2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Noise reduction effort update

[KL]

I have been doing some work to quite down the interior of my 02 QC. What made the (don't have a decibel meter, so cant give any exact numbers) biggest difference was working on the back wall of the cab. I put on sound deadening material (dynamat type) on the entire back wall of the cab. After this I, put 1/2" soundstop foam over the sound deadening material. I also took the interior out and put more sound deadening material under the carpet. To save money I did not cover the entire floor with sound deadening material (since sound deadening material reduces the vibration of the metal you do not need to cover everything).



These made a noticeable difference in my opinion. Its a lot more quite in the cab now. Fellow member sherndon was in my truck and agreed that it made a noticeable difference. I recently went on a few hundred mile trip (city & hwy), where someone sat in back on the passenger side. I was able to talk with this person easily (before the change we would have had to yell). I got all the material from soundstop.com. They have very good prices and offer a 15% TDR discount.



I figure I spent about $160 total. This includes the material & shipping, the contact cement and aluminized tape (I bought at Lowe's) which helped with the installation. I still have some material left, so I hope to do some more work this winter. I think it was well worth the time and money. KL



P. S. I would like to thank LsFarm for all his help.



P. S. I not affiliated with soundstop in any way, but I feel that they offer superior products at very competitive prices.





Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[cscott]

Sounds like a good idea (no pun intended)



Having a quieter truck would make the long trips less stressful.



I hadn't thought of doing that until I read your post I will look into it.



I drive over 800 miles every weekend.



Craig

 

[klenger]

Let's see, trade in 01 truck for 03, ... about $6000.



Sound deadening material, ... $160.



OK

 

[pwr2tow]

www.soundstop.com



To create a link just add www. before the link and .com after the link.



Ron

 

[Dave Zuber]

Take that extra material and put it inside the door panels. Stick it on the flatest part, right in the middle. Makes the doors sound better when slammed too.



Bed liners can make a differance too. Not the plastic liners, but the rubber mats and spray-ins.



Has anyone tryed putting sound deadener on the oil pan? I have a decibel meter and this is the noisest place on the engine. It is about 110 decibels at one foot!! I was thinking about a sandwich of hi-temp RTV and some 1/4 plate steel. Any other ideas??

 

[RJ2]

I was tossing up doing the lead on my pan. I like the windows down at times and at a light the bounceback gets

rather brutal sometimes.

 

[Lsfarm]

You're Welcome

KL, I'm glad to hear the good results of the soundproofing job. It sure makes a difference on longer trips. I rode six hours in the back of Rob Thomas's rig going to Briar's open house, and even with ear plugs I had a headache within an hour.



As far as the Oilpan is concerned, a layer of lead sheeting and a layer of soundstop foam will reduce the Db level by 10-15 points. I'm still amazed at how quiet my truck is from the side compared to a stock truck. Just make sure you glue AND use bungie cords to hold the lead and foam on the oilpan sump, 'cause they will depart the truck at high speeds without the bungie cords. [voice of experience].



I have soundstop blankets on the valvecover and in the intake trough too. But I still get some Cummins Clatter through the defroster vents, probably not going to be able to eliminate it completely.



I'm experimenting with a double wall 4" exhaust pipe to reduce or kill the exhaust pipe noise [this is not the same as exhaust noise] Once I get the time to do before and after Db readings I'll let everyone know if it is worth the work and cash





Greg L. the Noise Nazi

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

The sound level of my truck doesn't really bother me (being slightly hearing-impaired DOES have its advantages!), but as an experiment, I am sorta curious as to various sound reducing methods, and I also have a decible meter... I've thought about the underhood area of my '02, since it doesn't have any underhood blanket - and I'm familiar with the foil-faced adhesive-backed matting commonly used in hot-rods and customs for insulation and sound-deadening - looks like it should work pretty decently. I recently got my first look at the stock underhood stuff used in trucks prior to mine, and frankly, was not impressed with their coverage, and think I could do FAR better with aftermarket stuff. I think I'll look around for some of that stuff, and just for kicks, try making up an underhood blanket, as well as a few other strategic spots to see how effective it is...

 

[ronco]

How well would it work to spray/brush/roller some of the liquid noise killer materials onto the oil pan? Would the liquid tolerate the heat after curing? Would a 1/4 layer of this stuff be worth the trouble if it does stick?



TIA



Ronco

 

[Steve Campbell]

Lsfarm....

I tried something for... ... .



"But I still get some Cummins Clatter through the defroster vents, probably not going to be able to eliminate it completely. "



I took a can of rubberized undercoating and used it up down inside the defroster vents (after taking the wipers and cover off). It took a couple of coats to cover as much as I wanted. I would not do it just before a long trip, because it took a couple of days for the smell to completely go away.

 

[Pit Bull]

I'm thinking of buying a Harley. Do you guys know anyone that makes a engine cover and extra heavy duty muffler so it will sound like one of though ricer bikes ? :-laf Sorry I could not resist, you guys make it too easy :-laf By the way, what time is Martha Stewart on TV :-laf

 

[Lsfarm]

Sorry to preach, but

Both my parents wear hearing aids, and I work in an industry that requires a hearing test every six months. So I am protective of my hearing.



Hearing damage is cumulative, that firecracker that went off near your ear [and your ears rang for days] when you were 12, will add on to your eventual total hearing loss. Constant exposure to high DB levels will speed the process.



Now I am not some kind of wimp, [the '03's are too quiet for me] and I like to have my truck be loud when I want it to be, I can make a pretty good statement with the loud pedal to the metal. But I don't want to live with it all the time.



Even the guys who love their noisy trucks often comment how nice it is to ride in my rig. You can talk, and hear each other.



Greg L The Noise Nazi



Ps I will try some noise killer or similar product soon in the intake/defroster area

 

[Pit Bull]

Mines stock and I can talk and hear someone talk in my truck just fine. These 2nd generation trucks will not hurt your hearing unless you ride under the hood. But I don't see anything wrong with making the inside quieter if that is what you want. Just don't make the engine quieter. JMHO What did you say??? uh? Say that again?? :-laf Sorry I had my truck running

 

[klenger]

Quiet is good.

 

[Lsfarm]

Threshold for hearing damage?

Pit bull, my truck [prior to noise insulation] and other [stock] trucks I have checked are around 92-98 Db under load at 70 mph. (90 + Db is LOUD] and this is enough to cause cumulative hearing damage.



Those folks with the dreaded drone at 2000-2200 rpm are in the 96-98 Db range. If you have to turn the radio way up to hear it on the freeway, then turn it way down at a stop light then the cab needs noise insulation IMHO.



It is however, fun to pass a bunch of gasser guys BS'n at the local hangout and goose the throttle and get all their heads to turn to see what is making that throaty roar. I just have to roll down the window to hear it



Greg L the Noise Nazi

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Any goals I would have concerning noise reduction would be purely for experimentation - certainly not as ANY reaction to the latest Dodges - as it stands, my '02 is consideraby quieter than my '91 was - and the '02 seems to be getting quieter as it slowly gets more miles on it - or else my hearing is getting even worse...



The ONLY minor concerns about noise I have is early morning starts in the campggrounds - and even then, most folks are inside their own trailers and motorhomes - probably can't hear me above the sound of their generators running for early morning coffee...

 

[Sageair]

The really hot ticket would be if someone made an active noise reduction system for our trucks like those offered in some aircraft. That way you could have it loud or quiet as you choose. Oh yeah it has to be affordable.

 

[TomGolden]

After many emails with Greg myself (Thanks from me, too!! ), I removed the seats and all carpeting and put a layer of the 1/2" GSI foam material on the floor, and a double layer on the rear wall of the cab. It made a noticeable difference, but not as much as I was hoping for.



This past weekend, I had enough foam left over that I was able to remove the door panel from my passengers side rear (quad cab) door and put a layer of foam on the lower half of that door. That really seems to have helped, and I am going to order a couple more sheets of the GSI foam, and do the other rear, and both main doors.



Tom

 

[cmckinney]

Hey Tom how different is the foam from the regular sound deadening mat that we have already in our trucks? I put sound deadening on the tub of my truck and back wall but still have a lot of sound in my truck. I thought about putting more the sound deadening fabric under my carpet.



Seems like sound gets in through the firewall the most. I want a cure for this so bad. I'd like to be able to listen to my radio on a low power.



-CM



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=3219&width=0

 

[KL]

CM, I agree with you about the noise coming thru the firewall. While I dont want a real quite truck, a quieter one would be nice. All my earlier efforts really quited down the back. But now I notice the noise from up front way more. The noise was always there, but a lot must have been drowned out by the noise entering from the back of the cab.



I also ordered a different type sound deadening foam from GSI. Its a closed cell construction and has a barrier attached to it. But I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. KL



P. S. I also put some of the 1/2 inch sound stop foam on the back wall of my cab over some sound deadener. It really helped. The soundstop foam is different then the factory material on the cab floor which looks almost like sheets of asphalt. The soundstop foam has a layer of foam, some type of barrier material (dont know what its made from), another layer of foam and a mylar coating.