It could be a waste but only time will tell. I don't expect to waterproof the engine, that can't be done. I've had my engine completely covered in mud and then sprayed it out with a low pressure garden hose and it's done just fine. The idea of a damper or shutter would be to slow down large amounts of water in heavy rain. The screens would help some here too. I appreciate everyone's input. Discussion is healthy.

 

Here are some suggestions to address the engine temps from two angles.

1) Get a good tune. Get someone who knows what they are doing in the 1000-2000 RPM range to make better use of the fuel and less waste heat. Then they can drop the shift points down to improve the drivetrain efficiency. The also need to enhance the DFCO settings.

2) I don't know whether you do more city or high travel. Mine is mostly around town. So I removed the hood seal near the windshield. At low speeds it helps get the heat out. At high speeds there is a high pressure zone at the base on the windshield and this might force more air into the engine compartment making things worse and negatively impacting the Cd.

3) How are your air intake temps? If you have an aftermarket air intake that is sucking hot engine air, then you may be making engine temps increase.

4) I don't know if the hood louver will work t solve your issue. Can you try removing the lower sloped skid plate? I don't know what this does to the Cd. Could the sloped skip plate be louvered to help get heat out??? This removes the water concern.

 

I think the mechanical shutter is a great idea. Old vw's have shuttering mechanisms for different vents, you may be able to get some hardware that you could adapt. I was alos thinking you could use something similar to the plate piece on the throttle control of a lawn mower or something similar. Or heck maybe adapt a power window motor and tracks. If it is manual operation I think you may run into an issue with getting the full amount of movement that you want. But would you need the entire louver vented or vent maybe half of it?

 

why not just take the winch off when you dont use it and see if the problem goes away? if it does, then maybe get a different winch system?

 

Is the electric fan really worth all the custom fabrication you're kicking around? Why not just go back to the OEM fan? You know the old saying: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT

 

Some valid points to consider. By my experience, the efan does positively affect mpg and hp some. Replacing the winch is not an option. The PowerPlant is both a 12,000lb winch and a 90psi Air Compressor in one unit. I love it and use it a lot.

At this point, I really have two choices to explore. Replace the efan with the stock fan and lose the approximately 2 mpg gain and lose some power, or figure out the vent and screens.

Thanks for the thoughts guys!

 

Don't know if it's possible on the H3, but on my Corvette, I got the performance package, and one of the extras was an electric 'pusher' fan on the front side of the radiator.