Technical Draughty Cab

[ourden]

My 53 plate 2.8JTD motorhome has a really draughty cab, all the rubbers are fine, doors fit as they should. someone said block the vents in the door as pic.
Is this wise? or any other idea's please.

 

[PeterM]

... block the vents in the door as pic.

No idea how old a 53 plate is

What vents in the door? Mine has none. Have you checked the door seals with a piece of paper? Like you would a fridge door seal? I am confident you will find the seal is NOT good.

 

[cris1117]

Hi. The vents if you have them are below the lock on theedge of the door, duck tap works well.

The other thing I had to do was block the roof vents whendriving mine had a small grill around the edge of the vent so even when thevent was closed it still vented slightly.

I used a small cushion placed inside a carrier bag, drop thefly screen push the cushion into the vent opening and close the fly screen tohold it in place, and this worked very well.

Just a word of warning make sure you remove the cushions whennot travelling as the van will fill up with condensation and especially if usingthe gas stove.

 

[HughJampton]

Blocking off the vents in the trailing edge of the door will help (as already mentioned, duct tape is good). These are meant to be outward vents for the standard ventilation system and cab, but a motorcaravan has sufficient other fixed ventilation to make them not required.

The other major source of draughts in the cab (in my experience, the biggest problem) is that the box section below the seat belt mounts is left open to the outside, and a gale blows in which can be felt next to the inertia reel. It should be possible, by removing the trim, to get to the upper part of the box section, and insert an appropriately sized foam rubber (or similar) "block" which will cut off the draught.

 

[PeterM]

...the box section below the seat belt mounts is left open to the outside, and a gale blows in which can be felt next to the inertia reel.

 

[Arkk]

Surely you must be able to tell what area the draught is coming from, then narrow it down from there. I take it the faster you drive the worse it gets? Take a passenger, get them to use something visual to trace it, eg can of smoke, incense stick, you can see which way the smoke is blowing from.

 

[ourden]

Surely you must be able to tell what area the draught is coming from, then narrow it down from there. I take it the faster you drive the worse it gets? Take a passenger, get them to use something visual to trace it, eg can of smoke, incense stick, you can see which way the smoke is blowing from.

You would'nt be replying if I knew

 

[Arkk]

What have you tried apart from door seals, have you blocked off heater intake, checked firewall for gaping holes, etc., etc? Is the entire cab filled with gale force winds, or is it a draught on your face, on your legs, is it on passenger side more so than drivers?

 

[PeterM]

What vents in the door? Mine has none.

My error. My Ducato does have vents in the doors. But these are isolated from the cab by a plastic membrane in the door. No draughts.
Do you have the membrane intact in the door?

 

[HughJampton]

Whilst there is a membrane, it generally doesn't form a complete seal.

So, from personal experience, the draughts find their way in around the door handle, the window winders, past the interior window rubbers, and anywhere else it has any chance. Sealing the trailing edge door vents with duct tape siginficantly reduces this.

The problem with motorhome conversions is that any fixed ventilation (of which there is much on many models) in the habitation area behind the cab, combined with the body shape, tends to alter the cab ventilation characteristics dramatically.

Gaps in the cab area which would normally allow air OUT in a panel van, tend instead to suck air IN and pass it back, to be ventilated further back.

I can assure you that in two vans of similar vintage, as I've already said, the biggest problem I had was around the area of the inertia reel for the seat belt - with a block of foam rubber inserted in the box section below and behind making a huge difference. There is a complete void through to the underneath of the van!

(Incidentally, I have noticed the same characteristic in the current Transit).

 

[bryan]

Couldn't agree more have done the same