Brown fuzzy air-tunnel insulation

[CentAr712]

I was out for a drive today and I just got one of those feelings that something wasn't right. The Pinz seemed like it overheated so I began investigating. Anyhow, the grill was hot, really hot and I noticed the brown fuzzy carpet looking insulation had come detached, as if the glue let go, and it was all protruding, hanging down and partially blocking the air-tunnel. I am assuming this very well may have been the source of a possible over-heat, but am not ruling out that an overheat didn't melt the glue, making it fall out of position.

So my questions are: has this happened to anyone before and what knowledge do you have to contribute? Another question is for the folks who have removed this insulation and replaced it with something else; what did you use? I was wondering about the suitability of some of the foil backed type insulations like sold by Eastwood for restorations and was just wondering if anyone had input on that in case my original insulation is not able to be saved.

Has anyone just removed the old stuff and ran completely without it? I'm just weighing the options right now and looking for some input before I tear into it without thinking.

Thanks, Chris.

[mm58]

Chris, glad you brought this up. I've been thinking of re-doing the inside of my tunnel with Dynamat.
The OEM stuff is totally shot.

Mike

[CentAr712]

That Dynamat is exactly the stuff I was referring to that Eastwood sells. I may end up giving it a try and I'll let everyone know how it goes if I do, but I still need to take my grill off later today and see exactly how bad it is first.

[krick3tt]

I removed the stuff and have been running without it for years. No apparent issues and the noise is not a concern.
Was trying to figure out what to put in place of the original insulation and time just went by...so it is gone and no more
bits floating into the engine.
Just remove it and go worry free.

[GenevaPinz]

Same as Krick3tt for me. I removed the foam (it was disintegrating, so it didn't put much of a fight...) before my truck was repainted a few years ago, and I never replaced it...

[TechMOGogy]

The Eastwood stuff has a pretty low melting point (not to be used over 140) so I would be careful as it turns to goo

[edzz]

I’m still trying to figure out why the grill would be getting hot, being as it’s a couple of feet away from any Pinzgauer related heat source and the cool summer(tic) air is drawn thru it towards the engine.

The only reason I would expect the grill to become hot would be from sitting in the sun, however it should not be hotter than the surrounding surfaces.

[TechMOGogy]

I’m still trying to figure out why the grill would be getting hot, being as it’s a couple of feet away from any Pinzgauer related heat source and the cool summer(tic) air is drawn thru it towards the engine.

The only reason I would expect the grill to become hot would be from sitting in the sun, however it should not be hotter than the surrounding surfaces.

True - Chris do you have an IR gun where you can measure surface temps - may be a place to start?

[totaljoint]

have been running without it for years. No apparent issues and the noise is not a concern.

Morris:
Did you have a very cold right leg when you drove here? I was thinking of some kind of insulation in the tunnel, but anything adherent enough to not peel off and go through the fan was also a moisture hide-er. I think the rapid flow of air through the tunnel gives some condensation in wet climates. You might be right that the safest is to put nothing there, but sure would be nice to have some insulation.

[Stekay]

I think you guys might have it reversed. Seems it would be more to stop the tunnel from radiating cold air in winter.

[TechMOGogy]

I am not sure what mine looks like but I was planning on removing it and using a heat/sound type paint/undercoating vs something that gets glued in.
Figure it would not absorb moisture and would provide a bit of insulation/sound deadening
(again - all theory on my part so far)
http://www.lizardskin.com/
or
http://www.amazon.com/3M-08881-Undercoa ... roduct_top

[edzz]

I think you guys might have it reversed. Seems it would be more to stop the tunnel from radiating cold air in winter.

After taking into account all the other locations they provided cold weather insulation , my guess would be primarily sound related otherwise there would be no need for the foam on the bottom surface of the tunnel.

[CentAr712]

After getting some of the input on here, I decided to just rip all the stuff out and keep it bare metal. I figure I can always keep an eye on it and add some insulation later if I change my mind. Actually, I don't have an IR thermometer, but I already thought about it today and will probably get one very soon. I was even wondering if anyone has installed a temp gauge showing individual head temps on the dashboard, that would be nice. I am not sure how hot it got exactly, but it was just my intuition, things just didn't seem right and the grill was abnormally hot, enough that I'm guessing it wasn't the sun, but I admit that I'm a little paranoid about things like that at times, so I don't know really for sure

I am guessing the hot engine temp was a combination of things, I assume I'm running lean because I live at 250' above sea level and I'm just guessing that the lowest elevation in Switzerland is at least 2000' or more and I've never changed the jets since I got it. Another factor is that the insulation in the air-tunnel had to be impeding at least 15% or more of the airflow, it had come unglued and was ballooned out from the metal it was glued to. The last thing was I checked my oil afterwards and was kind of low. It was really hot weather yesterday and I was being a speed demon, pushing the Pinz almost to 50 mph. I am guessing that all those factors just compounded on each other and caused it, but I'm going to get a way to monitor it more precisely from now on.

I sort of learned a good lesson though as far as the overheating; we call that "the error chain" at my job. One seemingly little oversight can compound with a dozen other little oversights that can lead to a catastrophe. I didn't think about it because I was only taking a little drive up the road, not a voyage of any kind. I appreciate all the input from everybody, I don't think I could ever maintain this rig properly without all you folks' on here.

Chris.

[krick3tt]

ED,

Yes, a cold right leg and a cold left leg and a cold butt. That was with the heater from the exchanger. Now I have a Webasto and it gets so hot I have to open a window
here in CO. When it rains all that cold stuff is wet too. It's a Pinz and I expect a few weather related distractions when driving.

I got some adhesive backed foil, like the type used to seal the valleys on roofs to deaden the sound a bit. I think it is about $35 for a roll 12 inches by 50 feet. Enough for two pinzies.
I also have the rear compartment with pads from CostCo and a fine Persian rug to deaden the sound back there, mostly it kills the gear noise, so I am told by those riding in the back.

Morris

[edzz]

The insulation problem and if excessively low on oil could conceivably cause heat problems as it is an oil/air cooled motor. Do make sure your oil cooler and cylinder fins are clear of any debris.
Cruising at 60 from the California coast (elevation ~25’) to the Salton Sea (elevation ~220’ below sea level) about 190 miles away with one pit stop for Mogfest a couple years ago, with temperatures well over 90 degrees I had no problems with stock jetting. I now live at the 2500 foot level all I’ve needed to do was tweak the idle mixture screws. The insulation problem and if excessively low on oil could conceivably cause problems as it is an oil/air cooled motor.
I do have an oil temp gauge on my truck, it never creeps up very far, I paid more attention to it when I first got the truck, individual cylinder head monitoring may be more meaningful as the oil never gets very warm.