coolant access (1 Viewer)

[shmelvin]

Has anyone cut access ports in the front engine bay cover to get to the radiator and reservoir filler caps, eliminating the PITA of removing the cover every time?

 

[r2m]

Has anyone cut access ports in the front engine bay cover to get to the radiator and reservoir filler caps, eliminating the PITA of removing the cover every time?

View attachment 3777993

Just a quick question, how often are you referring to as, "...every time?" You kind of make it sound like a weekly chore.
Are you referring to 5k maintenance's? Or are you losing fluids?
Normally you just check the overflow bottle and fill that when necessary.

 

[shmelvin]

just maintenance, I just changed the fluid and after the first run the reservoir could use a bit of topping off and now I have to remove the whole thing again.

 

[185]

Besides thermal and aerodynamic reasons, you could just leave that part off. If you do diy a drill, please do writeup.

 

[r2m]

Besides thermal and aerodynamic reasons, you could just leave that part off.

It does add to noise abatement. It may not seem like much but the inner fender panels, all the engine cladding, all of it is a sum of its parts in helping to have a quieter cabin. So, no there will not be any noticeable increase in noise, but if you start removing a little here and a little there, your cabin will start sounding like '65 pickup truck.

 

[ericm979]

I think the upper shield is important for directing air through the radiator. Without it, air can escape over the radiator.

For me the worst part is those little push pins that seem to break off at the ends after a few uses. If they were better designed it wouldn't be much of a chore.

 

[re_guderian]

I took all that s#!t off and never looked back.

 

[Bang Bang]

I took all that s#!t off and never looked back.

Same. All that was gone when I bought my 2013. It hasn’t been any issue.

 

[llm]

I removed all the plastic pins and just have the plastic piece laying on top. Haven't had any issues or flapping noises by doing so. Mine is loose so I could have easy winch access.

 

[r2m]

I think the upper shield is important for directing air through the radiator. Without it, air can escape over the radiator.

For me the worst part is those little push pins that seem to break off at the ends after a few uses. If they were better designed it wouldn't be much of a chore.

I bought a bag of generic pins on Amazon to replace in various part of the GX, e.g.: interior panels, under the hood, etc..