engine cover

aerodavew · 07-25-2021, 03:37 PM

Is there any harm in leaving the engine cover off?
As hot as these engines get, why trap extra heat in?

overcoil · 07-25-2021, 04:18 PM

from googling : "The covers reduce engine noise and protect the engine from dust, debris, etc, while adding a cleaner look to the engine bay. the "insulation" on the underside of a hood is not for noise, its a fire blanket. Its supposed to fall down on top of the engine fire as the plastic tabs holding it in place melt."

Now I always thought the engine covers were for pedestrian impact - as the head hit the hood the engine cover was a secondary barrier to the hard engine-head and attachments.

A far as heat goes, things like opening the hood when stopped or running the HVAC heat at high fan speed seem much more active in reducing heat than nixing the plastic engine cover.

aerodavew · 07-25-2021, 04:45 PM

As far as noise, I can't tell any difference.
Dust? Not an issue.
Heat? We all know that BMW suffers from brittle plastic parts that suffer from heat...

jb-slow · 07-26-2021, 10:45 AM

It's just for nvh reduction

XutvJet · 07-26-2021, 03:27 PM

The hood insulator and engine cover in these cars does nothing for crash or fire protection. They're merely there to clean up the looks, suppress engine noise, and help keep the motor warm to improve cold starts (i.e., reduce emisions). The S55 motor 2/3/4 M series cars aren't equipped with hood insulators and the engine covers on those cars are tiny and thin. The S55 has the same valve cover gasket and fuel delivery and coil pack setup as the N55 too.

Knowing how hot these engine bays get and BMW's issues with plastics and rubber gaskets dying a relatively quick death, I removed my engine cover a few years ago and installed a custom mounted a single valve cover from a E series 540 to cover up the injector and coil pack wiring. My hope for removing the engine cover and the hood insulator was to:

1) Reduce underhood temps
2) Perhaps increase underhood plastic and gasket life
3) Make it easier to inspect for oil and coolant leaks
4) Get a little more engine noise

Here's my 540i valve cover install: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1533252

07-25-2021, 03:37 PM	#1
aerodavew Private 10 Rep 52 Posts Drives: 2014 M235i Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Columbia Mo iTrader: (0)	engine cover Is there any harm in leaving the engine cover off? As hot as these engines get, why trap extra heat in?
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07-25-2021, 04:18 PM	#2
overcoil Major General 3074 Rep 5,577 Posts Drives: M235i 6spd Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Mid-Atlantic iTrader: (0)	from googling : "The covers reduce engine noise and protect the engine from dust, debris, etc, while adding a cleaner look to the engine bay. the "insulation" on the underside of a hood is not for noise, its a fire blanket. Its supposed to fall down on top of the engine fire as the plastic tabs holding it in place melt." Now I always thought the engine covers were for pedestrian impact - as the head hit the hood the engine cover was a secondary barrier to the hard engine-head and attachments. A far as heat goes, things like opening the hood when stopped or running the HVAC heat at high fan speed seem much more active in reducing heat than nixing the plastic engine cover. Last edited by overcoil; 07-26-2021 at 11:45 AM..
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07-25-2021, 04:45 PM	#3
aerodavew Private 10 Rep 52 Posts Drives: 2014 M235i Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Columbia Mo iTrader: (0)	As far as noise, I can't tell any difference. Dust? Not an issue. Heat? We all know that BMW suffers from brittle plastic parts that suffer from heat...
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07-26-2021, 10:45 AM	#4
jb-slow First Lieutenant 111 Rep 338 Posts Drives: m235i Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: puyallup iTrader: (0)	It's just for nvh reduction
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07-26-2021, 03:27 PM	#5
XutvJet Major General 5554 Rep 5,372 Posts Drives: 2011 Cayman Base, 2016 M235 Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Kansas City iTrader: (-1)	The hood insulator and engine cover in these cars does nothing for crash or fire protection. They're merely there to clean up the looks, suppress engine noise, and help keep the motor warm to improve cold starts (i.e., reduce emisions). The S55 motor 2/3/4 M series cars aren't equipped with hood insulators and the engine covers on those cars are tiny and thin. The S55 has the same valve cover gasket and fuel delivery and coil pack setup as the N55 too. Knowing how hot these engine bays get and BMW's issues with plastics and rubber gaskets dying a relatively quick death, I removed my engine cover a few years ago and installed a custom mounted a single valve cover from a E series 540 to cover up the injector and coil pack wiring. My hope for removing the engine cover and the hood insulator was to: 1) Reduce underhood temps 2) Perhaps increase underhood plastic and gasket life 3) Make it easier to inspect for oil and coolant leaks 4) Get a little more engine noise Here's my 540i valve cover install: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1533252 __________________ The forest was shrinking, but the Trees kept voting for the Axe, for the Axe was clever and convinced the Trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.
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