Any benefits to lifting hood in hot weather?

[tripleM]

Is there any benefits to lifting the hood after a drive in hot weather?

I do this every time I park my car after a drive (distance really doesn't figure in process) in hot weather.

Usally proper the hood up mostly in my garage or outside my house.

 

[Dave424]

No unless you are getting ready to work on the car. Engine compartment will cool down quicker with hood open.

 

[Anduril]

Only thing it'll do is wear out the latch.

 

[Merkava_4]

I agree that it serves no purpose other than to make me feel better. I figure if I was a car and I had to drive around in the summer heat, I'd want my owner to let me cool off after being driven for a long drive. Call me crazy, but I do it.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Well by lifting the hood you would let air under the hood that is hotter than the outside air temp for sure mix and theoretically create a heat exchange. It could not hurt to do this... like when I get into my hot car I leave the door open for a spell until the AC gets cold...

 

[Kestas]

Some modern cars now have a panel that snaps over the top of the engine. This is all for underhood appearance. Some owners leave this panel off for better heat flow.

 

[Eddie]

The engine cover on my vehicle channels air to the engine and should not be removed. Check the engine covers function BEFORE you dump it.

 

[trixman]

I'm with Ed. There are benefits to having the engine cool slowly as well.

 

[tripleM]

Quote:

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I agree that it serves no purpose other than to make me feel better. I figure if I was a car and I had to drive around in the summer heat, I'd want my owner to let me cool off after being driven for a long drive. Call me crazy, but I do it.

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That's how I feel. But I was trying to be serious with the original question.

 

[mstrjon32]

I couldn't agree more. Less wear if you start it a few hours later for a short trip or even for a long one. There have been times when it has been 100+ and I've parked my car at work in the summer, and by the end of the day (6:30-3, typical hours) when I put the key back in the car, the temperature needle is still above the low mark.

 

[tripleM]

Quote:

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I couldn't agree more. Less wear if you start it a few hours later for a short trip or even for a long one. There have been times when it has been 100+ and I've parked my car at work in the summer, and by the end of the day (6:30-3, typical hours) when I put the key back in the car, the temperature needle is still above the low mark.

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So you are advocating keeping it close after shutdown?

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Been known to do this on occasion; mainly after long mountainous climbing stretches. Sometimes just to also check and make sure antifreeze isn't bubbling and/or low in the reserve tank.

 

[mstrjon32]

Basically. IMO, you're reducing wear on the engine by keeping it closer to the operating temperature if you restart it, you're saving yourself time and hassle, and you're saving wear on the hood latch. There is no harm in letting the engine sit there, at or near its operating temperature. If it needed to cool off faster after shutdown, engineers would have designed it that way. At the end of the day, it's not a human or an animal, it doesn't "feel hot", it's a machine that was designed to operate a certain way.

But, I can understand doing it, if it "makes you happy"; there are lots of inexplicable things I do that "make me happy", haha.

 

[Tosh]

The slower it cools down, the warmer it will be on start-up the next time and the faster it reaches operating temp, which is a good thing. (And in theory, the parts have less of a chance to suffer effects from different heat expansion rates.)

I thought the question was going to be about whether cops leaving the hoods cracked open while idling was good.

 

[BGK]

Quote:

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Basically. IMO, you're reducing wear on the engine by keeping it closer to the operating temperature if you restart it, you're saving yourself time and hassle, and you're saving wear on the hood latch. There is no harm in letting the engine sit there, at or near its operating temperature. If it needed to cool off faster after shutdown, engineers would have designed it that way. At the end of the day, it's not a human or an animal, it doesn't "feel hot", it's a machine that was designed to operate a certain way.

But, I can understand doing it, if it "makes you happy"; there are lots of inexplicable things I do that "make me happy", haha.

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Cars always run better after they have had a good wash too...

 

[Steve S]

Quote:

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I couldn't agree more. Less wear if you start it a few hours later for a short trip or even for a long one. There have been times when it has been 100+ and I've parked my car at work in the summer, and by the end of the day (6:30-3, typical hours) when I put the key back in the car, the temperature needle is still above the low mark.

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That is because it is hot outside .

 

[Gary Allan]

The only time I've seen this done is with a Fire or Auxiliary Police type person directing traffic (or detouring it) and they wanted to leave the engine running to run the lights.

 

[Auto-Union]

Cab drivers do it. It makes sense driving around the city, stop-n-go. A light breeze under the hood when crusing and an escape path for hot air when sitting still, not bad. I'd do it in extreme conditions. >100f in the city for extended periods.

 

[handyman]

Sometimes you will see the police cars with their hoods popped here in Dallas. It has to be over 100 and they are parked and running for awhile.

 

[mstrjon32]

Obviously. My point was that it's not bad for the engine.