Chewbacca mating call from my engine bay.

[Green Dragon]

Let me start off by saying, I love Wookies, but not from an engine bay. Sounds like my CCV is trying to take a dump on me. It only makes the sound for a second upon a cold start up.
We have had quite a cold winter here in the Rockies. Some days we barely get above zero. I hit negative 33 below zero the other night. The coldest this beast has seen yet.

I tried to shop vac one of the CCV lines coming from the valve cover with very little yellow "cheese whiz" coming out. So crap. Very little cheese whiz under cap as well. Must be an accumulation built up inside?

I got to thinking, and I came up with a solution for getting warmer quicker, and a little hotter. It seems to have really helped and I thought I would share my little remedy that my dad taught me.

I put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator, between the radiator and the a/c condenser. You can't see it at all from outside the vehicle. I have effectively reduced the exposed radiator by 50-60%, only covering part of it. It has really helped to get it hotter, thus giving a better advantage against the problems that arise from not getting the engine hot enough, and/or short trips during the winter. After I put in the card board, the heater could finally keep up as well. As cold as it is, I don't think I'm stressing the cooling components outside their normal range of operation.

I drove it 200 miles the other night without the cardboard (-16) and the heater couldn't keep up very well, and I'm guessing the engine wasn't able to maintain optimal temp either. My thermostate might be for a warmer climate.

Soooo....since I started doing this, Chewbacca went away, the car runs better and hotter, electric fan hasn't kicked on. This trick may help you guys in the cold climates deal with the potential of a frozen CCV and other related issues. Just remember to pull it out when it warms back up. Very easy!

Dose anyone know if BMW ever came out with a heated CCV other than the better insulted cold climate version? I saw that G.A.S is coming out with a remote mount serviceable unit for the M54. I will think I will be changing mine out soon.........