What's the deal with Plastic Engine Covers?

[Scott]

I just turned 45 and I love telling kids to get off my lawn especially wearing a robe with reading glasses, a Sunday paper, and a cup of coffee. So in my fuddy-duddy-dom I cant stand those plastic engine covers they put on every car now. I got one on the Solstic, it covers the coils and cam covers, I frankly like the sight of a naked engine, like the sport bikes that strip off all the plastic and just let the machine stand on its own.

Now one of my all time favorite engines was the 426 Hemi, it had tall chrome valve covers, with the spark plug wires going straight into the head. It was a beautiful masculean engine. Back in the hot rod days one of my favorite engine combos was a read block with gold valve covers. Barrett Jackson now gets hundreds of thousands for cars I used to see rusted and jacked up running down the road with a pair of glass packs and slot mags. The VW bug air cooled has plenty of areas for chrome and paint. Now the Tuner Import crowd is doing the same thing, with chrome, billet, and lots of color. The thing is engines now look like toasters, granted cars of the 80s had so much smog spaghetti the engine looked like is was caught in a fish net.

So wha-do-ya-think, a large happy face that says "Dont Worry" when you open the hood, or a visceral throbbing, cam wheels spinning, chrome caliope of shaking, spinning, finger amputating, parts, growling like a beast, that forces you to wear ear and eye protection.

[JanGeo]

I am sure you don't miss the mechanical fan that would wack your fingers off. The engine cover - year my xB was a mystery . . . it was almost 3 years before I saw the spark plugs but the cover is there to reduce some of the electromagnetic radiation from the wiring - ever hear any radio noise in a newer car? There i salso a lot of water spray that comes through the radiator on a rainy day and that usually gets deflected away from the injectors and spark plug coils also. A lot of guys have taken the covers off and painted them various colors and that is a lot easier than pulling the head off.

As far as the sound goes . . . well the VVTi really sounds like nothing I have ever heard before when it idles.

[GasUser]

I think they are for sound deadening mostly, but don't hold me to that.

Yea, I like the rumble of a hot cam inside a topless (no plastic) v8. And that 426 hemi was such a good motor you still can buy one today as far as I know.

But I am stuck with v6's now for fuel economy I guess, but I didn't get any plastic tops on mine..

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by JanGeo

I am sure you don't miss the mechanical fan that would wack your fingers off. The engine cover - year my xB was a mystery . . . it was almost 3 years before I saw the spark plugs but the cover is there to reduce some of the electromagnetic radiation from the wiring - ever hear any radio noise in a newer car? There i salso a lot of water spray that comes through the radiator on a rainy day and that usually gets deflected away from the injectors and spark plug coils also. A lot of guys have taken the covers off and painted them various colors and that is a lot easier than pulling the head off.

As far as the sound goes . . . well the VVTi really sounds like nothing I have ever heard before when it idles.

hate to say it but you just hit a ball into left field so far noones gettin it....

1: electric fans have plety of oomph and speed and sharp plastic to whack fingers off (dont ask how i know) if not smart liek a b**** and are worse than metal ones IMO as they can turn on randomly so some people forget about them when thier reaching in somewhere

2: since when does palstic stop magnetic fields (think about this, all wires are coated in plastic insulation)

3: spark plus are already made(and have been since ohhh 1950 somehting prolly) to stop engine whine comming thru the radio unless u buy those $10 valucraft things (read sparkplug wires sometime, ones ive seen say radio suppression on them among other things) that and radios have gotten a billion times better than they were.

4: water spray thru the radiator? what about the huge gaping holes underneath? heck my s-10 put the coil packs right by the upper A-arm 1/2 way down the side of the engine and i havent had a water spray issue (besides blasting thru water puddles that were prolly a good 6" deep going 55mph...may have missed a few times but never stalled)

the covers are there for 2 reasons:

A make it look purdy cuz everyones about looks nowadays. think about this, why would they make it fancy colored with a proper emblem sometimes chrome even instead of the run of the muck black plastic? also most people nowadays (except a select few including most if not all of us on here) dont know crap about cars and get all confused when they see the mess of wires hoses "funny plug things". now they can pop the hood and see some fancy palstic thing with the awesome emblem/logo on it and not feel like a doofus!

B to keep idiots out from under the hood (funny they always have the dipstick and oil fill on top the cover with huge caps/notes telling said person what it is)



i dont mean to pick on you JanGeo but i had to set things straight about those stupid covers....




but to answer Scotts qestion yes i would love to see a beautiful engine like the hemi or the simple 350 again...everythings so basic on them! i love the orange block, silver heads, and either black or chrome valve covers.

lol bring back that huge 500ci cadilac motor, man i saw one of those last year at an autoshow and wowza, true detroit iron right there...

[theholycow]

The covers do have functional purpose, at least on some cars. I was in a few threads about them on at least two forums, wondering why money is wasted on something that most of us seem not to want, and there were actually some good answers...that I no longer remember.

They especially do something that us Gas Savers are interested in: They keep heat in the engine.

Some are designed to replace other parts. On modern VWs, the engine cover is the airbox. There, it's not doing anything that can't be done by something else just as well and possibly for less money.

The engine cover in my truck doesn't even pretty it up...it's butt-ugly.

[BEEF]

holycow,

notice also the "ADVERTISEMENT" on your cover as most of them have. you have the bragging rights because yours is a "VORTEC" engine and the hope is that others will want it too. you pop the hood and now chevy (maybe GMC) gets a plug.

not the only reason but a notable reason for the covers. they used to do that on the valve covers on the older engines.

[zero_gravity]

although the covers DO serve a purpose i have to agree with the OP. i don't like them much either lol. went to the big car show in toronto a couple weeks ago and as i was looking under the hood of newer cars my first thought was 'what the hell is with all these covers and guards now??'

[dkjones96]

Some good points so far. I'm sure that the biggest reason for them is engine noise; in all of the vehicles I've seen with covers it had sound damping material under it.

I think its easier/cheaper to do that than to put a hood liner and since they want to make the engine look pretty anyways they consolidate the two. Not true with all cars of course but with most it is.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Remember these from the 80's?

[karnovking]

I hate the covers also. Whenever I have had a car with one it comes off when I need to work on it and I store it until I sell the car, then it goes back.

I think they are all about making the engine compartment look pretty for the consumer.

[R.I.D.E.]

My guess would be to try to minimize water intrusion into the coil packs and other electrical sensors and things that don't handle repeated soakings very well. Might have something to do with the problems associated with engine cleaning and EFI.

Deterrent to amateur fiddlers, possibly.

I worked for a Chrysler dealer when the Hemis were new on the lot, I thought they had a black crinkle finish of the valve covers, but I could be suffering from old mans memory disease. First new one was the 66 Satellite with the HP2 (squared) emblem and solid lifters. Idled at about 1200 RPM.

The Hemi was an amazing engine, saw a recent comparison of that eral of big blocks and it was even close between the big 3 with the Hemi making more than 800 HP from the factory. I like the 55 300 series with 4 wheel disc brakes and the early Hemi.

Now when you talk about beautiful engines I go back a lot further than the 60's.

The late twenties Delage grand prix engine with over 60 ball and roller bearings. Duesenberg's huge straight 8. The early thirties cadillac V16. Of course the Alfa's and Ferrari's were beautiful engines. Bugatti's that had integral cylinder heads. You had to drop the crank out of the bottom to do a valve job!

The first cross flow Hemi engine was in 1907, a Welch I believe. Could be wrong, that book is probably 40 years old.

regards
gary

[jprich]

Id says its definetely to deter owners from working on their vehicles. Yeah it probably has a few good reasons but thats main reason I think.

[dkjones96]

That cover on the quad4 has evolved a bit tho. The coil packs are attached to it so when you pulle that cover the packs come off all the plugs.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I was just thinking... Wouldn't it be fun to put a Quad 4 in a Geo Metro???

[theholycow]

I don't think the covers are supposed to deter DIYers. The one on my GMC looks really easy to remove, maybe two screws and up it comes. The one on my VW is just friction-fit, you pull and it comes right off.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Yeah, I think its mostly cosmetic. Makes it seem more mysterious to someone casually looking under the hood.

[JanGeo]

Yeah plastic can stop emf radiation if it is made conductive with the right materials and my xB engine cover gets plenty of dust and water streeks on it - no I don't have gaping holes to the ground in fact I can't see the ground in my engine compartment because of the stock belly pan and the rather short hood length and very tall engine under the hood - the top of the engine is about 4 feet above the ground.

NOW all you hemi lovers WAKE UP!! The only reason they domed the piston and hollowed out the head was to put TWO BIG VALVES in there at a big angle because back then they didn't know how to put four or six valves in the head per cylinder. Dome pistons have more combustion heat exposure, lower thermal efficiency and more mass than a flat top piston of the same bore.

[trollbait]

The HEMI they sell now isn't a true hemi.

[dkjones96]

The 5.7L HEMI Ram for 2009 makes 390 hp and 407 ft-lbs from 345 cubic inches of displacement. The 2009 5.7L Toyota i-Force V8 makes 381 hp and 401 ft-lbs from the same 345 cubic inches of displacement.

1.130 HP per cubic inch out of a 2-valve pushrod V8 (EPA 14/20)
1.104 HP per cubic inch out of a 4-valve DOHC VVT-i V8 (EPA 14/18)

I don't see an increase in efficiency.

[JanGeo]

Well first of all the Hemi runs a single cam shaft so the cam timing can't be varied. Efficiency is not measured in HP but in MPG and for a Tundra to get over 20mpg of actual driving mileage with an automatic in the big 5 passenger version like a friend of mine has is pretty efficient. The thing is HUGH - the outside mirrors have power folding so you can fit it in a garage door.

[GasUser]

Originally Posted by trollbait

The HEMI they sell now isn't a true hemi.

Yup, it's a "semi-hemi". haha....You are right.....The 426 is the real hemi.....It didn't need a plastic cover, it would just blow it off anyway....haha

[JoeBob]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I was just thinking... Wouldn't it be fun to put a Quad 4 in a Geo Metro???

Actually, I'd love to shoehorn a 455 in there!

[aalb1]

Originally Posted by JoeBob

Actually, I'd love to shoehorn a 455 in there!

There's some guy on Honda-Tech throwing a V8 in a CRX... and he's not asking questions on "Can it be done?" He's actually doing it!

[aalb1]

Originally Posted by aalb1

There's some guy on Honda-Tech throwing a V8 in a CRX... and he's not asking questions on "Can it be done?" He's actually doing it!

Found it!
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2438071

[VetteOwner]

lol anything can be done with a sawsall and a welder theres just the queestion of should it

i bet first time he stomps on it the frames gonna twist and eventually crack

[R.I.D.E.]

Why not just build a nice mid 60's Nova.

regards
gary

[aalb1]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

lol anything can be done with a sawsall and a welder theres just the queestion of should it

i bet first time he stomps on it the frames gonna twist and eventually crack

Sure "anything can be done" but how many people actually do it instead of just talking about it. Check out the whole thread... it may not be a show car but it's a good work in progress.

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

Why not just build a nice mid 60's Nova.

I thought the "Get Off My Lawn" Original Poster might appreciate this. This is a tribute to Hot Rodding at its best... stuffing a big motor in a small chassis.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

Why not just build a nice mid 60's Nova.

regards
gary

LOL, yes. It looks like a small block Chevy, most likely a 350.

[TomO]

So I just picked up an '03 Honda Odyssey....man, that thing has the plastic engine cover on it and boy-howdy, it takes up most of the engine bay.

The "worst" I've seen for plastic taking over the engine bay was on a friends Mercedes C230. You pop the hood and you couldn't see any bit of the engine, or even the shock towers, just plastic.

[GasUser]

Originally Posted by TomO

So I just picked up an '03 Honda Odyssey....man, that thing has the plastic engine cover on it and boy-howdy, it takes up most of the engine bay.

The "worst" I've seen for plastic taking over the engine bay was on a friends Mercedes C230. You pop the hood and you couldn't see any bit of the engine, or even the shock towers, just plastic.

Almost sounds like the mfg wants to make it look like you have to take it to the dealer for any maintenance.