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Old 01-24-2022, 12:25 PM   #1
HHQ
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Do newer gas class a motor homes have factory installed engine insulation?

I have a newer class A motor home (2018 Fleetwood Bounder 35K). I wanted to reduce the engine noise and saw many posts and videos about soundproofing the doghouse of gas motor homes. However most of these motor homes were older class As . This is something that I would be willing to do if ours in not already insulated, but I don't want to pull everything apart if it is already insulated out of the factory. Does anyone know if newer class A motor homes (Fleetwood in particular) does this out of the factory?
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Old 01-24-2022, 01:06 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HHQ View Post
I have a newer class A motor home (2018 Fleetwood Bounder 35K). I wanted to reduce the engine noise and saw many posts and videos about soundproofing the doghouse of gas motor homes. However most of these motor homes were older class As . This is something that I would be willing to do if ours in not already insulated, but I don't want to pull everything apart if it is already insulated out of the factory. Does anyone know if newer class A motor homes (Fleetwood in particular) does this out of the factory?
Well i'm thinking that if your looking to reduce engine noise whatever insulation is there must not be adequate. you could look up inside the front wheel well or remove inside engine cover and take a look.
i have a 2013 thor challenger gas coach and the stuff they put in was pretty thin and started to peel off. so i put in some self stick foam stuff i got off amazon.
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Old 01-24-2022, 01:23 PM   #3
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HHK,
I just looked up your coach, and it looks like to me that the doghouse is molded plastic or fiberglass, and is held down by just a few screws. Lucky you...

Youtube is your friend here as there are multiple videos showing what to use and how to apply it. I used "Killmat" sound deadener on mine, the '080" tar and foil stick on panels. You will need to buy a roller to apply it correctly, but it is an easy DIY project, that should only take an afternoon, two beers included.

Amazon or Ebay has lot of different kinds available, as well as Summit Racing.

Show us pictures as you proceed..........

Mike in Colorado
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Old 01-24-2022, 02:45 PM   #4
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Interesting. Like you most of the posts I see are older MH's.

My Bounder isn't all that bad and even the wife says it isn't too loud. I can't say I've really looked for sound deadening materiel any where and I've never had the doghouse off. I got the impression that the full size front mat makes some difference.

Now when pulling a grade it increases some but that is to be expected. Overall I'm okay with the sound reduction in mine.
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Old 01-24-2022, 02:49 PM   #5
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We had a fairly new gasser that we traded last year and we removed the doghouse and added sound insulation around it. The doghouse itself had some insulation, but the rest of the surround did not. We also added some to the dash and the wheel wells and it made a huge difference. We could carry on a normal conversation just fine after that. Very worth the time and small amount of money to do this.
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Old 01-24-2022, 03:28 PM   #6
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Not sure if you have ever heard of Gone With The Wynns. But several years ago they were demoing a 2016 Bounder for Fleetwood and addressed the engine noise with Fleetwood directly. Kind of long read, but this was the result:

LOUD RV ENGINE NOISE
No matter what, if the RV engine is in the front you’re going to hear it. We loved our Monaco Vesta (Front Engine Diesel RV), but when I stepped on the pedal there’s no mistaking the engine is right underneath. The Bounder (Front Engine Gas RV) is pretty much the same except the gas engine whines at a much higher pitch, almost screaming at me for putting pressure on the pedal. We alerted this to Fleetwood and they came up with what they told me is a new “insulation pack” which will now be standard from the factory and is designed to quiet the engine noise and help keep the heat from rising into the cabin.

Since we had the insulation installed in Eugene we’ve driven through the mountains, the forest and now we’re on the rugged coast of Northern California. I can say with confidence the engine noise has been reduced and the ear piercing scream has been downgraded to a loud whine.

WHAT IS THE INSULATION PACK?
I asked Fleetwood what they used for the insulation pack to see if anyone can make this upgrade to their RV. They told us the insulation pack is “just Lizard Skin and it works great!” OK…what is Lizard Skin? After a little online investigation I found out that Lizard Skin is a type of spray on ceramic insulation used for sound dampening and/or heat control. Anyone can purchase it and spray it wherever their hearts desire for an improved quiet ride.

To do it yourself you’ll want to get a bucket of Lizard Skin Sound Control and a Super Pro Spray Gun Kit. And that’s it! For a few hundred bucks you can have more than enough sound dampening stuff to spray more than just the engine cover (aka Dog House).

It’s supposed to be an easy Do-it-Yourself job. Take off the dog house surrounding the engine and add the Lizard Skin and it should help quiet the engine noise and reduce the heat that seeps through the dog house. I was warned not all gas RV engine covers (aka dog house) have enough room to add this material, you should always confirm there’s space before installing and make sure you spray the insulation as indicated in the instructions so it doesn’t come loose and cause damage. Once I found out they just used this simple spray stuff I was bummed they didn’t spray more! If you’re going to add Lizard Skin (or similar product) to your coach I’d spray it in the generator bay, under the wheel wells and everywhere else that seeps in annoying noises.

If you’re not into spraying stuff then we’ve also been told Dynamat Xtreme works well for general sound deadening and the Dynamat Hoodliner works wonders for engine noise and heat. I’ve used Dynamat in the past for my car audio systems and it worked well, but beware, this stuff is expensive, a small pain to install and it’s heavy so make sure you understanding what you’re ordering before you hit the purchase button.

WHAT IS THE DECIBEL READING FROM THE ENGINE?
On our original video in Alaska a few people suggested I install a decibel reader app on our phone, I did, and sadly the news is rather grim. Our decibel rating while traveling down the road at 55mph hovers around the 85db range. Even when the engine is whining at full throttle the db range doesn’t change much, which tells me the ambient road noise is an equivalent problem to the engine noise. The only solution I can come up with is installing more insulation in the wheel wells (I think the spray foam would be a helpful start, adding insulation under the flooring at the factory in the drivers’ area. At the end of the day we’re driving a square box down the road, so unless proper aerodynamics is considered, better seals on the windows, thicker windshields, better entry doors and a host of other items I’m guessing the decibel level of the ambient road noise is never going to be satisfactory.
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Old 01-25-2022, 06:34 AM   #7
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"Dyna Mat" makes two great products which I installed in the dog house of my 2020 Newmar Canyon Star!
I installed the "sound deadening" pad first, then the "heat reflecting" insulator pad to it! To do both requires at least 2" of clearance to the top of the motor!
WOW! What a difference! So much quieter!
Yes, it will still make some noise going up at mountain at 4,000+ RPM, but we can still have a conversation!
Ordered the products from Amazon!
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Old 01-26-2022, 06:02 AM   #8
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Thanks for all the great information. I guess that I will go ahead and attempt to sound proof the doghouse.

Thanks,
Gregg
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Old 01-26-2022, 10:10 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HHQ View Post
Thanks for all the great information. I guess that I will go ahead and attempt to sound proof the doghouse.

Thanks,
Gregg
And like all good "poster's" you will tell us what you used and how it went, along with before and after pictures, to help those who follow. Right ?

Best of luck,
Mike in Colorado
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Old 01-26-2022, 10:27 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jabber Jaw View Post
"Dyna Mat" makes two great products which I installed in the dog house of my 2020 Newmar Canyon Star!
I installed the "sound deadening" pad first, then the "heat reflecting" insulator pad to it! To do both requires at least 2" of clearance to the top of the motor!
WOW! What a difference! So much quieter!
Yes, it will still make some noise going up at mountain at 4,000+ RPM, but we can still have a conversation!
Ordered the products from Amazon!
I was also going to recommend the DynaMat hood insulation.


https://www.amazon.com/Dynamat-11905.../dp/B00069QLVC
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Old 01-26-2022, 10:42 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by HHQ View Post
I have a newer class A motor home (2018 Fleetwood Bounder 35K). I wanted to reduce the engine noise and saw many posts and videos about soundproofing the doghouse of gas motor homes. However most of these motor homes were older class As . This is something that I would be willing to do if ours in not already insulated, but I don't want to pull everything apart if it is already insulated out of the factory. Does anyone know if newer class A motor homes (Fleetwood in particular) does this out of the factory?
Interesting as I have always thought my 2017 Bounder 33C was pretty darned quite in the engine noise department.
Of course, I don't use cruise control and I usually keep the RPMs below 3k.
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Old 01-26-2022, 11:23 AM   #12
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Thermo-Tec 14620 60" X 36" Heat and Sound Suppressor

This is what used on my E450. The doghouse has insulation but the floor had none. I covered both driver, passenger and in between floors. Made it much quieter and the passenger floor was a lot cooler from the exhaust manifold heat. Definitely worth the work. I took both seats out so I could remove all the rubber floor covering to put the insulation down.

A bonus was a quieter generator as it sits right behind the driver’s seat.
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