Flame Suit On: Hood Scoop Question

I'm doing a hood swap pretty soon and was thinking about putting some fine mesh in the hole so that nothing too big gets there but should i be worried about my engine getting anything on it? Should I block it completely because of water or is water not going to hurt it?

 

Thanks Guys.

 

Flame away but I like the look of the hood scoop on the legacys so who cares if I don't have a turbo..

Just cover the hole when you wash your car, you can't get any soap in there.

Thanks for that amazingly useful info

Do you really think anything is going to happen because of the hood scoop? People power wash engines, they spay cleaner on it.

 

You don't need to block it off, you don't need to even put a screen on it, but its a good idea to keep out leaves and other items. I put a small one over my intercooler to stop larger rocks from hitting it.

Well thank you that's all I needed to know. I'm no expert and knew someone here would have an answer.

Well thank you that's all I needed to know. I'm no expert and knew someone here would have an answer.

 

Fine mesh will guard against leaves,rocks,and kittens.

 

The scoop will be a nice touch

And adds 10.5HP!

actually i would be a little worried and I would cover the hole if i were in your shoes. There are a number of components I wouldn't want to get wet in the area that the hood scoop would be. For those who disagree, I can think of a number of reasons why you should cover the hole, but not a single good reason why you should leave it open.

I'm not trying to be a dick by this post, so if comes off that way, it was not my intention.

 

actually i would be a little worried and I would cover the hole if i were in your shoes. There are a number of components I wouldn't want to get wet in the area that the hood scoop would be. For those who disagree, I can think of a number of reasons why you should cover the hole, but not a single good reason why you should leave it open.

 

Soooo...do you plug the opening if you are driving in the rain?

 

Provided CCSubaru doesn't stick the nozzle directly into the scoop opening and pull the trigger, he should be fine.

To me it's all about design. Turbo subaru engine bays were designed knowing there would be a hood scoop. N/A subaru engine bays were not. You can't just throw an exposed hood scoop on any car and expect it to be ok. I'm not saying anything bad will happen, but why risk it? I also don't condone washing your engine bay for the same reason, why risk it? I have washed engine bays in the past without any issues, but then I realized what's the point?

I have washed engine bays in the past without any issues, but then I realized what's the point?

 

Aesthetic issues aside, the build up of gunk can be much worse than the occasional spray of soap and water. With the exception of intakes and vents, every engine on every car should be more than capable of handling a washing with no ill effects.

Who wants to work in a dirty engine bay anyways? Thats why I clean mine. Also consider the older N/A Subarus had hood scoops straight from the factory.

If it is not functional, absolutely toss some grill in it to keep twigs and leaves out - why NOT? Should you worry about water/rain/washing your car? Come on man - turbo and non turbo LGT have come with scoops (obviously) and get driven in the rain (obviously). Do you want to take 5 gallon buckets of water and dump them directly on your engine? Well - no but you never wanted to drive into a lake or a wave either so I am sure you will be fine.

 

Edit: please dont cover the scoop completely, a non functional looking scoop is much more ricey than a semi functional scoop. More cooling is more cooling.

Thanks guys I think I'll just put some mesh like grill mesh nothin to fine just to keep big stuff and I won't cover it completely.

Nothing gets in mine. How much debris do top mount owners find on their top mount? Does it become clogged? F-it. All I notice is a few water spots after washing (FMIC). Gives me reason to wipe down under the hood. Not like theirs any buildup or anything.

Aesthetic issues aside, the build up of gunk can be much worse than the occasional spray of soap and water. With the exception of intakes and vents, every engine on every car should be more than capable of handling a washing with no ill effects.

 

Buidl up of gunk where though, on the battery? A wire brush will do the trick. There is no portion of the engine bay that requires cleaning, it is purely aesthetics. I agree its better to work on a clean engine bay versus a dirty one, but since I don't mod my legacy I don't care about that.

Nothing gets in mine. How much debris do top mount owners find on their top mount?

 

The wife's parking place at her old job was under a tree, you would be SHOCKED at how the TMIC would get covered in leaves and twigs. I used to wonder if she did DRIVE-THRU leaf-pile destruction to screw with the local kids.