Engine heat/valley plate leaks

[shmelvin]

GX Bob claims that the engine cover contains and retains excess heat that can contribute to coolant breakdown and valley plate leaks. Should we remove our covers?.......Thoughts

 

[Hehena]

Retention slows heat loss but doesn't amplify the original heat source. I think Bob's process on this one is suspect.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

GX Bob claims that the engine cover contains and retains excess heat that can contribute to coolant breakdown and valley plate leaks. Should we remove our covers?.......Thoughts

Regardless of opinions I've had my engine cover off for about 40k miles. I came to the same conclusion as GX*Bob in that all that trapped heat will inevitably cause plastics, rubbers, and seals/gaskets to get compromised quicker over time.

The solution is a comparison using a TIC (thermal imaging camera) before and after doing the exact same test with as close to the same environmental conditions as possible. I could try and use ours from the department, assuming my chief would be ok with me borrowing it for the test. LOL

If there is much more heat trapped under the cover then I 100% think it could be a contributing factor. Not a direct cause but a contributing factor.

 

[llm]

the new lc250, US version, does not have an engine cover. maybe it wasn't a cost savings exercise, but rather a feature!

 

[bryanle96]

This is pretty common in the Lexus community. Alot of people remove the cover for various reasons.

 

[r2m]

Regardless of opinions I've had my engine cover off for about 40k miles. I came to the same conclusion as GX*Bob in that all that trapped heat will inevitably cause plastics, rubbers, and seals/gaskets to get compromised quicker over time.

The solution is a comparison using a TIC (thermal imaging camera) before and after doing the exact same test with as close to the same environmental conditions as possible. I could try and use ours from the department, assuming my chief would be ok with me borrowing it for the test. LOL

If there is much more heat trapped under the cover then I 100% think it could be a contributing factor. Not a direct cause but a contributing factor.

I have one of these: 12:1 Infrared Laser Thermometer - https://www.harborfreight.com/121-infrared-laser-thermometer-63985.html
It should work for just some spot temperatures.

 

[rav8]

Regardless of opinions I've had my engine cover off for about 40k miles. I came to the same conclusion as GX*Bob in that all that trapped heat will inevitably cause plastics, rubbers, and seals/gaskets to get compromised quicker over time.

The solution is a comparison using a TIC (thermal imaging camera) before and after doing the exact same test with as close to the same environmental conditions as possible. I could try and use ours from the department, assuming my chief would be ok with me borrowing it for the test. LOL

If there is much more heat trapped under the cover then I 100% think it could be a contributing factor. Not a direct cause but a contributing factor.

Or you could strategically place a cheap thermocouple at the location and monitor it with a reliable meter.