E450 engine enclosure hot

[rlcpe]

We're off on our first trip in our new Quantum WS31. The passenger side of the engine enclosure is quite warm to the totuch. Coolant temperature is in the middle of the gauge. Is this normal.?

[mcr1010]

You may want to remove the cover and see if it has enough insulation. Several of us have installed more or new insulation which helps not only with the heat, but the eng. noise also.

[99dart]

What mcr1010 said... We just bought a WS31! Yay, someone with the same taste as us! LOL I believe it is pretty normal. Ours is actually cooler than our old 98 Chateau was with carpet. You may want to pull the dog house to inspect the insulation.
Maybe, we can help each other out with questions, fixes & mods.
Happy Rv'ing!

[SuperD]

Go to Amazon and search for DynaMat and Fat Mat, both can be applied to the inside of the engine cover to reduce heat and noise. Fairly easy to apply!

[rlcpe]

Thanks. Will follow up as suggested.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by rlcpe

.....cut.... Is this normal.?

I've found the doghouse in all Ford Class Cs I've driven get a little warm, but a lot more so when driving up long steep hills in warm weather. The engine can generate 3 or 4 times more power than when cruising on flats, which means a lot more heat under the hood area. Even if coolant temperature remains in spec, there is much more heat coming from engine and radiator.

The only time this was an issue for us was climbing out of Death Valley which required a lot of power/throttle, and speed was relatively slow (less air circulation). At one point my wife complained the doghouse felt uncomfortably hot, so I pulled over and let the engine idle for a few minutes to cool off, then proceeded a little slower to cut back on power.

If you remove the doghouse, you'll find there isn't a lot of room behind the engine for air circulation to take away added heat. Adding insulation may be a good thing, but I wouldn't go crazy adding so much that you inadvertently create a cooling problem.

[sepesce]

We have a 450 on our Axis and used the fat mat and I think it was made a big difference in heat and noise

[rlcpe]

Thx all of you. Will be exploring the suggestions when we get home.