Grille Shutters - Not So Much

[MadRabbit]

The shutters are for faster warmup and extreme cold operation.

When I installed my stepped intercooler I cut the bottom half of the shutters off and kept the top part intact and I can confirm that the car went from taking 2-3 minutes to warm up to now it taking 5-6 minutes to get up to operating speed.

Not really a bad thing though, The open area in front at the bottom keeps the IC cold, and the shutters up top at the radiator help it warm up, so it's a trade off I'm willing to accept being as winter is only 4 months long here in southern PA.

Sponsored

 

[Buldawg76]

I just don't like seeing ECTs in the 200+ ranges unless I am in stop and go traffic for several minutes. I keep them open all year long but very few days that stay below freezing here a year.

BD

 

[markayash]

I let mine off when I installed my street intercooler. Some said just unhook the motor and other left it connected and taped to the crossmember which is what I did.

I am in the south so cold weather isn't a concern.

 

[Buldawg76]

The only thing with leaving the motor connected and taped to the crossmember is the shutters provide the hard stops for the motor so left connected and taped to the crossmember the motor will be constantly rotating/running with key on or engine running.

Should not be any real problem but may eventually burn motor up with it always running.

BD

 

[markayash]

The only thing with leaving the motor connected and taped to the crossmember is the shutters provide the hard stops for the motor so left connected and taped to the crossmember the motor will be constantly rotating/running with key on or engine running.

Should not be any real problem but may eventually burn motor up with it always running.

BD

Will it complain if just unplugged?

 

[Buldawg76]

Will it complain if just unplugged?

No, it will not hurt being unplugged but will set an "unable to communicate" with motor soft code in the PCM, does not illuminate the CEL. There is probably a code for no hard stop A/B found set right now in the PCM, grill shutter codes do not turn on the CEL. I just disconnect the plug enough to not make contact with the motor terminals so the motor does not operate but leave the connector still in the motor housing to help protect from outside elements. You can just pull connector loose enough, so no operation is possible and wrap tape around it to seal it.

I have left it completely disconnected for over a year with no issues of corrosion to terminals also.

BD

 

[markayash]

I pulled the top cover off and unplugged it
Thanks, didn't know it would keep running.

 

[Buldawg76]

I didn't either till I did some testing with mine when I had the front end off the car. I thought it would rotate so far and stop and then rotate back to the start position like if it had hard stops built in, but it just would spin in one direction until the key was turned off. At every key on/engine start it rotates till the shutters cause it to stop turning and it then rotates back the opposite direction till they again cause it to stop and that's how it learns the hard stops for the open/close positions or if there is something obstructing the shutters from moving.

Mine had a bad spot in the motor that did not provide the correct signal to the PCM between the 2 hard stops so it would set a code for shutter position A hard stop failure. I was able to rotate the motor by hand 180 degrees and reinstall the shutters and when retesting for the code to be set again it did not reset. So, by rotating 180 degrees that placed the internal rheostat wiper on a new portion of the board that was unused until now. The motor only rotates approx 90 degrees under normal operation so theoretically there should be 4 positions the motor can be rotated to so as to provide new contact surfaces for the rheostat wiper to contact.

BD

Sponsored