Too Early to 100% Grill Block?

[Aaron]

The Prius can be safely driven with a coolant reading up to 210 F for a sustained period of time, maybe even a little higher. I wouldn't consider it in the danger zone (aka I need to pull over now!) until about 220 F. I see 206 F frequently and I'm not worried.

[Flying White Dutchman]

i did a full block on sunday
but i think i need a EBH and something to keep the ICE warm because when i get off the highway the ice temp starts to rop fast.

[boxer93]

Originally Posted by Flying White Dutchman

i did a full block on sunday
but i think i need a EBH and something to keep the ICE warm because when i get off the highway the ice temp starts to rop fast.

The EBH will only help before you start. Once the ICE has warmed up the more the ICE is off the more the temp drops. I saw this a lot with my Hymotion kit. I found that if I didn't seal the upper grill well that air coming in around the insulation made it cool off much quicker. I now see temps of 140f after a 2 mi EV and WS mode in the last part of my commute. My max is usually 150-157f during the commute. Before the full grill block the temp difference would be more. I also saw the larger temp drops at warmer ambient temps. Today if was in the 20sf when I started my commute.
Chris

[Flying White Dutchman]

qoute "I found that if I didn't seal the upper grill well that air coming in around the insulation made it cool off much quicker"

so you did isolate your upper grill but only the little air still going around the isolation did cool the ice? so you did a better isolation or am i wrong about this?

[Freedom]

Today I went to Home Depot, bought the pipe insulation, and put it on the top and bottom slats. Now I understand why everyone says that; it meets, so no room to do the middle.

Oops, now I see there is somewhere lower down? I'll need to check on that.

Thanks everyone for all the info, I am a real newbie learning all this stuff!

[ualdriver]

I don't have a scangauge and will be blocking my grill for the winter for the first time, per the advice found on this thread and a few others I found searching over the past few weeks.

I don't remember the answer to the following questions if someone could refresh my memory: If I block without a scangauge, will the car display any sort of idiot light to warn me of potential damage due to engine or inverter overheat?

What size insulation do I need for my '08? Was it 1/2" or 3/4"

Thanks!

[boxer93]

Originally Posted by Flying White Dutchman

so you did isolate your upper grill but only the little air still going around the isolation did cool the ice? so you did a better isolation or am i wrong about this?

you are correct. The little air going around the insulation was still cooling off the ICE enough for me to notice. I cut strips of insulation to stuff around the large piece.
Today it was warmer 44f and My hymotion didn't engage(Ran like a stock Prius). My temp was 190f at the end of my 10Mile commute, This is the higher that I have seen since using the SGII.

ualdriver. I started with 1/2 and then changed to 3/4. I still had gaps around it.
Chris

[bstark]

I'm curious why folks aren't blocking the radiator itself. In my youth I had vehicles with poor heat and a piece of cardboard against the radiator did the trick. It seems like this would be more effective than blocking the grill. Or would it be "too" effective?

[fedman]

I wonder if anyone has brought this BKM (best know method) on grill blocking to Toyotas attention? Maybe they would see a benefit from it and support it in future generations of hybrids? Does anyone have feedback on this thought here?
Just curious.

[David Beale]

Why not block the rad? Simple. By blocking the grills you still have some air the fans can use to cool the car -if- you do manage to generate a lot of heat. This is good because we can't monitor the inverter coolant unless we have the CanView. Because the grills are blocked there is very little air flowing through the rad. But because there is a fairly large space between the grills and rad there is air the fans can use if necessary. There are warnings if the inverter coolant gets too hot, as well as the engine coolant.

I get cooling of the coolant when sitting, ambient currently around freezing (yeah global warming, it should be -10C or so). There is -some- air leaking in at each end of the insulation. In fact I have to drive the car for 20 min before it completely warms up, and I have both grills blocked.

I used 3/4" on the top grill and 1 1/2" on the bottom. Two zip ties each to hold it in. Each single piece blocks the entire grill. You can also buy the "rubbery" type used in A/C installations, cut it in half lengthways, fold in half again, and insert between the grill slats. It can work out on its' own though, but it looks nice.