Community Forums

1peddler · 06-08-2011, 10:49 AM

Has anyone added additional ventilation to the engine compartment? If so, how have you accomplished the added ventilation.

Barbaraok · 06-08-2011, 10:53 AM

Why are you adding extra ventilation to the engine compartment?

Barb

1peddler · 06-08-2011, 10:59 AM

To reduce the engine compartment heat will driving. This should also reduce the engine temp load on the radiator.

ga traveler · 06-08-2011, 11:32 AM

Our dealership had 6 lots. They sent all the motorhomes to atlanta for overheating problems that the other lots could not fix. I guess they thought that my having a pilots license and retiring from the airline, I knew a little bit about airflow. the other lots had already changed thermostats. cleaned radiators, replaced rad. caps and replaced the water pumps and fan clutches. most of the coaches were repaired with a simple air deflector. I would buy a front door kick panel or just a sheet metal panel, about 8x36 in. I would install this just in front of the radiator, under the frame.the back was flush with the frame and the front had a 5 in. spacer. This created a scoop that steered the cool air up to the radiator. The reasoning was that air going under the frame was sucking the air in front of the radiator away. Remember you have a radiator and several baffels, that are slowing air down in front of the radiator. That air is looking for some place to go and will go down in front the radiatorand underneah the motorhome if allowed too. Of course this only works on front engines and radiators.

Old Scout · 06-08-2011, 11:41 AM

GA Traveler--Two words: "side-mounted radiator", or is that three words. Anyway, do a search on the forum, a few have added vents [cut holes/added grills] to the engine access door. Save for fan controller issues, have not seem any posts of over heating engines. Apparently, the Apline's cooling capacity and the Cummins 400 are a good match. Some folks do open the engine access door upon parking for the evening to speed cool down--suppose you could run with the access door open on really hot days but think you are tinkering at the edges here.

PS--Very early Alpines had hydraulically actuated, temp controlled engine access doors--not sure how it worked but concept was soon discontinued.

SteveS · 06-08-2011, 07:45 PM

Have you ever been under the engine compartment when the fan is running? The amount of air it pulls through is very impressive. I doubt that you can push more through the engine compartment without some major changes. However, if I were going to try, I would first look at changing the side louvers in front of the rad. Angle them to catch the air as you travel down the road and let them stick out beyond the air/coach boundry layer to "grab" more air.

EngineerMike · 06-08-2011, 10:17 PM

Best reason for adding engine compartment ventilation is keeping the bedroom area cooler during long summer drives.
Ed Meadows cut four of these louvered vents into his rear hatch, in two lines of two, above and below the mid-height stiffener. They fit well and look good. His bed-pedestal carpeting glue was coming undone. IIRC he reported ~15 degrees or so cooler on the bed frame after a long drive. He said no difference on engine temp, but bedroom was way cooler. He also said the vents themselves get too hot to touch while on a long drive.

Basil Shannon · 06-09-2011, 08:26 AM

Always looking for ideas & innovations, I took pictures of vents on Swan's & another coach at Desert Rat X.

1peddler · 06-09-2011, 10:45 AM

Thanks Basil and Emike.

Basil you pics are exactly what I was looking to find. Mike, I will most likley install 4 of the vents from West Marine.

Algoma · 06-09-2011, 02:46 PM

As mentioned, earlier coaches like mine had hydraulically operated engine doors (not temperature controlled though) and so I open mine slightly when traveling in hot weather to keep the bed cooler. You could just leave the door completely open but the louvers look a lot neater