The engine cover... any downside to removing it?

Just wondering if our LGT engine cover does anything for airflow or its just for the looks? Does the little 'wall' on the bottom side of the cover help with directing air to the intercooler?

 

I removed mine, just wondering if I should put it back.

It's nice to have because it seals your TMIC to the hoodscoop, forcing all the air to go through the intercooler instead of everywhere else in the engine compartment.

Put it back on.

If mine had come with the car it would be on, but it did not. I vote to put it on. +1

The scary thing to me is all that dry (tiny flakey particulates) Armorall engine cleaner that gets sucked later...

as this photo from Glendale Mitsubishi clearly shows...

 

http://images.cars.com/supersized/DMI/81023/S0422A.08.jpg

 

I am with the majority...keept it on!

My butt dyno registered at least 20 whp loss with it off . Put it back on.

My butt dyno registered at least 20 whp loss with it off . Put it back on.

 

Godamn,me too!

Put it back on or this could happen\/

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo102/jagcars26/meltedIC.jpg

that looks like what happens when soap gets on your intercooler

Just wondering if our LGT engine cover does anything for airflow or its just for the looks? Does the little 'wall' on the bottom side of the cover help with directing air to the intercooler?

 

I removed mine, just wondering if I should put it back.

 

It doesn't make a whit of difference. The real issue is how much air can be sucked through the IC, not how much can be blown through it:lol:

Put it back on.

Until someone measures the ambient intake temp versus the outlet temp, cover versus non cover, I stand by my statement.

It is the combo of the engine cover (helping to direct airflow through the TMIC) and the splash tray (causing a suction to draw the air through the TMIC). They both work together.

 

Put them both on. Removing one or the other, or both stops air from passing through the TMIC correctly and drops efficiency/power.

I'm sure the engineers at Subaru made it seal to the scoop for a reason. Unlike the WRX/STI, we have a small scoop so we need all the help we can get!

Actually the small scoop is there for a reason also.

 

The WRX has poor aerodynamics. It needs the large scoop to catch the air.

 

The 05-09 LGT is the most aerodynamic car ever produced by Subaru. The LGT gets the small scoop because it catches more air than any other turbo car made by Subaru. It is more efficient.

 

The engine cover directs air to the TMIC (and helps seal it to the scoop as well). The splach guard causes a suction from top to bottom, drawing the cool air through the TMIC and not allowing the hot engine air to rise through it.

 

Obviously this does not work at idle, LOL.

Godamn,me too!

Put it back on or this could happen\/

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo102/jagcars26/meltedIC.jpg

 

Yes, when soap got on my intercooler, that was the sad result. i had to go with the fmic composed of a specialized alloy to prevent this from happening again. Now I don't need the cover anymore. I'd leave the cover on if you can.

From a resale value point of view, the car is worth less without it. It is very noticeable if it isn't there and may scare off people who want a stock or mostly stock car.

yea leave the cover on..... it looks way better with it anyways

Mine came off a few day's after I bought the car. I took it off to see under it and lost one of those stupid plastic screw thingys and left it off. That was back in Early July...2004 It's still sitting in the shed collecting dust.

Do I need to keep it on with a FMIC

Do I need to keep it on with a FMIC

 

 

Does nothing but look good at that point. I cut mine like a Forester and used it for a while with the FMIC. I like the look.

I've got a Perrin tmic on mine, bought my car with it off, I heard some modification needs to be don to get it back on, can anyone tell me what needs to be done

Trim it. Hole needs to be trimmed. Dremel works very well.

It does nothing but protect the engine from dust.

wait, wait, wait,... what with this soap on the intercooler thing?

is there something i need to know about washing my car?

wait, wait, wait,... what with this soap on the intercooler thing?

is there something i need to know about washing my car?

 

 

YES...you need to stick a towel in the hood scope so soap doesn't get in there. It's common knowledge on the internet that intercoolers can't handle soap and water...there have been countless threads about it over the decades. It can cause major issues. I hope you have never allowed soap and water to touch it.

Think about it....what happens when it rains and you drive past someones driveway that could have washed there car yesterday and there may be some soap on the side of the road that the car in front of you kicked up and is now on your IC...man are you screwed.