Removed Weatherstripping From Back of Hood

[03Malibu]

Sooo...I have been really bored lately so I wanted to see if I could get some fresh air through the engine bay by removing the hood insulation and weatherstripping at the back of the hood (including the foam pieces in the corners).

Impressions; definitely more engine noise...not a problem if you like the sound. A little more wind noise at highway speeds.

After a 1 hour+ run up 95 today, everything under the hood was cool/cold to the touch except the exhaust pipes and coolant lines. The throttle body was luke-warm at the most (obviously because of the coolant that runs through it). The same on the run back at 4:30pm.

I still get airflow through the ducts at highway speeds with the fan off, so there is still high pressure there. I am just wondering which way the air is going...in or out from the base of the windshield, depending on if the windshield makes a higher pressure area than under the hood as the air flows through the radiator.

I am interested to see how it goes during the summer...and in the rain.

[mongo]

I would think on wet days with stop and go driving you will get moisture/steam from the engine bay condensing on your windshield...

[03Malibu]

I would think on wet days with stop and go driving you will get moisture/steam from the engine bay condensing on your windshield...

Surprisingly enough, I have been watching for that and I think it actually works out better. I haven't had any moisture on the inside of my windshield while driving, which leads me to believe the air coming out from under the hood is keeping the glass warmer.

[captaincool]

I'd be very careful to watch it in the rain. My weatherstripping was coming off (and it was only a small section that lost its seating/connection) and water was able to leak into the car. The passenger floor mat caught most of the leaking water, but in a hard rain you could have an issue.