Well, to each his own. But though my own monitoring I've found your worries posted here to be unfounded. In cold weather the electronics coolant temps never even gets close to being high enough to be concerned about. If you don't want grille blockers, fine - don't put them on your vehicle. But don't spread fear where there shouldn't be any.

But I'm not saying that when outdoor temps get above freezing you shouldn't start keeping an eye on things, though. When them temps get into the mid to high 30's then I start closely watching those gauges to make sure nothing is getting out of sorts, and usually when it hits 40 outside I start pulling off panels. Even at 40 the temps still stay within safe limits, but the blockers start to lose their effectiveness at that point so why take the chance?

 

Where can I get a "skirt" or "bra" for a MMH to block the radiator?

(skirt/bra...wow, I need to find a woman!)

 

The FIA winter guard that I use for my 2005 Escape fits the Mercury version. There is a thread on this site about it. There is a photo of it in the photo section of this site. Do a goggle search for FIA winter guards.

 

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

They do not list a winter guard for the 2008 FEH or MMH. I sent them an email, they replied they would notify me if/when available, so unless this happens, I'm doing the cardboard trick with two pieces of cardboard, and ropes, described by another poster. Apparently, the 08 redesign doesn’t permit the existing fIA covers from fitting the 08.

FYI, I monitor fWT on my SGII-Xg, but is that really a TRUE reading?? Is it from a real sensor, or another inferred value like catalytic converter? I kinda remember that someone said that Cyl Head Temp (CHT) from a real sensor, was used in conjunction with other sensors to develop the ICE coolant temp value (fWT) on the SGII? Does anybody know for sure please?

If this is an inferred/calculated value, I'm going to remove my cardboard at a cooler ambient air temp to be safe. Call me old fashioned, but I trust a sensor more when it comes to my engine & electronics coolant temps

 

I have found that cardboard, or other material that is right up against the radiator of the car, to be most effective.

I now have the FIA cover ( like a bra ) that goes on the outside of the car, and it works only about 25% as well as the cardboard.

Seems there is enough air gap that things cool off pretty quick without the cardboard actually touching the radiator.

Also, with the FIA covers, there is plenty of air space for the fans to push/pull air though the radiator. As a result, you'd be OK with the FIA covers on in July..... In Las Vegas..... Also, next time you are in a big parking lot, look at several newer cars. Most have tiny grille slots, and some have virtually zero openings on the front of the car. Seems in most modern cars, the fans are expected to do all the cooling work.

What the FIA does a decent job of is... keeping heat in when I am parked with the engine block heater in use. When I'm in motion, I have found it to be of little help.

With the FIA cover, I climbed the Rockies, and over the Continental Divide west of Denver with 500 pounds of cargo in the car at 4000 RPM climbing 7% grades for dozens of miles at a time, and my engine temp never rose above the average 188-190'F. And yes, with the SG I monitored CHT, fWT, M/E and MG temp and none got even "warm".

This is a case where the cheaper, simpler, cardboard, is much better.
-John

P.S. Those same Mountain Grades with cardboard get my water temp to 205-210'F

P.P.S. I do believe the water temp is inferred from the CHT ( cylinder head temp ) but who cares? If one is cool, they both are cool, if one is hot, they both are hot. The water temp seems to be programmed with more "latency".

 

Thanks John. Since I don't have the EBH (under consideration), and don't believe that the fIA bra covers would retain measurable heat during the 10 hrs at work (could be wrong there), my desire is to 'restrict' loss of cooling while in motion. So based on the evidence provided, cardboard it is. I have plenty, and can get plenty more

I suppose that fWT being derived/calculated from CHT and perhaps other inputs, should be reliable enough. Doing some other reading today that supports the same finding. I can't find a reference to an actual sensor. Guess Mr. Ford knows what he is doing. The FEH is a fine machine. Love the info I get from this site.

 

Just a note on the cardboard, most stores have a cardboard box dumpster out back. If you can get plastic coated or waxed cardboard and paint it black, it will be more durable and have a neater look. I wasn't sure how well it would work initially, so I just used ordinary cardboard and it shows through the grill - embarrassing my wife (as an engineer I have no style). Another alternative is to use acrylic sheeting (sold at big box home stores to replace window glass).

 

Here is another point to consider with the FIA Winter Guard--it covers the upper but not the lower grille opening.
- Did/Does John have the lower grille opening covered when using the FIA winter guard?
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...rillcovers.jpg

-No question cardboard is cheaper.
-What is normal temperature range (Fwt) via scanguage-179-194? At what point does the temperature become too warm?

 

Last year I used plain cardboard painted black.
It was "invisible" to the naked eye.
It helps that it is flexible when you slide it in.
It did not deteriorate when wet.
The radiator heat, and any wind, or fan air probably kept it dry, other than rain storms when parked.