Engine Ventilation Fan -- can it be improved?
 

Went for a long drive yesterday and, after parking our Box in the garage, noticed that hot air was still pouring out of the passenger side vent long after the engine was shut down. Which got me to thinking, could the engine vent be improved? Are there any relatively simple improvements we could make to help with thermal management? Some ideas...

It seems, just from a visual inspection, that the tube between the fan and the vent grill is somewhat restrictive. Could it be enlarged?

The grill in the vent covers half of the opening. Could we remove the grill and replace with a screen?

Has anyone hacked the fan so it could be turned on with battery power when the engine is powered off?

Just thinking out loud...

You can add a manual switch to trigger the engine compartment fan, however the relay is located in the trunk, so running a wire to the cabin is troublesome. I have found that adding a switch for the high-speed radiator fans is sufficient to keep everything runnings at acceptable temperatures. Those relays are in the driver's footwell so it is much easier to install.

http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/60239-engine-compartment-fan-manual-switch.html

Actually, this would be a great idea for track days. You could turn the fan on between runs to help the motor cool down.

Great...all the photos in the link are gone because of the 3rd party photo issue. All the work Tom and others have done to help us, now gone. :mad:

That said, thanks to Tom's post I am now aware that the fan will actually come on when the engine is off if the temp is high enough. Makes me wonder if the manual switch is actually necessary...

Working on it!

As a little hack, just reposition the temp sensor for the Engine Compartment closer to the crankcase(heat source). It will come on sooner and stay on longer. It will also come on even after you remove the key -heat soak.
Pelican have a DIY that shows the Sensor and it's location. Just push it out of the rubber retainer and re-position wherever you like.

That sounds like a great idea. Is this something you've done? Can you provide any details or photos? Not sure where the temp sensor is located.

I too noticed the plate in the pass side vent looking quite restrictive. Wondering if it would be as simple as undoing a few screws to remove. Obviously the potential for litter and heavy rain getting sucked in is a issue to consider first.

BTW i'd recommend installing the fan switches. Running a wire from the trunk to the cabin is not difficult. I ran mine through the carpet to the back/inside of the glove box. Used some double sided tape to mount it. The wiring for the front rads were even simpler.