Dead bird in engine bay!?

[flyingtele]

Today while I was driving along the highway I saw a small object heading towards me, then I heard a dull thud. I pulled over once I found somewhere safe, and I couldn't believe it but there was a bird wedged in under the intake plenum! I have an aftermarket top-mount intercooler and there is a small gap along the end in the back of the scoop, and the bird managed to get squeezed through it because of its speed. When I removed it it was well and truly hardened up and baked. I'm just annoyed because I didn't have a camera with me...

Has this (or anything similar) ever happened to anyone? Its one of those things I never thought would happen but did.

[Coyoteboy]

You want to sort out that gap at the back, its trashing your intercooler efficiency Just as a point of reference, running my stock intercooler with and without the "guard" which seals with the bonner rubber makes 7-10 degrees difference in intake temp depending on situation. Thats more than you're likely to be getting as an improvement from your custom IC!
All my foreign objects are caught on top of the IC lol

[flyingtele]

yeah its on my to-do list (along with a whole heap of stuff lol) but yeah, its not a very big gap at all, the bird was about the size of a small sparrow and with me going 100-110 km/h and the bird probably going 40 in the opposite direction is essentially a 150 km/h collision and would easily force such a small birdie through a gap 1" or so wide.
But as you said, even being a small gap, if a bird can fit through then lots of air certainly is. Intercooler is a real good one too, is thicker than the stock one, and it has the same no. of fins but they run lengthwise instead of across and so they are much wider, and the core is of bar and plate construction rather than tube and fin.

[RobbieMcVee]

i had a phesant fly into my bumper and got stuck behind the rad - this wasn't in a 4 though, i got it out after burning myself, it promptly shat on me and then flew off...

[flyingtele]

i had a phesant fly into my bumper and got stuck behind the rad - this wasn't in a 4 though, i got it out after burning myself, it promptly shat on me and then flew off...

such gratitude for freeing it, getting shat on 

[Coyoteboy]

Link to the IC source? Pics?

A pheasant flew?! Nahh I dont believe that, all the ones I've seen only do big jumps and fall into the pan... I mean path

[fifegt4]

http://www.caymanclub.net/automotive-off-topic/18186-hitting-deer-bmw-style.html try this for road kill the guy wondered where the hell the deer went he suposedly hit it at 140 on the autobahn.

[nev520]

http://www.caymanclub.net/automotive-off-topic/18186-hitting-deer-bmw-style.html try this for road kill the guy wondered where the hell the deer went he suposedly hit it at 140 on the autobahn.

Aw man don't mention Deer to me. I hit one a few months back remember

[maciejd]

Seen this vid a wee while back

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3-JtNcb2GzA

or from a different angle

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I4gDU8dNV-o&feature=related

[paul_gt4]

I hit a crow at over 130mph in the Sainz coming home from Letterkenny one night, he went stright through the mesh in the front bumper and mangled himself around the oil cooler, i got out of the car when i got home (20mins) and all you could smell was roasted crow....... lol out with the gloves to pull the bits outta there was a bit of a nightmare.

My 1st ATA i found a nest up in the propshaft tunnel, gladly there was nothing in it.

[Coyoteboy]

I hit a pidgeon at about 80 in the 185, it hit the top of the windscreen. It turned into a puff of feathers and I never saw it again, but I do have a beak graze on the glass so I presume it died. Hope it did.

[flyingtele]

Link to the IC source? Pics?

I dunno where the IC came from or who made it, as I bought it second hand. when I get my camera I'll take some photos of the car and then you'll see it lol