This has been discussed before, but I think it's worth repeating.

I am away from home without my grille block and am paying the price.
Got stuck in sub-zero weather in the center of the country this week.

I drove around town at zero degrees for 30 minutes.
I needed heat to the cabin ( obviously ).
My engine water temperature NEVER EVER PASSED 145 degrees.
It fact, when stopped, engine on, I watched my temp drop a few degrees.
When really cold, the FEH runs FAST IDLE.
My car never got hot enough in 30 minutues to drop out of fast idle.
At stoplights, with my foot on the brake, at 0'F it was at 1700 RPM.
When it's +20'F the fast idle is 1300 RPM.
Once, at -20'F the fast idle was 2000 RPM.

I emailed the Ford engineering dept back in 2006 and was told this behavior was not deliberatly designed into the programming, but other factors such as all the sensors were contributing to cause this effect. They said they were a little surprised by this, but not concerned.

-John

 

Yup it helps! I only use cardboard, and block about 80-90% due to the fack here in OK it'll probably be 70-80 again in a week or 2. But even with, wehen it was 10 out I never got to hit EV in my short 10-15min comutes. Definatly starting out in the garage (non heated, but stayed above freezing barely) helped too!

Gotta get a pic of the wreath I added this year in addition to the lights I'ved added every year.




(from a yr or 2 ago, havne't had an ice storm this year, yet!)

 

This is the "Walmart Special" onc can utilized as a partial front grille block and should could cost less than a dollar.

I actually used the plywood two winters ago and the yellow sign last winter as a partial front lower grille block. In true winter conditions, who cares about the "show-car look?"

 

This one from FIA looks good, but is not enough. The lower area needs to be blocked as well. Just the top is OK for spring / fall but not much help in winter. I use a thin piece of wood, almost like vaneer ( 1/16" thick ) on the bottom. It is durable enough that wind/water/rocks/bugs don't affect it, but thin enough I can bend it to wedge it into place, no fasteners required. I've even used the top of an Alaskan Salmon box ( free & recycled & about the right size).

I'm using my plug-in heaters. The grille block helps with this aspect too, it keeps heat from blowing away when you are parked.

 

I might as well post my "Walmart Special" photo;

The gap in the left corner of the lower grille is where the extension cord for the engine block heater plugs in.