There is a lot of daylight between the wheel wells and the engine bay. A steering linkage goes through there, so there has to be _some_ room. Seems like it would allow a lot of spray into the engine bay, but then in the old days you could always see a lot of daylight under the hood, so maybe it doesn't matter.

JR

Don't worry. Most present day Honda's have the same setup.

Before I purchased my EX AWD 5 speed Element I had come very close to getting the Nissan Xterra. I am glad I didn't , HOWEVER!
If you ever get a chance to look at a Nissan Xterra check inside the wheel well up front and compare it to the Element. You will see what I mean. Inside the Xterras wheel wells they have tacked a sort of black heavy duty material to keep the engine compartment from having mud, salt, rocks and what have you from striking the engine while driving and also keeping it relatively clean.
If you look up in the Elements wheel well you can see practically your entire engine and other parts exposed. I realize the Xterra is a serious offroad vehicle but the Element will be likely traveled in areas the average car would not go even with the not so serious AWD package that it has. Too bad Honda didn't think of this ( they didn't think of a lot of things ). But this is something that is probably a "do it yourselfer" provided you are handy. I am not so if someone else figures this out let me know. Check out the Xterra and see what I am talking about. It really is a good idea. :)

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I noticed the same thing. Forget offroading, I've never had a car that had so much exposure thru the wheel wells. Anyone know what the reason was? Just to save $$$, needed extra cooling, or ????

When I picked up my Element back in March an interested buyer looked at my wheel wells and said it could use more sheeting. Then he said with his own truck he got black sheeting and plastic snap in fasteners and covered his truck wells. Real simple and cheap. I don't have a problem with it now but I'll think about it. I want to settle the car in. I haven't even gotten my first oil change. :wink:

I always keep the engine of my vehicle clean. Nothing like scrubbing bubbles or simple green.

I dont' have any issues with the exposures. If it gets dirty, I'll just clean it. It gives me more time with our E.

John

Okay, so I am driving and digging my E and thinking about all the cool stuff one can do to it and such and reading these forums, Has anyone had any thoughts about the huge openings in the front wheel wells that take the spinoff from the tires and throw it right into the engine box!!??

WHat the heck? I have so much salt debris from winter in there.....

Any of you road warriors have a thought as to prevention on this little feature the Design greats at HONDA have come up with?

It's not just the wheel well.
After driving through first snow storm in January, noticed snow had blown under the hood and accumulated inside!
I can see already it will be hard to keep the engine bay clean.

Same deal here... Lots of snow accumulation and salt deposits everywhere. Never had an issue like this... think it'd be safe to use a high pressure rinse at the self-serve car wash? Since the air element / intake is relatively enclosed, I wouldn't think there would be anything to cover up - just spray and go, I'd imagine...

Any thoughts?

-DJ

it was the same way on my old typeS so i guess its a new honda thing, But the engine on that thing would get really dirty really fast.

My wifes CR V is exactly like my E. Holes and all. It is a 2002 and has had lots of travel. THrough all kinds of stuff. Seems to be just fine but I still don't like it. I am going to invent a sort of splash guard for the E and her car. I will keep you posted. It will fasten on with hard plastic bolts and I think I know how to do this it's just finding material durable enough to last under both heat and stuff!

I am not sure I like this design guys. It seems like asking for trouble.

Maybe I am being a little to touchy here but this seems to stink kind of. :?

Found on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2466980501&category=36475#ebayphotohosting

Since I work out of our house, my "E" sits in the garage and stays clean. But my wife's '02 CR-V, with a very similar layout, seems to accumulate a lot of garboo for a transversely mounted engine w/ thermostatically controlled electric fan (fans that run with engines really suck in airborne particulate matter). Her 1st generation ’97 stayed reasonably clean and didn’t have said holes. So I agree with Michael, the large openings in the wheel wells are probably the culprit.

Occasionally rinsing the engine compartment off at the whiz wash probably won’t hurt, but I’d be tempted to use their “spot-free rinse” to minimize nasty hard water marks. The air intake is fairly protected, but I’d watch using high pressure around electrical boxes since they are normally protected by being under the hood.

Jim in very wintry Ohio

I just had my first service check with the local Honda Dealer. Great guys by the way, They all agreed that the only recourse is to spray it out after particularly dirty driving.

That's it!

I am still working on a screen of some type to help this problem.

Michael

After an afternoon in the garage I managed to cover the top 3 inches of the gap with 3/16 rubber sheeting. Wasn't easy and not much got changed due to worries about interfering with the steering and suspension. I can't help but wonder why this gap is so huge? I hope the winter ice deosn't interfer with the steering.

Bobby...did you put this on the inside or the outside of the engine compartment?

It seems that even 3 inches of coverage would help considerably.

Michael

I put 3/16 rubber sheeting on the inside, using existing holes.
The rubber ended up looking like a reversed and up-side-down L. There were a couple of holes up very high near the firewall where I used a SS nut, bolt and washers. A long socket extension with a universal joint helped for this one.
On the other side, not quite as high, I found a taped hole where I used a short metric bolt. Maybe it would have been a lot easier to rivot a sheet in the wheelwell on the outside using thinner rubber. There were a few holes down lower that perhaps the sheeting could have been anchored to. I used 3/16 to make it sturdy and not flap, but the riggedness of it, made me shy of getting anywhere close to the steering or strut travel.

No offense to you who are working on a cover but here are my thoughts.
1. Honda has designers, engineers, testers, and people who know way more about this type of thing than most any of us. If these holes were a terrible thing they would be fixed and maybe just maybe they are there for a reason like oh say cooling.
2. The snow and ice WILL not affect anything. I have had mine in some deep snow and in some ice and I know people like colin who live in the COLD areas have as well with no problem. So what if a little snow gets in the engine if youve driven further than a foot there is enough heat to melt it.
3. Why does it matter if the engine is dirty? Sure I keep mine clean and comments on it everytime someone jumps under the hood but its not hard to clean it when cleaning the rest of the car.

These holes are large because the steering linkage passes through them. Those steering arms have to be free to move. I compared the Element to my RAV4. On the RAV the steering arms attach to the wheels just above center, so their passage is not visible behind the wheel. On the Element these arms attach to the wheel structure above the wheel, so are much more visible.

As with the front grill, the openings aren't significantly different in size from other cars, they are just more visible to worried new owners.

paulj

I can hardly believe that Brian has credited me with some sense, but thanks, just the same. Speaking from experience, it's far more important that the functional aspects of your engine are OK, as oppposed to the aesthetic considerations. Case in point: I ownded a 1978 Ford Fiesta with tightly closed wheel wells, but the air cleaner used to pack up with falling snow. Not Good! Clean engine, but car no go. Element may have dirty (outside of) engine, but car go. Which is more important? Looks good? Or gets you there? DUH!

[quote:2429f28452=" "]These holes are large because the steering linkage passes through them. Those steering arms have to be free to move. I compared the Element to my RAV4. On the RAV the steering arms attach to the wheels just above center, so their passage is not visible behind the wheel. On the Element these arms attach to the wheel structure above the wheel, so are much more visible.

As with the front grill, the openings aren't significantly different in size from other cars, they are just more visible to worried new owners.

paulj[/quote:2429f28452]

A freebie here - having the attachment points up high reduces "bump steer", or the changing of wheel angle due to its location in its range of travel. Helps maintain alignment during any kind of manuever where your wheels are toward the ends of their travel, like during swerving or hard braking. This is usually considered a desireable thing. But, you have a hole in the wheel liner because of it.

Bill

Just washing my new ’04 EX for the first time and noticed that if I look behind the front tire I can see all the way through the engine compartment and out the other side of the Element. There are holes around this area where it appears a cover would be secured.

Anybody else with an all-wheel drive Element notice this? It seems like a cover should be there to keep mud/snow/ice out.

:?:

Actually this is quite common in the Honda Lineup. These holes can be found in the 01-04 Civic, RSX, TSX, and Element. Covering up this area would inhibit the steering of the vehicle especially under impact or load.

Yeah they all come like that.
There was actually another post on this awhile back. I tried looking for it but couldn't find it.
Several folks were tossing around the idea of fabbing an easy but durable covering for both sides to avoid the muddy blowouts in the engine bay.
I never heard if anyone succeeded though.

The steering components that you can see through that opening are just as exposed to the elements on other cars. However on most cars they are mounted lower down, sometimes below the wheel axle, so you cannot see them. I have driven on some dusty and muddy roads, and not detected an unusual buildup of dirt in that area. Even if dirt does get in there, it should be easy to wash it out - through the same fender opening.

paulj

Sometimes going thru muddy puddles (more mud less puddle) I tend to get a splatter effect across the underside of the hood. Not too terribly bad everywhere else. But easily wipeable with a damp rag of water, armor-all, etc. I've started dressing up the engine compartment with chrome bits, painted engine and spark plug covers so I'm a bit more cautious of what's spewing under there.

Dressing up the engine compartment - yeah, I'm dorky like that. :roll:

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

Glad to know that it is at least supposed to be that way. Even stopped by the dealer after work to compare to other E’s. Funny part is that there was nothing to compare it too as they had all sold!

Still, I’m very curious to see how it performs this winter with all the slush and ice.

I have recently purchased a 2004 EX and so far love the thing. I was startled to find that it is possible to see the wheels through the engine compartment and in fact, can see through (completely) from one wheel well to the other. I at first was thninking that there must be some sort of rubber flap that was missing, but upon seeing a few others, they all looked the same. I would think that this would make quite a mess of the entire engine compartment, especially here in Ohio during the winter, with all of the slush and corrosive salt mix constantly spraying up in there. Any comments from others' experiences would be appreciated. Thanx!

Find something else to worry about.:mad:

Welcome and fill in your Profile and Location.:cool:

Find something else to worry about.:mad:

Welcome and fill in your Profile and Location.:cool:

We don't speak until you fill out your profile... mwah ha ha ha

I agree with Irv (even if he is being a little curt).;-)


I also agree with moon tho. I just make sure to wash down the engine bay when I wash the rest of the E. I don't break out the tooth brush or anything just give the motor a good soaping and spray the bay with the hose. Just be careful (low pressure) around the top end and the fluid caps. No biggie.:D

Just wait until you get pinned in a parking spot and can't open the rear doors. Or bang your head on the retaining loop. Or the upper hatch. Blah blah blah.:razz:

Basically any engine compartment is open to the road. In the winter just run through a good carwash with an underbody spray and that should take care of the bulk of it. The rest can be rinsed out with a low pressure spray should you so choose.

And fill out your profile! :D

I just bought a 08 Element and was looking under hood, I can see right thru wheelwell. I can see the steering andstuff connected to wheel but it seems like there should be a flap to cover openning. Won't all spray from tires go in engine compartment? Winter is coming.:?

I can see through mine but you might want to post a pic to confirm comparing.

Yep, that's the way they all are. Your engine compartment will get real dirty so try to wash it out from time to time in case you have to work on it.

In my experience the Element's engine compartment does not get any dirtier than any other model. Spray from the tires mostly hits the back of the wheel well, and the outside rocker panel.

The E's steering gear is mounted higher than on most cars, hence this opening that you can see above the tires. The Civic and CRV from the same generation (around 2003) had the same geometry.

I think it's an odd design. I think I read there were flaps that could be installed but with winter slush and cold I wouldn't want that freezing on steering gear.

The only flaps that I know about are ones that were made in the Philippines for the CRV. I saw them on an old CRV forum