The crankcase protection is a “pallet” of a certain shape (usually metal), which is installed on the bottom of the car, under the engine, thereby protecting it from possible damage. Crankcase guards are made of steel 2-3 mm thick (with its subsequent painting), stainless steel, aluminum or multilayer carbon fiber.
The crankcase guard is definitely a useful thing. And not only for those who often travel to nature off-road. Even for those who travel only around the city, getting out to a picnic dacha a couple of times a year, crankcase protection can come in handy. There are not so few pieces of reinforcement “growing” from the ground, or, for example, bricks and curbs, on our city roads, as well as on country roads. In winter, chunks of ice and ruts are added to this.
All of these are potential "traps", which, if unsuccessfully bumped into, you can get on major and expensive repairs.
By the way, many insurance companies simply will not insure a car under CASCO if it does not have a crankcase protection installed. Indirectly, protection also performs anti-theft functions, since it greatly complicates access to the car's wiring from below, preventing hijackers from connecting equipment to hack the security system.
Another important point is protection from dirt, salt, sand, gravel, etc. With the installed crankcase protection, it gets under the hood in much smaller quantities.
The crankcase can be fitted to almost any vehicle, even for the rarest model. But, in practice, not all firms undertake this: many prefer to deal only with "hot goods".
However, both in St. Petersburg and in Moscow there are companies that are able to professionally manufacture and install protection on absolutely any, even an exclusive car, using factory equipment.
By the way, when the crankcase protection is installed, drill additional holes in the body car is really needed only in isolated cases - for a few rare models.
Now companies that are professionally engaged in the development of protection, most of their models are installed on standard fasteners of the car body.
If the installers immediately suggest drilling the body, we advise you to consult about this at another station.
The motor, with the crankcase protection installed, will not overheat. Blowing on the crankcase from below, the air flow practically does not play a role in the cooling of the car engine. The motor overheats, mainly in city traffic jams and with constant driving off of traffic lights. And in these cases, it does not matter for the engine whether there is something from below or not: there is still no blowing with a counter flow.
By the way, for diesel engines, on the contrary, protection turns out to be even useful, contributing to their faster warming up in winter.
The car will not become more noisy, with the protection installed. Although in theory the protection acts as a resonator, in practice this effect is negligible. According to the observations of many car owners, there is no tangible difference in the sound of the engine before and after installing the protection.
The only thing is that sometimes small pebbles are stuffed under the protection, which begin to rattle, and in the car, with poor noise insulation, they are well heard. The solution to this problem can be a thin sheet of soft heat-resistant material, which is glued to the protection from the motor side.
Protection will not interfere with washing the car (neither draining water, nor drying). Because there is no big difference - for the outflow of water and subsequent ventilation, the holes will be enough - the protection is not tight. And professionally designed crankcase guards often have holes to drain moisture and dirt. In any case, in the summertime, a small amount of moisture at the bottom of the engine compartment cannot do any harm. In winter, when freezing temperatures come, it is generally not recommended to wash the engine.
Does the protection prevent you from changing the oil? Professional developers in their models of protection provide for special hatches with plastic plugs that allow you not to remove the protection when changing the oil. But, only if the oil filter can be removed from the top, “through the hood”.
If, structurally, the filter changes only from below in the car, the protection will have to be removed (unless otherwise, again, is not provided for by the protection design, namely: a hole for changing the filter). Some models also have filter replacement holes covered with hatches.
It is possible, but not necessary, to make a crankcase protection yourself. Yes, off-road fans sometimes make defense themselves, and they do it pretty well. But this is already from another opera.
An ordinary car enthusiast, perhaps, should not get involved with such a homemade product - without the appropriate skills and special equipment, it is unlikely that anything good will come of it.
Crankcase protection cost largely depends on the car model and the configuration of the protection itself. On average, prices for metal protections start at 2 thousand rubles. (no installation). Protection from aluminum costs from 7 thousand. For installation they will ask for about 500 rubles. up to 2.5 thousand rubles, and sometimes more (it all depends on the car model and service station prices).
There is also protection for the transmission. Major manufacturers offer protection models where the engine is closed together with the gearbox, as well as special models for the gearbox. In addition, it is also possible to order, for example, the protection of gas cylinders or a gas tank.
When choosing protection, first of all, it is worth finding out whether the protection is put on standard fasteners or it is proposed to make additional holes in the body. The performance of the protection itself is also very important - the quality of painting and trimming the edges. Another important point is the presence of rubber or plastic shock absorber inserts in the places of possible contact of the protection with the car body, thanks to which the protection does not rattle.
In general, it is worth keeping in mind the following: despite the fact that the protection is at the bottom and is not visible, it is not just a sheet of iron, but a functional car accessory that must be made with high quality.
