Even with the grill block, coolant temps won't get above 220F as that is when the fan turns on. I wouldn't worry about trans temps.
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Even with the grill block, coolant temps won't get above 220F as that is when the fan turns on. I wouldn't worry about trans temps.
Yeah, just don't want to cook that. My OBD reader doesn't give me trans temp, but it does give coolant temp. I figured if they made the car from factory with more venting for the cvt, it might be necessary to consider it with a full grille block. That being said, they also sold this car in the philippines, where it gets a BIT warmer than here. Ha!
That's a good point. Did you know your CVT has a heat exchanger that uses engine coolant? I think they are supposed to run as hot as the engine, so I'm not sure what operating temperature you are going for.
I just wanted to post an update on this mod. Its still in place and doing a wonderful job a year later. I could probably tighten up the zip ties a little, but other than that it is great.
I really love how well this mod works to warm the car up faster, and keep the engine warm. It allows me to get heat out of the vents a lot quicker, and that is pretty nice when its 10F out. Combine this with the 3d printed upper grill block, and you really get faster warm up and heat.
I really love these cold weather / aeromods.
Cold winter weather here means I'm now running a 100% grille block on my winter beater Metro. The cooling fan rarely if ever comes on. I have a couple of sections I can quicly remove if I need to (without tools).
I think there is one more area that could use some attention. There is a pretty good gap between the hood and the upper radiator support / front bumper cover. There is also no weather stripping installed there, so its literally just a big gap. Maybe I'll swing by the local big box store tonight and see if they have any thick weather stripping I can stick on there. I bet a decent amount of air gets in the engine bay via that area. That should improve aerodynamics, WAI temperatures, as well as warm up times.
Have done it like this for years:
Before summer, or when it starts getting above 20°C ( 70°F?) the part of the grill that Mitsubishi left open, gets blocked 3/4, thus only 1/4 open. The letterbox remains open. I leave it that way for months.
Before winter when folks start putting on warmer clothing again, the lower grill is blocked 100%, only the letterbox remains open. I leave it like that until next summer.
This is rather conservative. It could be blocked more, but this way the fan virtually never turns on, only rare exception being when traffic stops for longer periods during congestion.