Damaged storage box

gaolsen

New Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2023
Messages
4
Location
Florence
Greetings,

I have a 2023 Thor Windsport class A and recently discovered a problem in one of my exterior storage compartments. The back wall of the compartment (plastic) is damaged -- it actually looks like it was melted!

I'm in this compartment most trips as it has my toad gear in it. It does not have anything highly combustible, and it does have a blanket in the bottom which I assume would have been shown signs of combustion if something inside the compartment had generated enough heat to damage the back wall. The hole is thin enough in some areas for me to poke my finger through (less sturdy than Saran Wrap).

Just behind the wall is the exhaust, and there is a muffler(?) several inches away from the area that was damaged. On the trip that I believe the damage occurred on, we did come down several thousand feet of elevation and I was using lower gears to save my brakes. Do mufflers get excessively hot in those situations? Hot enough to melt nearby plastic? I needed an oil change so I brought the unit into my local truck shop and asked them to take a look at it. They don't think it was from the exhaust because there's a rubber hose that runs right on top of the muffler and it looked like new -- nothing to suggest excessive heat was ever applied.

So my two questions:

1. Has anyone seen anything like this before, or have any hypothesis for what would have caused it?

2. Can I DIY fix this by cutting out the area and slapping some new plastic over the hole? If so, what materials would I need?

Pictures included. No banana available, had to use average-sized male hand for scale. Thanks for any insights!
 

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Solid advice on fixing. Trim the damaged part until that back wall is flat. If you have some butyl tape in the shop you could use that as a sealant between the surfaces.
 
Exhaust systems get hottest when the engine is working hard. It seems more likely that the muffler got hot when climbing the hills. I assume you had to go up before you could go down.

Adding a heat shield between the muffler & the back wall of the compartment should minimize the chances of ti recurring. Something like a cookie sheet attached with stand offs so it is spaced out 1/2" to 3/4" from the compartment wall. If you're really clever you might try an insulated cookie sheet.

To repair the damaged wall I'd cut out the damage and attach either a piece of plywood or a piece of ABS plastic. Use an adhesive caulk to make it weather-proof.
 

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