Engine Bay Heat Management Discussion

[NateDogg]

Hey Guys,

I'd like to start a discussion about heat management. What are you guys using, and what is/ what isn't working? Turbo blankets, ceramic coating, header wrap, heat shields...What about the rubber vacuum lines?

I have a few questions about heat management since I like my brakes and dont want to lose any vacuum lines when I install the turbo parts.

-Has anyone had luck with ceramic coating and/or header wrap on mild steel manifolds?-Does ceramic coating on a manifold/turbo significantly reduce underhood temps?-Would header wrap cause the manifold to rust? If so, would ceramic coating + header wrap provide protection against rust and radiant heat? -What to use to protect vacuum lines, etc...

I look forward to your experiences.-Nate

[fiznat]

I had my turbine HPC coated and my downpipe wrapped with heat wrap. That was NOT enough. ...Melted the crap out of my BMC, almost lost a couple vaccum lines as well. Next time around I am going to take some serious measures to deal with heat.

[Import_Ant]

I'm in the list of people who have melted their MBC. I also have melted through 2 sets of plug wires (SOHC) when I get my next set I have 2 things to do. I need to run a heat blanket over my turbo, and some sheathing over the spark plug wires.

here's what I'm planning on using:for the turbo:http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/nc...r=361For the plug wires:http://store.summitracing.com/...earch

at current I have a heat shield set up between the turbo and MBC, and the downpipe is wrapped in fiberglass matting.



I havent had any issues w/ vacuum lines but I did shim my hood and remove the weatherstripping to help evacuate some of the heat.

[duncan351]

You can acually cut a peice of sheet metal and wrap it around the MC and that is enough to protect it. I did go ahead and purchase a turbo blanket. I love it now. Turbo spools faster and definetly holds all the heat in the turbo. I use silcone vaccum lines connecting to the WG. I don't trust rubber lines as I blew an engine due to a line getting too hot. But with the blanket all the lines around the exhaust side are fine. I'm also gonna try that thick plastic intake manifold spacer/gasket on ebay. See if that will lower the intake temps. I tried the raising the hood by the hinges and notice no difference at all plus I didn't like the way the car looked with the hood raised.

[veilside180sx]

SOHC plug wire shield.

http://www.jgstools.com/turbo/index3.html

[1WheelWonder]

There was a bunch of really nice heat shields on ebay for the BMC , however I can't seem to find them anymore. They were dirt cheap and looked to be of decent quality.

[MarkEmark]

I have a very similar home-made heat-shield out of sheat metal + heat wrap that has worked phenomenally well since day one. Never had a problem with over-heating, melted plug wires, boiling brake fluid, etc.

Ceramic coating the manifold AND the turbo AND the downpipe together I'm sure would make a sizable difference.

As far as using heat-wrap on the manifold and the turbo, it's generally accepted that this decreases the life of the manifold...but if you ceramic coated it too, maybe it wouldn't, that's a good question that I'm not qualified to answer

[dsylvia]

wrapping the exhaust can lead to corrosion IF you dont maintain it correctly. its been said that you should replace the wrap at least once a year. mainly becuase moisture can get trapped in the wrap and start to rot the metal. also, they sell a sealant that you can spray on the wrap. it seals and protects the wrap from moisture. its a best bet to still replace once a year though.

when i first turbo charged my KA i melted my brake fluid resivior with the first day. since then i have installed a thermo-tec turbo wrap kit and adhesive heat sheiling. it seems to have done the trick. 500 miles later im still ok. heres what it looks like.

[ultimatuc]

http://img.photobucket.com/alb...0.jpg

[MarkEmark]

http://img.photobucket.com/alb...0.jpg

Stop posting pics of that shiny beauty! Just because it's all polished...