Anyone else do this in the winter?

[iboughtatahoe23]

-25°F today.

 

[SpareParts]

No. As long as my thermostat works, I have not needed to do that. -25 make dang sure your Antifreeze up to 5nuff. Censored, Really!!!

 

[Fless]

I've done that in various vehicles but put the cardboard -- with a larger hole cut out -- behind the grill and in front of the radiator. Had a Corolla that wouldn't heat up in winter coming down from the foothills; apparently the engine wasn't working hard enough on the downhill (first 10 miles of my commute). Other than that it was on a few different cars in the middle of a Northern Illinois winter.

 

[justchecking]

My buddy and I were in an M151 and FREEZING so when the convoy stopped for some reason we hopped out and rolled the front winter kit flap down to get some heat. Didn't go a mile and the convoy had to stop again because we over did it and overheated! That was enlightening.

 

[tom3]

A lot of the new Tahoe/Yukons have shutters just behind the grill to cut the air flow. More for gas mileage than warm up but should help that too I'd think.

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

A lot of the new Tahoe/Yukons have shutters just behind the grill to cut the air flow. More for gas mileage than warm up but should help that too I'd think.

Don’t think mine does. I can see straight into the radiator.

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

I've done that in various vehicles but put the cardboard -- with a larger hole cut out -- behind the grill and in front of the radiator. Had a Corolla that wouldn't heat up in winter coming down from the foothills; apparently the engine wasn't working hard enough on the downhill (first 10 miles of my commute). Other than that it was on a few different cars in the middle of a Northern Illinois winter.

I tried but the area where I’d put it in is sealed off. Completely. And the fans are blocking the back area as well

 

[GMCChevy]

It's normal to hit temps like that here and have never had to do that.
But whatatever works cause you don't want to be messing with stuff when it's that cold.

 

[tooleyondeck]

I am from Florida... what am I looking at?

 

[89Suburban]

-25°F today. View attachment 450553

Not on my GMT900 but I have on my older squarebody trucks. Including the one in my avatar which actually has one but it's cropped out of the pic. I also made one out of plexiglass to make it look a little less ghetto.

 

[89Suburban]

Pics:

 

[RST Dana]

I am from Florida... what am I looking at?

Nothing to see here if you live in the Deep South. Enjoy your weather!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Well, you could paint a face or something cool on the cardboard.

 

[Scrappycrow]

Yes, I've done similar, but not with my Tahoe here in Georgia. It was with my '57 Chevy, '86 BMW 535i, and '87 AMC Eagle when I was stationed in Spokane, WA and Minot, ND. I used cardboard in front of the a/c condenser in the BMW, and used a really thin mattress pad in the AMC and the Chevy. Some guys I knew, plus the motor pool Suburbans had commercially-available grill blocks with snap closed/open flaps, and you used to be able to get plastic grille block inserts.

Something to consider to keep heated air from escaping the engine compartment when the truck is shut off is to put painter's tape over the gap between the hood & fenders. It'll make a slight, but noticeable difference (or maybe it was wishful thinking when it "worked" for me).

A lot of the new Tahoe/Yukons have shutters just behind the grill to cut the air flow. More for gas mileage than warm up but should help that too I'd think.

A number of vehicles have had these for years, for both airflow and gas mileage & emissions. They'll shut completely when the engine is off, thus keeping the engine hotter for longer, reducing the time it takes to get back up to operating temperature upon restart. This counts a smidgen for CAFE and EPA testing, even though you might not notice a difference yourself.

 

[intheburbs]

I can see it for a diesel engine, but no reason you should have to do that with a gasser. Something's wrong if it's not getting up to operating temperature. I've had my 2500 as cold as -25° F, and she got up to normal engine temp just like any other time. Now, granted, it took longer, and when I first cranked up the heat, the temp needle dropped quite a bit.

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

I can see it for a diesel engine, but no reason you should have to do that with a gasser. Something's wrong if it's not getting up to operating temperature. I've had my 2500 as cold as -25° F, and she got up to normal engine temp just like any other time. Now, granted, it took longer, and when I first cranked up the heat, the temp needle dropped quite a bit.

It does. It just doesn’t in my little drive to work

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

Was also curious if anyone knows if my ride has those grill shutters or if they’re on the radiator? I’ve never heard of such a thing. And has anyone had issues with them malfunctioning?

 

[ReaperHWK]

If it gets that cold then you need to move lol.

 

[Scrappycrow]

Was also curious if anyone knows if my ride has those grill shutters or if they’re on the radiator?

Yours doesn't. This generation didn't have them.

 

[grouch]

-25°F today. View attachment 450553

I haven't had to do it in years. Older (1980 and earlier) usually needed it in really cold weather but fuel injection pretty well eliminated the need.

I remember as a kid helping my mother put a blanket over the engine on our 1960 Olds wagon with a light bulb under it to keep the engine warm enough to start easy. Some of the trucks I drove back in the early 70's actually had a cable to pull shutters closed in front of the grill.