Do-it-yourself engine compartment soundproofing

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Car manufacturers pay great attention to sound insulation. But it is not always effective. The greatest amount of noise, as practice shows, comes from the engine. Many motorists do not pay attention to this, while others thoroughly approach this issue. Let's see how the engine compartment is soundproofed, what nuances can be and how to choose the right material.

General information

In fact, the engine compartment in terms of sound insulation is the most problematic part. Often, in order to get to the required place, it is necessary to disassemble the entire torpedo, or even more. But it's worth it, because after the work is done, the acoustic comfort in the cabin will improve several times.

The work, although laborious, but with the proper approach, you can do it quickly enough. In fact, there is nothing complicated here: the main thing is to follow somesimple rules and everything will work out. This guide will be useful to those who have no sound insulation of the engine compartment or leaves much to be desired. Much depends on how the motor works. Large wear of rubbing metal parts leads to additional noise and this must be understood. In such cases, it is not the "Shumka" of the internal combustion engine that is needed, but its repair.

Selection of materials

The amount of noise reduction you get will determine your immediate ride comfort. The main point here is the selection of the required quantity and type of materials. There are both budget solutions and more expensive ones. It all depends on the thickness of the sound insulation, its quality and properties, but first things first.

So, after you have calculated the required amount of materials, you need to go directly to shopping. First, you need vibration isolation (vibroplast). Next, you need soundproofing sheets. Pay attention to the thickness. The larger it is, the better the result will be. But even here you need to know the measure, since excess weight will adversely affect the dynamics of the car. Do not forget about anti-gravity, which protects noise and vibration isolation from high temperatures. It is not recommended to buy combined materials that supposedly simultaneously deal with noise and vibration. Their efficiency is usually quite low, while the cost is high. In addition, such soundproofing from the side of the engine compartment will not bring the desired result.

From simple to complex

It is recommended to start from the most problem-free part of the car - the hood. It must first be cleaned and degreased. If there is an old pad that turns into a black rag over time, then it is better to remove it and later replace it with a new one. Usually there are stiffeners on the hood, in order to get around them with the greatest accuracy, it is desirable to make a stencil. Pieces of sound insulation are cut out on it. As a rule, the material is sold on a self-adhesive basis. That is, it is enough to remove the protective film and you can glue it.

Vibration isolation is attached with the first layer, and "Shumka" is already on top of it. The thickness must be selected so that the hood closes tightly without obstacles. If you cut and pasted everything correctly, then you have already achieved some results, but you should not stop there.

Do-it-yourself engine compartment soundproofing

Now it is desirable to do the work from the inside. Typically, the configuration of parts to be processed has a complex shape. Therefore, as in the previous case, it is desirable to make paper stencils and cut vibration and noise insulation on them. Since the bulkhead between the engine and the passenger compartment is the main source of noise, special attention must be paid to it.

It is worth noting that in this case you will have to completely disassemble the dashboard. This will require a certain amount of time and patience. It is advisable to photograph the disassembly process so as not to forget in what sequence everything is assembled. For example,soundproofing the engine compartment of the VAZ-2107 and other representatives of the classics is extremely simple, but problems may arise on modern foreign cars. After you have dismantled everything, we try to cover the maximum area with vibration and noise insulation. It is advisable to use materials with a foil front side, as it reflects noise, and does not violate the temperature regime.

Wheel arch treatment

Usually the greatest amount of noise comes from the arches and engine shield. We have already made the last one "noisy", it remains to cope with the arches. Due to the noise of the wheels and the work of the suspension, this element becomes one of the most stressed in terms of vibration and noise. In addition, as practice shows, often there is no regular "Shumka" there.

But here, unlike the motor shield, there is practically nothing complicated. It is necessary to start with a thorough washing of the surface and complete drying. Then the surface is degreased and anti-gravel material is applied. If there is a regular one, then this item can be omitted. We glue the vibration-absorbing layer of the "Noise-off" type. After that, a layer of mastic is applied with a brush, preferably 2-3 layers with drying intervals of 20-30 minutes at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. The final stage is gluing sound insulation, preferably based on foam rubber.

About important details

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in soundproofing the wheel arches. Nevertheless, this is a weak point of many cars, for example, the VAZ-2110. Noise isolation of the engine compartmentimplies the processing of arches, do not forget about it. In this case, special attention should be paid to mastic, since many do not use it. Nevertheless, unprotected material will be destroyed due to road dirt, s alts, etc. Anti-gravel is just designed to protect vibration and noise insulation from the effects of technical fluids, that is, an aggressive environment. That is why it is recommended to apply mastic in several layers.

About results

According to the results of the work, the following should be pasted over:

• bonnet cover;
• motor shield;
• wheel arches.

Don't expect anything special from the soundproofing of the hood cover. If you leave the cabin, the result will certainly be noticeable, but the acoustic comfort in the car is most directly affected by the processing of the engine shield and wheel arches. The material used, the number of layers of anti-gravity, etc. depend on how quieter it becomes in the cabin. In any case, noise reduction can be expected by about 20-40%, depending on the design features of the car. Since the cost of materials is insignificant, it is definitely worth performing sound insulation. You can even think about the complete processing of the car.

Summarize

I would like to note that it is often possible to significantly save on materials. For example, the same vibroplast in the construction market will cost much less than in a car shop. This also applies to other materials, such as anti-gravel and noise insulation. Remember that the larger the areawill be covered, the better the result. But everything is good in moderation, so gluing several sheets of vibroplast in a row also does not make sense. Then it will be difficult to put all the elements of the dashboard in their rightful place, due to a decrease in usable space.

Since you can make soundproofing of the engine compartment with your own hands even without any experience in this area, it makes sense to do this. This is especially true for cars that do not have a regular "shumka" and classics, where sound insulation is nominally available, but the factory saved a lot on material and there is practically no sense from it.