Z Tune Bonnets + Rain/water

[UWISSH!]

Ok so I'm looking into purchasing a z tune style bonnet for my r33gtr and I'm concerned about water in the engine bay and what problems it may potentially cause.

My car runs a t88 with twin filters that are enclosed in a box, I still have my valley cover on but only has 3 screws in it. There is also a sensor for the boost controller I think it is sitting near the top of the plenum.

Can people who have one of these bonnets please give me their experiences with water in the engine bay and should i be concerned about any of my above mentioned things?

Thanks in advance

[75coupe]

yes you should be concerned...

rain on an eb engine aint great, the spark plug valley fills with water and you get bad missfire, the water has nowhere to go so you have to remove it manually using a hose and some good ol fashion suction...

best to get a bonnet that has a plate that can block the vents or atleast redirect the water so it doesnt go on the engine... the genuine nismo ztune bonnet has this...

plus there are alot of alloy parts in the engine bay so with water and some heat they will corrode/rust not the best look to a nice engine bay, I dont really drive in the rain anymore, but Im looking for a new bonnet in Cf that has vent blocking plates or I'll get something made that is removeable for dry or wet days...

[G-reddy]

I had one on my 33 for about a year, never had a problem with water in the coilpack valley or anything (no corrosion either, 75coupe). A lot of people use this bonnet with no troubles.

[75coupe]

how can you not have a alloy corrosion issue with water and heat and alloy all in the same location....

no troubles??? was your valley cover waterproof?

otherwise how did the water get out of your valley area?

unless the vent in your bonnet wasnt over the engine?

[The Bogan]

Best spot to vent heat is just behind the radiator, there is a negative pressure area there, vents that are midway or to the rear are in a positive pressure area, hence when driving air will be forced into the engine bay causing the air pressure in there to rise, which inturn will lower the efficiency of your radiator and intercooler as its trying to push the air into a high pressure void.

I'll look for a link that explains it better than me.

[The Bogan]

http://www.autospeed.com.au/cms/A_2162/article.html

[UWISSH!]

75 coupe, do u have one or have had one of these bonnets???

im after people who have one or had one to give me their real world experience not just a theory they heard about. i want hard evidence that u have experienced

im only after z tune bonnet experience aswell

[75coupe]

I do have a vented bonnet, the vents are in a similar position as the ztune and Ive been looking for a ztune in CF to replace my current bonnet...

[UWISSH!]

so u have had alot of problems with water then?

are u still using the valley cover?

i was planning on putting a tarp in the engine bay to cover it while washing my car, but how bad is it when your just driving in the rain?

[75coupe]

Ive had problems if its parked in the rain, Im not using the valley cover but it was only keep ing some water out, not all...

the most annoying part was the water all over the parts, I like a clean engine bay and the water makes everything dirty, corrodes alloy (alternator, head etc...) makes your steel fan belt pullies have surface rust form.

no really a problem when your driving, the problem is when your parked, I wash the car with the bonnet up and dont park in the open when its raining or I cover the engine under the bonnet with a tarp...

[UWISSH!]

do u think putting some kind of rubber seal on the underside of the valley cover to give a kind of complete seal would work?

[75coupe]

yeah for sure, if you can seal the valley cover then that'll stop the water pooling in that area.

if you dont mind all the other parts getting wet which just makes a mess of the engine bay then its all sweet...

I just found I didnt like the look of the engine bay with corrosion or watermarks on everything when I opened the bonnet so I didnt bother waterproofing the valley cover.

plus 290rwkw in the wet really isnt heaps of fun and since its not my daily I just wait for dry days to drive it.

[GTR-N1]

Bonnet:- For rainy days > You can fashion cardboard templates to fit the gaps, slide rubber moulds around the perimeters and then get perspex ones cut to size > fit rubber moulds once again.

I did that with a NACA Duct on my former VS2 (not that it was required).

[75coupe]

^^^^ that sounds nice...

where to get these rubber moulds you speak of?

Id love to be able to seal my vents for wet days...

[GTR-N1]

^^^^ that sounds nice...

where to get these rubber moulds you speak of?

Id love to be able to seal my vents for wet days...

...forget whether I procured the moulding from autobarn or an appliance parts shop (- you know, the places that sell gaskets)

You'll be after wafer thin ones that barely fit cardboard > perspex.

Rainy days are cool anyway, so there's no worry about heat buildup unless you're on the track.

I only intended for these inserts to be put in whilst the car was stationary in any case.

[UWISSH!]

yeh i was thinking of getting a perspex cover made that would be easy to fit, seems like the best option.

i want a bonnet coz they do look pretty good, it will get painted midnight purple with the vents left in carbon (dont like full crabon on purple, and the carbon would tie in nice with the other carbon parts on my car)

[mico]

i got a blits fibreglass bonnet. the water just drains down between the fan and timing cover. any decent aftermarket bonnet will do this.

[UWISSH!]

blits bonnets do not have the same vents as a ztune bonnet therefore blitz bonnets have no relevance to this topic

ztune bonnets have vents over the engine covers, this is what im concerened about

[75coupe]

are you saying the vent is over the engine area but they have built drains into the bonnet that makes it so the water is managed and redirected elsewhere

or

is your vent over the gap between your fan and timing cover?

[UWISSH!]

if you look at the blits bonnets they only have a vent in the gap between the radiator and the cam cover so thats no help with what im after