I've had my motordyne 5/16 iso thermal plenum spacer on my car for about 7 months now. I installed the coolant control valve but I lost the instruction manual. Can someone tell me which way the handle on the valve faces (perpandicular or paralell to the switch) to open / close it? It is winter now and my car had mild snow on it this morning. I want to make sure my coolant is regulated correctlly by either having the valve open or closed. should the valve be open or closed in the winter time? or does it even matter? thanks

 

if its getting cold enough to snow i am pretty sure you want it to be open to let coolant in.

 

If it is perpendicular then its closed. If its facing inline with the hose then it is open. I think Motordyne recommends opening it around 45 degrees. I had mine completely bypassed in recent years, while we have mild winters with lows typically around 20-30 and I have never had an issue.

 

thank you very much both for the info. is there an advantage to having it closed in the summer with warmer weather?

 

if the valve handle is facing left to right, it is open. Up and down.....it is close.
Your right...it is getting really cold in the bay. Temps in the 20's in some areas.

Thank god for Motordyne.

 

So you want to open it to let coolant flow in the winter? And close it in the summer for better performance? That just sounds kinda backwards to me, I would think u would want to cool the engine when it is hot in the summer by allowing more coolant to flow.

Sorry for the noob question. I've just never really understood the purpose of and how to utilize this valve on the kit.

 

You want to turn off the valve in the warm time of the year to shut off the flow of hot coolant flowing through the plenum.

The Iso Thermal and Copper Iso Thermal reduce heat transfer into the upper and lower intake plenum and reduces assembly temperature by 30'-60'F. Cooler intake air temperatures increase air density and reduces the tendency for detonation or ping.

There are two major heat sources that transfer heat into the upper and lower plenum.

1) Transfer from the lower intake runners which are bolted to the heads at ~250'F. The lower intake runners are made of heavy gauge aluminum so they transfer heat very efficiently into the lower plenum.

and

2) Heat transfer from hot engine coolant that is coming directly out of the engine at about 200-210'F. This hot engine coolant is flowed through the plenum to insure the throttle body stays nice and hot.

The plenum typically heat soaks to about 170'F. That's burning hot!

A Iso Thermal kit will reduce the whole plenum temperature to about 110' - 140'F. Depending on where its measured, that's basically warm to very warm to the touch.

A necessary component of either Iso Thermal kit is the Aramid gasket. It's installed between the lower plenum and intake manifold significantly reduced heat soak. Basically, the Aramid gasket blocks a major heat transfer source from heat soaking the lower plenum. Aramid is heat resistant and a very good insulator with a low heat transfer coefficient.

To block the two main heat sources, the aramid gasket is used with either:

1) The throttle body Coolant Control Valve (CCV).
The CCV allows you to selectively heat (or not heat) the plenum assembly. With local weather temperatures below 55'F the valve is left open. In warmer weather the valve can be closed for maximum thermal benefits.

or

2) The polarized Copper Throttle Body heater.
Copper Iso Thermal is a set and forget component that is used in place of the CCV. With the Copper, it doesn't matter how hot or cold the weather is. Install it and the throttle body remains heated while the rest of the plenum is thermally isolated. Keeping the throttle body heated prevents ice formation on the throttle body butterfly valve when driving in cold weather. If it snows or gets really cold in your area, use the Copper Iso Thermal so your throttle body remains heated and engine can still take full advantage of the cold air you are driving in.

Note: Nissan (Infiniti) intentionally heats the throttle body for safety reasons. Its to insure the throttle body doesn't get iced up when driving in very cold or snowy weather. And none of the Motordyne plenum spacers run an increased risk of throttle body freezing.


1) The basic spacer leaves the entire plenum hot all the time. (just like stock)
2) The regular Iso Thermal heats the plenum when you need it and doesn't heat the plenum when you don't need it. But depending on weather condition, the CCV must be switched on or off.
3) The Copper Iso Thermal is fully automatic. Just install it and forget it. It always gives the best results without adjustment. But it costs more.

This is a summary of how the iso thermal system(s) works.

 

very good write up Tony!! job well done on the explanation!!! question for you..If I have the CCV and Copper Iso Thermal is that a problem?? Just curious?? I never removed my CCV after I purchased the Copper Iso Thermal.

 

Its no problem at all, but you will still need to make sure the CCV is in the open position when it gets cold outside.

 

yeah I was considering on opening here soon because of how cold its dropping down to outside

 

Thanks so much for that great explenation! this should be sticky'd during this increased cold weather so everyone is informed. I appreciate the write up and putting it into clear understandable terms. thank you very much.

 

seriously this is good information. I have it on the closed position right now (perpendicular). gotta change that tommorow.

 

I ordered theCopper Iso and it seems like im missing Coolant Control Valve? From my understanding theh COPPER ISO thermal by passes the need for Cooland Control Valve correct!

 

it's not necessary to switch on the control valve in california, right?

 

Correct, you don't need the CCV if you have the copper kit, so it doesn't come with it.

I live in SoCal and I've had my iso kit for about 2 years now and my CCV has been closed since the day I installed it. Never had any problems with the cold.