Heat issues running without the Hood Blanket?

[Goldy]

I removed my hood blanket due to water damage; the new one will be here in a week or two. The question I have is this: has anyone had problems driving the car without the hood blanket?

I noticed that the blanket had a heat shield (aluminum foil like material on the hood side of the blanket). My thought was this is there for a reason as I've never noticed a heat shield on any of the other cars I've owned. (As hard as Ford tries to control costs, I'm certain they didn't add it just because...) As the hood is a composite (plastic), I wasn't certain if enough heat could be generated by the engine to cause problems with the hood.

Thx.

Howard

 

[racerat]

I've been running my car without the blanket since July. No problems at all (and things get real hot down here in south Texas. ;-) )

 

[Angus]

Originally posted by Goldy
I noticed that the blanket had a heat shield (aluminum foil like material on the hood side of the blanket). My thought was this is there for a reason as I've never noticed a heat shield on any of the other cars I've owned. (As hard as Ford tries to control costs, I'm certain they didn't add it just because...) As the hood is a composite (plastic), I wasn't certain if enough heat could be generated by the engine to cause problems with the hood.

Plenty of other Ford vehicles have the foil insulator integrated into the underhood liner (my '01 does). It's purpose is to protect the hood in the event of a (minor) engine fire. The liner drops onto the motor if a fire occurs to smother it.

Plenty of folks run around without the liner on - I know I will after I install a 2000 Cobra R hood on my snake.

 

[Goldy]

Looks like I was being overly cautious (paranoid).

Thanks for the responses.

Howard

 

[KOTH]

Originally posted by Goldy
Looks like I was being overly cautious (paranoid).

Thanks for the responses.

Howard

Maybe not overly cautious. I wonder about effects on paint when subjected to heat from the sun and below from the engine without the blanket. May not show up for a few years? Perhaps I too am a bit paranoid.

 

[maoun]

this debate has occured before...search for more info

good debate before
m.

 

[terminatd]

I have developed a new theory on the hood blanket. Mine swelled and looked terrible so I trimmed it. I noticed that the water was entering through minor cracks in the foil liner. The design of the blanket allows water to enter and run off to the corners. Therfore, the fault is in the foil integrity, not the blanket design. I purchased some aluminum tape and placed it around the openings over the foil and down the water path to the corner of the hood. The aluminum foil matches the hood foil perfectly and is barely noticeable when looking at the foil side. If well placed the water cannot penetrate the stock blanket. My problem is that I did this on my old (damaged) liner and I will purchase a new one, not cut it out, use the aluminum tape and maintain the stock look. I have concerns about the heat perhaps drying and cracking the hood without a blanket and a dirty engine going with the cutouts. Its just my opinion and I know other people differ.

 

[Cobra'03]

It is not a fire shield - the grounding strap indicates it is there to shunt RF energy to ground. It is an electro=magnetic shield - done to both reduce intereference to the car's radio, as well as other cars = exccess EM can also wreak havoc with low-voltage circuitry, such as that employed by sensors. Composites hoods have little or no RF shielding ability - fiberglas was originally developed to shield WWII radar installations from weather, while not interfering with RF transmissions. This one has been asked and answered many times.
I am an EE and that is my opinion.

 

[maoun]

god damn you cobra'03...i'm gonna kill you and steal your brain....

how come you know everything? argh!

thank you, once again
m.

 

[SSCOBRA03]

I'm not sure if the blankie protects the paint on the hood from heat or not but I would guess that there would be more heat in the engine bay with the blankie acting as insulation than without it.
(just a guess and sorry for the long sentence)

I'm getting a pulley & chip and a couple of days and I'm considering doing the blankie mod or removing it entirely to reduce the heat in the engine bay.