Too much heat in the engine bay HELP!! - Honda Prelude Forum

Ezra · 06-10-2005, 05:11 PM

Ok guys here is my problem , I modified the engine ( hybrid h23 vtec ) and the headers i got seem to be making too much heat in the engine bay ( dont ask me why ) but it seems that they cooked my alternator wires and i have not been driving my car for a few months now because i didnt know what seemed to be killing my battery. Now that i have fixed the problem ( new alternator wires etc ) i need to find a way to stop them from getting fried again. I have looked up heat wraps but it seems that they end up destroying your headers after a while due to the heat and stuff.... also looked at a heat shield and it is looking like the best bet.... anyone have any suggestions ?? i want to get a hood with some holes ( predator carbon fiber hood $700 yay need to save money ) in hopes that it will help to release some of the heat but i would also like a faster solution right now until i can get the hood .. so please let me know if any of you have faced this problem and what you guys think i should do... THanks

red92si · 06-10-2005, 06:08 PM

Buy heatshielding wrap (relflective) and wrap all your alternator and starter wires. Might also want to wrap your A/C lines that run right next to the header as well.

SuperSeven · 06-10-2005, 09:45 PM

i'm a little big unsure about this, but if you get a mugen thermostat, it should run it cooler, then getting the 4bidden cooling plate should help for when your driving by helping force more air over the radiator.....and by being shiny!

Sonik_Fury · 06-12-2005, 01:56 AM

Nah the exhaust pipes will still get hot regardless of what you do with your cooling system(radiator,thermo,etc.). I would just wrap your header or wrap/sleeve the wiring.

SuperSeven · 06-12-2005, 06:10 AM

the exhaust pipes may still get hot, but if his engine bay is getting that warm, it's killing his HP, you really need to do something to help correct that problem in general, if you wrap the headers you run the risk of cracking them, if you wrap the wires, you only solve half the problem, i believe he needs to do a cooling system upgrade and wrap his wires in the bay if he wants to truly fix the problem

Sonik_Fury · 06-12-2005, 09:36 AM

Oh I thought he was talking about his alternator failing, used to happen on my 3rd gen all the time b/c of the excessive heat from the header..........

SuperSeven · 06-12-2005, 12:09 PM

no just the wires are melting, but if it's hot enough to melt those you have a serious oven under that hood

Ezra · 06-13-2005, 08:33 AM

Thanks for the replies guys, yea its seriously hot in there and im not too sure if its because its a hybrid engine or what but its a real pain. I was going to go with the heatshield for the moment i think but SuperSeven you said something about a cooling system upgrade ... what type of upgrade do you mean ?? suggestions?? thanks again guys

Ezra · 06-13-2005, 10:41 AM

well guys i bought some exhaust jackets... they look promising because they are not really like the original wraps... they kinda just go over the exhaust pipes so this allows for some air flow... also bought some thermal tape for the wires to wrap those up. i ordered them 2 day air so i should be seeing them by wednesday... total was 93 bucks... not bad i guess. I'll update you guys on the progress of the heat and stuff. please give me some suggestions on upgrading the cooling system though your help is greatly appreciated thanks

red92si · 06-13-2005, 12:58 PM

As far as upgrading the cooling system, look into a replacement Mugen or Spoon Thermostat, a replacement Mugen Fan Switch, and maybe think about upgrading your radiator to a thicker core.

trident · 06-13-2005, 02:29 PM

Just a thought, if you have a hybrid engine, are you still using the old injectors? If so, you may be running lean, and thus hot. Heat wrap, wire insulation and thermostat temperatures will not change the fact that your exhaust gases are too hot. So, bottom line, try and figure out why your exhaust gases are too hot. Also, how is the performance of your engine? Is it good? Do you have anything to compare it to?

red92si · 06-13-2005, 03:10 PM

yeah, as stated above, upgrading your cooling system will not change exhaust gas temperatures.

Ezra · 06-13-2005, 04:16 PM

well about the injectors...i have the vtec injectors from a vtec head... i kinda went a long buying the parts that i needed..... about running lean... i dont think i am because the car uses quite a substantial amount of gas compared to how much it used to use before the hybrid change. please let me know what you think

trident · 06-13-2005, 05:57 PM

Well, just because you are using more gas, does not mean that you are not running lean. I suppose the logic I'm using would suggest that since you now have a higher displacement engine (then what the VTEC fuel curves are designed for) you are supplying enough fuel for a 2.2 liter motor. Since you have a 2.3, you may be starving the engine a bit. A tenth of a liter does not sound like much, but when you start compressing more air at a higher compression ratio, your pre-combustion temperatures go up. This does not necessarily mean you will have higher combustion temperatures, but it does generally mean you will have more complete combustion. The higher combustion temperatures will also produce excessive NOX emissions (as these form at high temperatures) This could prematurely wear out your catalytic converter. You may want to try and get higher flow injectors to try and proportion your fuel with the added air to your system. I'm not sure how those rising rate fuel pressure regulator work, but that might do the trick in lieu of injectors. Ask one of the turbo guys. It sounds, though, like you just need a little more fuel. Of course, keep in mind this is all just a theory. Your real problem might be something else.

Ezra · 06-14-2005, 08:52 AM

Sounds like a good plan and thanks for the explanation im not too engine saavy... my brother was more the one with the ideas i kinda just supplied the car and money but of course i was there helping out .... but i see what you are saying... hmm what kinda injectors would you suggest??