Something was chewing on my S2000 (question about the hood liner)

[Eeyore]

I have a bit of a strange problem to share. My S2000 is not my daily driver, I usually drive it on the weekends. At some point when it was sitting outside (with a cover on), some critter or another climbed up inside the engine bay, sat on top of the battery, and chewed away at the hood liner. Whatever it was was at it for a while because there is a piece about 4 inches by 4 inches missing. It looks like hell, I'm a little worried about the effects of the heat on the compromised liner, and whatever it was might come back and keep chewing when I park it again today. Also I am not thrilled about the prospect of paying to replace this part. This is a 2008 and I've only had the car about 2 months.

What I want to do is remove the liner altogether. I figure it will save a bit of weight, may make the car a bit louder (I consider this a plus). My concern though is what effects the engine heat will have on the hood. While the car is moving I understand this probably will not be an issue but after its parked, I can see quite a lot of heat building up. I do not want to do any damage to the aluminum hood or the paint. Has anyone removed their hood liner on a whim or for another reason and if so, did your car suffer any ill effects?

[TheCarGuy2021]

I've been without a hood liner for 3 years, no ill effects.

[H20]

I just found a dead MOLE inside my airbox..not on the S but the vibe. Explain that one! Very dead and very light weight actually.
If you put some moth balls in a sock or something..then wire tie it somewhere in the engine compartment it should keep the critters at bay. I know it would keep ME away.

[DJJSR]

Originally Posted by H20

I just found a dead MOLE inside my airbox..not on the S but the vibe. Explain that one! Very dead and very light weight actually.

Old speed secret.......methane gas emitted from decaying animal, better than octane booster!

[kgf3076]

it was probably a squirrel. They like the heat and the seem to like to eat on top of the battery for some reason. I've found pieces of acorn and peanuts that one of my "cat lady" neighbors puts out for the tree-rats.

[lonestarbuzz]

i was under the impression that those liners are solely to put put out a fire in the engine compartment. i thought they mounted with some sort of attachment that melts when coming in contact with a fire which releases the liner which acts like a blanket to put out the fire.

[D1sclaimer]

Originally Posted by DJJSR

Old speed secret.......methane gas emitted from decaying animal, better than octane booster!

Like "fossil" fuel, except it doesn't take 10 million years. Brilliant!

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by lonestarbuzz

i was under the impression that those liners are solely to put put out a fire in the engine compartment. i thought they mounted with some sort of attachment that melts when coming in contact with a fire which releases the liner which acts like a blanket to put out the fire.

I never thought of that. I guess its certainly possible. It seems like its mounted with regular plastic clips same as a lot of car parts.

I think the general consensus is that I should be OK if I remove the liner completely? (if you don't count the fire prevention aspect of things).

[4406pack]

Originally Posted by kgf3076

it was probably a squirrel. They like the heat and the seem to like to eat on top of the battery for some reason. I've found pieces of acorn and peanuts that one of my "cat lady" neighbors puts out for the tree-rats.

and i thought i was the only one that called them tree-rats....

[lonestarbuzz]

Originally Posted by Eeyore

I never thought of that. I guess its certainly possible. It seems like its mounted with regular plastic clips same as a lot of car parts.

I think the general consensus is that I should be OK if I remove the liner completely? (if you don't count the fire prevention aspect of things).

you will be fine. you will just have less protection in case of a fire.

[kgf3076]

Originally Posted by 4406pack

and i thought i was the only one that called them tree-rats....

Tree-rats or bushy-tailed rats

[chazdawg35]

Hey dudes seen a Corvette at work where a Rat chewed an upper radiator hose,windshield washer bottle and an injector harness.We could tell by the Rat poop in the engine! LOL But back to the topic I don't see why taking the liner off would hurt anything. I was thinking of doing to my S because when I steam clean the engine it always gets wet and drips water on the parts that I just polished.

[dezignpro04]

Originally Posted by 4406pack

and i thought i was the only one that called them tree-rats....

Ha-ha. Thats what i call them too. When I was young my father was trimming a palm tree in our backyeard and one jumped out at him. He put the chain saw in front of him and the "tree-rat" hit the saw. Game over..

Back to the engine cover. The main reason for it is to protect the hood from heat. You will see no problems for the first little while. But have you ever seen a cheap Kia or Hyundai and the hood has bubbles and the paint is peeling, that is what you have to look forward to. It keeps direct heat from the motor off the bottom of the hood, and keeps it from cooking your paint.

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by dezignpro04

Back to the engine cover. The main reason for it is to protect the hood from heat. You will see no problems for the first little while. But have you ever seen a cheap Kia or Hyundai and the hood has bubbles and the paint is peeling, that is what you have to look forward to. It keeps direct heat from the motor off the bottom of the hood, and keeps it from cooking your paint.

I understand the point here, which is actually my primary concern of removing it. Frankly I don't care about the fire prevension aspect. Its the heat on the paint issue over time that I care about. If anyone else who has removed it and has had no effects or negative effects could weigh in with a reponse I'd appreciate it. Kia/Hyundai designed airflow and paint quality might be different from the S2K so that might explain that.

Replacement hood liner from Majestic Honda is only about 56 dollars and it seems real easy to replace, so I will probably end up going that route.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

[gomarlins3]

I would replace it if you are planning on keeping the car long term.

[dezignpro04]

Originally Posted by Eeyore

Kia/Hyundai designed airflow and paint quality might be different from the S2K so that might explain that.

No. Actually most of their cars don't have the hood liners. Especially the cheaper ones.

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by dezignpro04

No. Actually most of their cars don't have the hood liners. Especially the cheaper ones.

This explains A LOT, since I've seen more than my fair share of Kia/Hyundai hoods with the paint destroyed.

[Vezna31]

Could have been a field mouse gathering bits to make a bed.

I once was at work in an office building and opened the drawer to my credenza to find the Articles of Inc of the company half-chewed away and then noticed the little grey mouse in the drawer that got away somehow through the back. Pretty funny.

[chazdawg35]

RATS!