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ENGINE COWLING

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Sparky

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ENGINE COWLING
« on: September 28, 2013, 09:27:49 am »
I have a need to remove the cowling over the engine. I see the locking tabs etc. looked at the Ford Manual.  Has anyone removed their cowling and were there any problems?
sparky
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bobander

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2013, 12:04:50 pm »
Hi Sparky,

I have removed mine a few times.  Put the seats as far back as possible.  Remove the cup holder/storage module, there is a release tab on the bottom of the module and then you lift the module straight up.  I don't recall if you push up or pull down on the release tab, try to get a look at it first.  Release the four locking tabs and slide the cowling to the rear, when it clears the dash pick it up and rotate it so it goes between the seats to the rear.

Be careful to keep all wires and tube clear when installing.

Bob
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2010  PC 2551
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Sparky

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2013, 09:03:43 am »
tks Bob,,,, seems pretty straight forward,,, I think (maybe) I might install Scan Gauge in the cup area,, I already have my satellite radio mounted on the holders,,, I want to run the cable along the top of the cowling to hide it a little... also I'm not worried about reading the gauge when driving too much,,, I'm usually the navigator so I can read it all the time haha... will post later if I do it that way... if not someone had mentioned the steering wheel mount,, so I am looking at both hook-ups and deciding..

    One question,,,, you say wires and tubes,,,, are there some of these when you take the cowling off?

again tks

sparky
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bobander

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2013, 11:33:04 am »
Quote from: Sparky on September 29, 2013, 09:03:43 am
    One question,,,, you say wires and tubes,,,, are there some of these when you take the cowling off?
sparky

They are hanging down under the dash, on mine a few would get caught by the cowling if not careful.
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skipper

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2013, 07:27:46 am »
I pulled mine off yesterday to see about adding some insulation.  It slides back easily enough.  Be careful about pulling on the cup holder for leverage.  The cup holder section is a drop in held by adhesive caulk.  On mine the adhesive didn't bond and I snapped one of the 2 seating tabs (that did bond) when I lifted the cowling and the holder popped off.  The view under the cowling shows you just how little separates you from the engine, transmission and pavement!
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Sparky

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2013, 08:23:55 am »
tks for the replies,, one great thing about the forum,,, Ask if you don't know,,, especially if you have some time to do something,,, you learn from others booboos...between all my DIYing can not tell you how many times have made a booboo, but that's part of the process,   but you learn from your mistakes.... the other thing, it's fun doing thing yourself,   and would never be able to figure out how much money have saved over the years.
sparky
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Rotorbrain

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2013, 09:12:22 pm »
Sparky,  We removed the cowling and is was not difficult.  If the rubber gasket comes off make sure you index it correctly and put it back on exactly where it came off - that will insure that the cowling reseals properly.  We added insulation and reinstalled it only to discover I had misaligned the gasket. Off it came and some serious moments spent insuring it went back on correctly.

That was on our 2009 2551 PC, which was the second PC we owned.  We picked up our 2013 2552 in February and will be doing the same to the new engine cowling.  We already insulated under the hood and that helps immensely.  The insulation kit came from J.C. Whitney and is heat resistant and the only one I could find that was recommended for use in engine compartments.

We will try to get some pictures into the forum soon of the installation and some of the other mods Kermit accomplished for us.  He is terrific to work with and managed to get all of our utility hook-ups in the trunk so our PC has smooth sides except for the fuel door.

Good luck.

Chas
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Denny & Barb

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2013, 05:32:08 pm »
Yes, I and probably others would like pics and more info on the insulation installation.  Tnx in advance.
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Ron Dittmer

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2013, 07:49:13 am »
I am curious why some of you feel the need to add more insulation to the back-side of the engine cowling.  Is it for heat, sound, or both?

I would be concerned of additional insulation falling off and onto concerning areas.  What type of insulation blanket are you adding and how do you reliably fasten it?

I don't feel the need to insulate for heat as our engine cover does not get hot.  Just the passenger floor.  But I am curious if it dramatically reduces high rpm engine noise.

I bought a high temp insulation kit designed to wrap the right side exhaust pipe in the passenger floor area, but chickened out and never installed it.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2013, 07:54:24 am by ron.dittmer »
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Sparky

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2013, 09:41:46 am »
Ron,,, good point,, I do not get much heat from mine,,, I also thought the cowling mainly covered the transmission/enging area anyway,, not sure have not taken mine off yet,  maybe will get some pics soon,,, when I start playing with my scan ii will take some pics  I already made a mount to put it on top of the satellite radio,, hand made haha,,, but not planning on doing the project for awhile,,, as you know Beast is in storage and I hate doing projects at the storage yard,, I'm always afraid something will break or probably I will break something and be stuck.
sparky
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skipper

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #10 on: October 09, 2013, 12:57:55 pm »
To make my experiment as scientific as possible (and not spend much money), I bought a $1 app for my iphone that measures sound levels.  I doubt it is accurate but it does give me relative differences.  The sound level in my office is about 47-48 dB.  The sound level in my f150 at 70 mph is 53-54 dB.  The sound level in my 2552 at 62-64 mph is 57-58 dB peaking at 60 dB.  Perceived loudness is doubled every 10 dB, so my f150 at 70 mph is about 50% louder than my office and my 2552 is twice as loud and my ears pretty much agree to what the meter is showing me.  I have to speak above my normal voice level for my wife to hear me when I am driving the PC and she is in the passenger seat.  The noise level becomes fatiguing after a while.  Much of the noise is wind on the cap, windscreen, and mirrors, but the engine contributes a lot too.  I'm very curious to see if insulating the doghouse with a premium insulation product will help.  There are several threads that say it helps, but it's all speculation about how much.

I sent Hushmat and Dynamat emails and asked them which product I should use inside the cowling.  They have both responded but I haven't had time to evaluate either product.  Hushmat recommended removing the existing insulation on the doghouse and chucking it (my words).  Dynamat also sells an exhaust wrap.  I found a thread on it and one user was very happy with it on his 450 van which I think is a diesel (Does Ford make a diesel 450?).  I also found a post where a user applied Dynamat to both the inside and outside base of the doghouse.  He was going to add carpet or some other flooring over it to protect the interior application.  He said he had extra Dynamat after covering the floor and doghouse and just wanted to use it up.

I'll be purchasing one of these products soon and will post up my results, but it may be a month or two b/f I'm done.
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Mark
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TomHanlon

Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #11 on: October 09, 2013, 04:06:38 pm »
Was the test done with the windows open or closed?
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Sparky

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #12 on: October 09, 2013, 05:55:23 pm »
Skipper
  interesting,,, we do not have a Iphone,,have a droid,,, I will see if they have same app for it and try it on our 2350,,,,  keep us posted
sparky
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skipper

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Re: ENGINE COWLING
« Reply #13 on: October 09, 2013, 10:22:46 pm »
I always keep my office windows closed (and on my vehicles too). 
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Mark
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