taromilk

hey guys,

i started noticing when i push my s2 at higher revs, i feel a steady flow of heat coming from under the steering column.
I have the temperature turned to the coolest and the airflow mode is at the top vents; not set to feet. Fan is also off.

I'm thinking it's the heat coming from my engine bay, somehow is leaking into the car from under the dash. its like 35 degrees here now and i'm sweating b@lls LOL.
my a/c has a leak so that doesn't help. i popped the hood and noticed it's pretty hot under the hood. i dont have the header heat shields so it's dam
hot around the header area. My engine temps are normal though.

anyone have a similar issue? my legs are constantly heated and it does not feel good =(

i'll be putting back on the OEM header heat shield soon , hopefully that will help. but i have a feeling it's due to something else. no way
the car is constantly spewing hot air from under the dash.

thanks in advance!

slowpokeS2K

did you recently have an amp installed? check the rubber grommet underneath the brake/clutch master cylinder.

i have that same issue, but im able to bear the heat, so i think of it as a free cooling system for the engine bay.

Saki GT

So... air con leak and no shielding between the header and the AC lines huh? And you're wondering where the hot air comes from huh? Also remember the compressor kicks off at WOT. And its the middle of summer. Where is the hot air coming from? Can you feel it coming from the floor vents or is it coming from the firewall?

taromilk

well i know it gets pretty hot under the hood and partially cuz my upper heat shield isn't installed.

but i don't think hot air should be leaking into the cabin tho right? The hot air isn't coming from the foot vents, it seems to be above near the steering column area.
the passenger side feels the hot air as well around the same level. it's kinda like around the whole middle section across the dash. so i think it's the firewall.

i didn't have any sound systems installed recently, just an alarm system. i will check underneath for that rubber grommet. thx for the tip slowpoke.

i just want to know if this is normal for hot air to come into the cabin, NOT from the vents.
this is my first sports car so im clueless =)

appreciate the help guys!

Jrz

You're not alone. This has been an annoyance of mine since I bought it new 4 yrs ago. Recirculation doesn't help either. Once it's been driven for a while, heat will make it's way in. I've took the rear hood seal off and foamed the surrounding of the inlet vents from the engine heat and bypassed the TB coolant lines. It's also a lot to do with the heat from the transmission. Only way I've stopped it was putting the top up and turning on the A/C . Also got the same problem in the NSX. It's got a vented hood and I insulated the HVAC system in the front with no improvements. Takes all the enjoyment out of driving on a nice day and have constant heat radiating all around you. It usually takes about an hour of driving for this to start. Not only does it not feel good, it dries up your skin pretty good too. If someone has a solution, I'd love to hear it.

taromilk

thanks Jrz for the input. sad to know someone else is also getting this.

ya it does get a little uncomfortable after awhile.
my instrument panel and steering column was taken off recently to do some fixing on the heat blower. i thought it might have been that the mechanic did not install the instrument panel properly afterwards that is causing a leak somewhere.

any idea where it's leaking in from though? I mean, its a constant flow of hot air coming in when driving , so there must be an opening somewhere for it to come in.
unless it's seeping through the cracks of the panels. And you're right, the recirculation doesn't help. although not much hot air comes from the air vents anymore but when i touch the vent fins, u can feel that it's kinda heated up too.

i still don't think this is normal. i've asked a few friends with s2k's and they didn't notice any hot air flowing. maybe there's a part missing between the firewall and the interior.
anyone else experience this? i'm thinking of bringing it to some place to get it checked out.

taromilk

tested it out tonight while driving at higher speeds. outside temperature is like 20 degrees cel. so the night wasn't too hot.

i know now where the hot air is coming out of. the passenger side, definitely it's heat coming from the tranny. i feel the flow of hot air coming on the side wall of the console, between the leather and the carpeting; just beside the shifter. would this mean i'm low on tranny fluid? i just changed it 2 months ago.

on the driver side, just under the steering wheel, between the column cover and the piece below it, the opening in between is leaking hot air. This i have no idea where the heat is coming from.

Jrz, is yours coming from a similar area of your cabin? possibly some of the console / instrument panel pieces were not put back together properly so there's a leak?

mister x

That's what I thought. My MY04 has always leaked warm air from the trans tunnel. I believe it's just a design characteristic as Honda put very little thermal or acoustic insulation in the S. It's further exacerbated by the front mid engine design pushing the trans deep into the passenger cabin. The S is built with a lot of comfort compromises in favor of performance.

SoulCraves

I had the same issue, except that mine is RHD, and the heat is coming from the dead footrest! On days when i top down and off the aircon, the footrest is so hot that my bare feet will get scorched after 20 mins of driving....we need to think of something to cool it down...

Jrz

I haven't tampered with anything in the dash since new and from working on the engine, there is no visible entrance for air in the engine bay to get in. If any one know of a light weight heat insulation that is easy to apply and not too expensive, I'll volunteer to install it to see if it will cure our problem since I have a lift.