Skidplate CAN block airflow -- but only if you really try

[Erebus]

Okay, now that I've got your interest. The other week I installed that lovely skidplate that fishslapper & Delicat created.

Last night we had a little snow, so the SO and I decided that required going for a drive in the countryside, down to Okotoks for brunch, then High River just because we could. The snow was deep, probably about 20 cm with the drifts being much deeper. At one point I stopped to do a photo shoot.

Front view3935.jpg (57.85 KiB) Viewed 1800 times

As you can see, ALL the cooling holes are in the snow; the diamond shaped holes are mostly decorative. A little later I noticed the engine coolant temp rise a little. So I got the snow brush out, and pulled some snow out from behind the skidplate. Fortunately, there is room at the sides to push a brush in there. Before installing the skidplate, I bolted 1/4" mesh behind the holes, so there was no way to clear the snow out of the holes. Also, keep in mind that I have a chunk of cardboard between the rad and the AC condenser, so there wouldn't have been a lot of airflow. But it was by no means overheating.

Then on the way back we came across some stuck cars. I tried to help one, but I didn't have enough extra traction to really pull him. Then I spotted a tractor further up the road, so went and asked him to help. He did, using my towstraps. Then together we went to the next car. He dug it out with his bucket, then the snowplow came by and cleared the road. Job done. Had great fun, but forgot to take photos.

When we got home, I took some photos of the front end of the Delica.

TrannyCooler3938.jpg (65.03 KiB) Viewed 1800 times

Somewhere under this snow is the transmission oil cooler.

SkidplateSnow3937.jpg (99.67 KiB) Viewed 1802 times

And here is the skidplate. Note that ALL the cooling holes except one is completely blocked. So for the engine to still have enough cooling at 0 Celsius with that blocked, as well as the cardboard, would suggest that hot summer days will not be an issue.

BTW, all the snow you see in the photos fell since last night at 10 PM.

[fishslapper]

Ok. I don't think that the title of the post decribes the situation.
However the content of the post does a good job of telling what is happening.
I think that the combo of the snow building on top of the 1/4 inch mesh, the type of snow and the fact that the radiator is being blocked off from the cardboard are the main things to keep in mind.
I think for the winter where you are, you could put an aluminum plate covering the holes altogether . I think it would do the same thing as the cardboard and eliminate any snow build up issues.

I am not tryig to be defensive just trying to think how to avoid issues. Also ,food for thought ...........would the problem have been worse if the snow had packed into the whole air scoop area and really blocked everything and frozen up ?? I don't know because i have not gone through really deep stuff since i put the skidplate onmy van

let me know and maybe we can rename the topic title.....sounds worse than it is......

[Erebus]

I was trying to be funny. But I've changed the subject to reduce the chance of confusion. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Actually, I think without the skidplate it would have been worse. Filling up the scoop would cause more problem, because the AC condensor is in front of the rad, so the heat of the rad would have trouble melting the snow.

I'm actually amazed that with it completely clogged, and the cardboard behind, the engine still ran only slightly warm. Guess my rad is in better shape than many other Delicas.

I meant this thread to be a major complement to fishslapper and delicat, not at all a criticism. I was happy knowing that no matter how deep stuff I plowed through, I would not damage anything.

[fishslapper]

Hey man...no problem. I did not think you were trying to be mean ! Any info that comes along is good to know. Thank you for altering the name.I think it better explains the situation !

I really wanted these to do their job not just look good ! It has to be functional too.I want people to be happy with this.

I thank you again or being the go-to guy for me in alberta !!



Cheers

[konadog]

Love the first shot! That skid plate looks like a factory feature and, really, it should have been It looks great, but it's really cool to see it in action keeping the rad free and clear. The stock scoop looks like it was designed to catch debris and cram it up into the rad! Very happy to have one on my bus!

[jwfchase]

Hey man...no problem. I did not think you were trying to be mean ! Any info that comes along is good to know. Thank you for altering the name.I think it better explains the situation !

I really wanted these to do their job not just look good ! It has to be functional too.I want people to be happy with this.

I thank you again or being the go-to guy for me in alberta !!



Cheers

You can tell Fishslapper has a lot of pride (not to mention unbelievable hours) invested in the design and creation of this project... don't worry Isaac, even without the subject title change, Erebus's post came across as nothing but amazement and praise of the skidplate to THIS reader!

[after oil]

it is my understanding that snow will not melt when its on the rad. that its a heat sink and will prevent the rad from cooling. so if the skid plate is blocked with snow, then it cant get through to block the rad directly

[Erebus]

A rad clogged with snow will melt, but it takes a while, because snow is mostly air. If you've ever tried melting snow on a stove to make water, you can often burn through an aluminum pot before enough snow melts to give a layer of water. That's why outdoors people tend to chop ice to melt instead.

In the case of the Delica, the snow would actually clog up the AC condenser in front of the rad, so the heat of the rad has even more trouble melting anything. If you have an electric rad fan, instead of the mechanical one, then the snow would melt faster, since there would not be a constant airflow even when not moving.

To risk offending fishslapper and delicat, I would like to recommend a slight change: the last bend should be a little greater. I had to remove my fog lights that were attached to those little brackets on the back of the bambi bars because the skidplate comes too close. So I've got to find a place that can increase either the second last, or last, bend so that there is room for the foglights. But that's just me.

[fishslapper]

Hey erebus. Any fab shop in your area should be able to bend that last angle more . Just don't let them chage you more than 5-10 bucks as this should tak about 60 seconds to modify !!!
I was more worried than offended.. I did not want pople to have any issues. When i went back and re-read the post a few times i could see that it was not bad at all

cheers and thanks for the praise guys...