[Spokerider]

Guys,
With all of the oem SJ13 tar lining removed, the tub matt and carpet removed from the inside of the tub...….is it expected that the floor and trans tunnel "get warm" to touch with driving? Is this normal and to be expected. My gas pedal foot [ left hand drive zuk ] stays toasty warm even when it's already 27 degrees outside...… In winter this het will be welcomed, just not on a hot summer day.

Is this heat coming from the transmission, or a combo of the trans, exhaust pipe and engine heat hitting the firewall?

Thank for your thots.

[Eddy]

Spokerider wrote:

Is this heat coming from the transmission, or a combo of the trans, exhaust pipe and engine heat hitting the firewall?

combo of the trans, exhaust pipe and engine heat hitting the firewall, along with radiant heat from the environment around you ... direct sunlight being a major culprit.

Steel does a great job of transmitting heat, and with all insulation removed, you're stuck with it.
I've come home from mid summer drives with burns on my legs from touching the tunnel.

You could possibly do a few mods that would reduce it a bit, like some heat shields over the exhaust etc.

Shields however produce almost as many issues as they are tried to solve, like mud collection, grass and leaf build up ... which results in more heat, in the form of a nice little campfire under and around you.
There have been a variety of spray on products around, but generally, no matter how good the preparation, when it comes right down to it, different materials move around at differing rates, and they inevitably result in moisture buildup and rust.

I mostly resorted to an assortment of jute bags and rubber mats.
In nearly half a century of offroading, the only satisfactory answer I could come up with was the factory fitted insulation. The best I ever had was my '81 Nissan Patrol G61. All interior floor mats and (padded) lining were held in with press studs.

I'm over all that now, been there done that got the Tee shirt ... and lost it again ... got all sooky and am now happy/content with my tin box Vitara, with it's carpet like interior and air con. You young blokes can do the really rough stuff now and I'll sit back and look at the pictures!

[alien]

Mine gets too hot to touch in summer. Especially the firewall where the exhaust routes - I advise passengers not to wear thongs, because they WILL burn their foot at some point. lol

I run the factory rubber mats too btw.

[missmyljdaze]

alien wrote:

I advise passengers not to wear thongs,

Hey Aron....With Spokey being in Canada, he might have a different point of view regarding passengers wearing thongs

[Spokerider]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Good to know that my zuk is not making more tunnel heat then yours is, and that it can be expected.

I have a vw diesel and have the down pipe that travels across the trans bell housing wrapped in header wrap. I can put my hand on it with engine running......so little heat emanating from it. The down pipe is wrapped from turbo to it's end....about mid way of the depth of the trans. The exhaust pipe and flex joint under the left side [ drivers side ] floor is not wrapped in header wrap however. So heat is coming up from it, and being trapped in the trans tunnel for sure.

I guess I'll deal with it for the remainder of this summer and will welcome the extra heat when temps are 10 dec C and less.

[alien]

missmyljdaze wrote:

alien wrote:

I advise passengers not to wear thongs,

Hey Aron....With Spokey being in Canada, he might have a different point of view regarding passengers wearing thongs

I thought of clarifying 'flip flops' but it seemed more fun to just leave it to his imagination?

[Spokerider]

I know exactly what you guys wear everywhere...…...and know why you're getting burnt

07b0f220323706719b3193322d9cad0b by broken zuk, on Flickr

[Eddy]

!! MY EYES!!

That's a ban right there ....

[Spokerider]

Any of you guys overfill the transmission by say....500Ml or more? With the rationale of more oil getting to 5th gear bearings?
The zuk manual say 1.3L is the required amount.
Seems the old timers in my parts have done this, overfilled the trans, but none of the "new" zuk guys know about it, or, have considered it.

Thots??

On that note.....after a short drive, about 10 kms, I parked the zuk and crawled under it to determine where the tunnel heat was coming from. The trans was warm, but no too warm to hold my hand on it. The floor pan over the exhaust was warm, but not as warm as the trans tunnel. Makes me think most of the heat is coming from the trans, and not the exhaust.

[Eddy]

Spokerider wrote:

On that note.....after a short drive, about 10 kms, I parked the zuk and crawled under it to determine where the tunnel heat was coming from. The trans was warm, but no too warm to hold my hand on it. The floor pan over the exhaust was warm, but not as warm as the trans tunnel. Makes me think most of the heat is coming from the trans, and not the exhaust.

This is gunna make ya head hurt after a while Dude!

Heat transfer through metal is not all that simple and straight forward. It does different things at different road speeds and different climatic conditions. Can pick up as much heat on a five minute drive on the highway at midday in summer, as you would on a full day on the outback tracks.

Re: the exhaust heat ... driving at 50 mph, the air flow is gunna carry much of the heat away from the exhaust, whereas the air around the trans and rear of the engine block is partly blocked in. The reverse would happen at slow crawl over rough ground, the radiator fan will move air around the engine bay, comparatively faster than any air flowing over the exhaust.

Then you throw in the bit about heat traveling/radiating upwards through the metal ... add some random extras like bash plates and ya won't know if you're Arthur or Martha.

[bumstein]

Reckon you’d be right Eddy. Air does some strange and counter intuitive stuff around a car. Had this convo with a fella who’d spent a fair bit of time studying this for his work. Anyhoo!! 79 series Landcruiser and the left passenger side seat rail gets hot as hell, noticed it today on a thousand km drive and remembered this thread. Intriguing

[Gwagensteve]

short version, The heat is coming from everywhere and at speed is being pushed down the tunnel. What you're experiencing is normal.

Replace/add insulation to the tunnel/firewall/floor, heat wrap the exhaust/exhaust housing of the turbo.

[Spokerider]

Good to know it's normal heat then. Just wasn't sure.
Thanks for the reply.