. My VX and I will also be sincerely grateful for any suggestions.
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Originally Posted by longiotti
