What would happen if I took the plastic engine cover off?

"traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn" (el-peasant) 06/02/2015 at 15:06 • Filed to: None

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Not that I’ll get rid of it completely; I’ll hang it up in my garage if I ever want/need it again.

Nothing is simpler than removing the 5.7’s cover. Just lift it right off the four pins that it sits on.

But what are some advantages/disadvantages of taking off the plastic cover?

Possible:

-Runoff rain and melted snow have a greater chance of seeping into the motor . This is my biggest concern. If not a factor, I’ll leave it off all the time, except long trips as stated later.

-Also, more dirt and grime can intrude into the motor.

-The plastic cover is sound deadening, so increased engine noise in the cabin. Most see this as a disadvantage, but I actually would like more engine noise. Not on long trips where it could get tiring, but then I would just put the cover back on.

-More heat released from under the cover - no one wants it to get too hot in there.

- Weight reduction bro.

EDIT: Now that I’ve been told that no water/dirt will run in, the process is a go.

How’s it look haunting my dreams each night?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:10

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Every car has this now. I think it’s just to keep people from trying to tinker with their engines.

PS9 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:13

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Runoff rain and melted snow have a greater chance of seeping into the motor

Also, more dirt and grime can intrude into the motor.

Umm what? How exactly is this supposed to happen?

ttyymmnn > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:13

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The engine cover disappeared from my ‘01 Golf probably ten years ago after service. I've never missed it. My belief is that, in most cases, it is purely cosmetic, and meant to dissuade anybody from tinkering with the engine.

Party-vi > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:13

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Nothing is going to seep into your motor, unless water has found a way to move through sealants and metal in a fashion that oil and combustion has not.

Dirt/grime can’t get “into” the motor either, just “onto” the motor.

Also I’m sure the plastic cover absorbed some heat of the engine and gave it a larger surface area to radiate from, even if it is a very terrible heat sink.

daender > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:14

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I’m sure there is some minor aerodynamic/cooling function with the cover but yeah...screw it unless you’re tracking it.

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > PS9 06/02/2015 at 15:15

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Now that I think about it, I have no clue. I recall reading it somewhere and it stuck with me. If not possible, I will pull the trigger to leave off the cover.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:16

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Allow me to adjust your pro/con list

Pro - You no longer have an engine cover on

Con - Increased NVH
- You no longer have an engine cover on

macanamera > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:16

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explosions

yamahog > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:16

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If the first two points were a concern, the uncovered and routinely mud-soaked engine in my XJ never would’ve made it to 250k:

Engine covers are mainly for aesthetics/slight sound deadening anyway, so don’t worry about it. First thing we did with my Camaro was to pull it off.

JGrabowMSt > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:24

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I took mine off the day after I bought the car. Hasn’t gone back on yet.

Also, the plastic engine cover is hardly sound deadening. I worked in live/studio audio engineering, that flimsy piece of plastic isn’t doing anything. The foam underneath is so it doesn’t rattle around.

Also, into the motor? There’s literally only two places for “things” to “get into the motor” and that’s the intake and the exhaust. Otherwise, it’s a fairly tight closed system. The plastic covers on most engines today are to discourage you from poking around, not to keep it clean.

Heat release? Really? Runoff rain and snow? Do you drive with the hood open? When I get my Magnum back I’ll take a picture of the top of the motor after a winter of DDing the car through every snowstorm we got for my 100 mile round trip commute. The bellypan is very good at keeping things from getting up there, so unless a hose bursts, it should stay relatively clean for normal road use.

In short, why remove it? Because your 5.7L V8 was not built to hide under a piece of plastic. Just take it off, leave it off, and call it a day. Those 4 plastic posts it sits on however are not removable, you’re stuck with them being there after removing it. Worse things have happened. If you want more noise under the hood get a new intake. If you want more noise out the back cut off your resonators and replace with a set of blastin’ bobs 6dBs. More than adequate increase in noise will occur.

uofime-2 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:24

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I know this isn’t the case with yours but on DI motors you can hear the high-pressure fuel pump and injectors clicking away more if you remove those covers and those are kind of annoying noises

TheHondaBro > PS9 06/02/2015 at 15:25

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Idk, but some people have left me some strongly-worded comments trying to tell me that it can happen, so it must be true.

lonestranger > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:25

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Even if it could somehow enter the engine, the cover can only provide shelter from the top directly downward, like a roof. There’s already a much bigger steel roof directly above it, the hood.

Cover on or off, all of the water (mist) and dirt (dust) is getting blown around more-or-less horizontally. If it wasn’t, the intake manifold in your pic would be much cleaner than it is.

PS9 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 06/02/2015 at 15:25

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Oh yeah? WELL FUCK YOU CHRYSLER, YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!

* Attaches supercharger kit to car without any tuning*

*Immediately blows engine*

PS9 > macanamera 06/02/2015 at 15:27

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Nibbles > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:27

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That’d make a p sick shield for someone’s Transformers fanfic cosplay

PS9 > TheHondaBro 06/02/2015 at 15:29

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I think some of those people blew head gaskets and didn’t pay attention to the warning signs beforehand.

“Goddamnit, I got coolant in my oil! How the hell does that happen!? Some water must have seeped in from somewhere over the years...”

Cherry_man1 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:32

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Well, it’s not that pretty to look at. what you could do is cut the middle of the cover off and put the sides back on that say Hemi. That’s why I like Mustang engines. The cover incorporates the intake manifold with the cover.

With the Cover

without cover.

the cover just covers the fuel rails.

Nibbles > PS9 06/02/2015 at 15:50

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SPLOOOOOM

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > uofime-2 06/02/2015 at 15:57

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I fired up again and shut myself inside. It was very faint but I could hear what I think was those noises, unlike when the cover was on.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:58

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YOUR ENGINE WILL EXPLODE!

HammerheadFistpunch > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 15:58

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yeah, injector noise is one of the big reasons for those covers.

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > HammerheadFistpunch 06/02/2015 at 16:03

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I like ‘em noisy.

Destructive Tester > Cherry_man1 06/02/2015 at 16:56

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That's actually one of the least offensive engine covers I've seen.

BobintheMtns > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 06/02/2015 at 17:57

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I’ve heard that removing the cover DOES increase the chance of water causing problems. I’m not sure how your dodge is set up, but the danger isn’t so much water getting INTO the engine, but having water splash up, hit the hood and drip down on top of the motor, the water can then seep into where the coil-packs are, and shorten their life/potentially cause elec problems.... But I don’t know, that’s only what I’ve heard...

Cherry_man1 > Destructive Tester 06/02/2015 at 18:50

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Ford does a good job when it comes to making intake manifolds.

Hi there > uofime-2 06/02/2015 at 19:29

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I’m 99.99% certain the 5.7 hemi is port injection but yes, GDI tapping/clicking is an irritating noise.

uofime-2 > Hi there 06/02/2015 at 21:46

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Hence me saying “I know this isn’t the case with yours”

Indeed you can see the fuel rails and injectors along the intake in his picture

DipodomysDeserti > Party-vi 06/03/2015 at 08:16

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They actually help lock some heat into the intake manifold which improves fuel economy. They’ll usually have insulating foam on the underside. Since the covers are usually flat with few ridges or swoops, they have less SA than most intake manifolds.