JoeFromPA Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hey all, I removed the engine cover this morning. I was changing the oil, spilled some on the engine block (of course) and realized that 2 of the "pop its" were missing from the engine cover. I've recently been hearing a slight "tap" occasionally, which i was concerned was from my sway bars, so I decided to remove it. 32 mile drive in to work this morning...no tap. Anyway....the engine cover doesn't look like it does anything extra to route cold on into the intercooler but i figured I'd confirm - No harm in leaving it off, right? The engine is so much sexier exposed anyway Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrangama Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 All youll have is a dirty engine after awhile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwhillVT Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Had mine of for over a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EquinnoxX Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 There was some mention that the engine cover forms a 'seal' around the tmic which helps with airflow coming in from the hood scoop. Without the cover the air is not truly directed 'correctly' over the top mount. I don't think there was any official evidence to support it and it seems like most ppl on the forum run without it but still, its worth mentioning. I kinda like mine anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 I actually like the engine cover, and decided to leave it on after I changed the trans fluid, but with 2 pop-its gone I think it was making a tapping noise sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSN666 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Why did you take it off in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawl Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 just buy some pop-its no tap, full functionality (if any) restored. car for sale. PM me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdisco Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90528 or http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16399 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack ffr1846 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 My last car had a similar engine cover. The mice loved it. They'd remove some of the soft material from under it to start building a nest every night. The LGT cover is hanging on my garage wall. jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 Lets not mess around: http://www.gtbuildingproducts.com/images/fine%20thread%20drywall%20screw.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Took mine off the first weekend I had the car. That was late June 04. I tossed it in the shed somewhere. That was almost 99,000 miles ago. Oh yea, I forgot, when you wash the car make sure you don't get soap and water in the intercooler, some think it's not good... 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbrjason Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 There was some mention that the engine cover forms a 'seal' around the tmic which helps with airflow coming in from the hood scoop. Without the cover the air is not truly directed 'correctly' over the top mount. I don't think there was any official evidence to support it and it seems like most ppl on the forum run without it but still, its worth mentioning. I kinda like mine anyway. It definitely looks like the piece under the scoop on the underside of the hood fits right into the engine cover near the intercooler forming at least some kind of seal. I thought about taking mine off as well but due to that I'm going to leave it on until I learn more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhig Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I am about 99% sure the cover is just to keep your engine from getting dirty. It's really pointless in my opinion, I took mine off a week ago. Just do it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 It definitely looks like the piece under the scoop on the underside of the hood fits right into the engine cover near the intercooler forming at least some kind of seal. I thought about taking mine off as well but due to that I'm going to leave it on until I learn more. There is a nice shiny band around the perimeter of my cover/intercooler when there foam gasket on the scoop splitter seals against the cover. Intuitively, it makes perfect sense that Subaru engineers would want to seal the scoop inlet to the intercooler, to maximize the flow of air through the IC, and thus the heat transfer. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g2redgsr Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 My last car had a similar engine cover. The mice loved it. They'd remove some of the soft material from under it to start building a nest every night. The LGT cover is hanging on my garage wall. jack speaking of mice, there a FREAKING mouse in my motor...whenever i lift the hood berries and crap spill out of the black piece underneith, has anyone had to deal with this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhig Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I changed oil for a long time and I would often run into little mice homes. They love the intake and air filter housing, they typically put there nests in there. Just start putting traps throughout your garage and they will soon learn there lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 In my opinion, it seems to serve the function of directing airflow as mentioned, which also seems important based on my understanding of an IC functioning well.. No brainer, replace the pop-its & keep the cover where it belongs. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex--TheGreek Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Regarding the engine cover, I had an annoying rattle in the car since the day i bought it and i always thought it was coming from somewhere inside the dash... After i saw this thread, i checked my engine cover and found out that 2 out of the 4 screws holding it down was missing! So i completely removed the engine cover and guess what? The rattle is gone! It seems that from the engine vibrations the cover was touching my front strut bar or something and that was producing the rattling sound! Thanks for the heads-up guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex--TheGreek Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 .... and btw: Legacygt.com vs Rattles = 1-0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 The Subaru Tech told me the cover serves no functional purpose, and I tend to agree with him. Well there is a reliable source... The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Convective heat transfer is dependent upon, among other things, the mass flow rate of the air flowing across the heat exchanger. Imagine you are trying to blow as much air as possible through a straw... In one hand you have a normal straw, in the other you have a straw with several holes down the length of it. Which straw do you think will get more air to the end (all else being equal)? Just because other cars have or don't have them doesn't speak to the purpose of ours. Why a car that doesn't have a TMIC would have one: engine dress-up or to keep things clean? Why a car that has a TMIC doesn't have a shroud: scoop seals to intercooler face per the design? I'm not implying that you will suffer a signifigant efficiency drop (you might). However, if it's not interfering with anything and you stop it from rattling by using the correct fasteners, why not leave it on? The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g2redgsr Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Well there is a reliable source... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WANTED Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 I don't feel as though the loss of the engine cover will result in any significant loss is airflow directed at the intercooler itself, especially at the speeds the car sees in a daily driven scenario. On the other hand, if you were looking to maximize your intercooler's cooling efficiency for, let's say, any autocross situation, then it would be prudent to either keep the engine cover of at least a similar means of channeling the air from the scoop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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