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Noise control

8K views 37 replies 15 participants last post by  rijosho 
#1 ·
Hey New D90 owner. Is there an easy way to control window noise by doing it myself, or do I have to buy the gasket kit from the dealer and have them do it. I contacted British Alantic and they do not carry the parts.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
What exactly is the problem - I assume you are talking about Soft Top windows.

Are they rattling?
Are they sealing properly?
I've seen a number of defenders that are actually missing the weatherstripping in front of the door.

Everything is pretty easy to solve, but a pic of your door or a more detailed description of where the noise is coming from would help.
 
#3 ·
Noise

Thanks Jim, First, I have a fiberglass hardtop on right now. I can pull on the window frame on the freeway and the noise will subside. If I pull on the window frame and push my elbow on the window all the noises go away. I have tightened the top all the way around and most of the bolts were very loose.

Thanks
TT
 
#4 ·
Check out the thread on stainless window studs - there are some little things you can do make the door top lean inwards and seal up instead of leaving a huge gap. If your windows rattle in the tracks or let much air by then you might be missing your felts as well. Its all free/cheap to fix.
 
#7 ·
Thomas,
I did a few things to quiet down my 90 soft top.
1) Trimmed out the window frames with 1" weather stipping from Home depot.
2) Filled the inside of the doors (pull off the plastic trim) with foil covered bubble wrap from Home Depot.

They are not known for being quiet but both things helped a lot and were cheap to do.

Welcome to the forum :toast
 
#8 ·
javelinadave said:
Thomas,
I did a few things to quiet down my 90 soft top.
1) Trimmed out the window frames with 1" weather stipping from Home depot.
2) Filled the inside of the doors (pull off the plastic trim) with foil covered bubble wrap from Home Depot.

They are not known for being quiet but both things helped a lot and were cheap to do.

Welcome to the forum :toast

Can you post pictures of the weather stripping. I would like to see how it looks. Thanks
 
#10 ·
JimC said:
RoversNorth has the felt, though its kind of a PITA to install. I'll post some pix when I get home.
Hi Jim,

I bought the felt but because it looked like a PITA to install I have been procrastinating. I'd be interested to see your pics, too. I currently have a little piece of folded cardboard stuffed between the glass and the window frame else the rattling drives me completely nuts.

javelinadave said:
Thomas,
I did a few things to quiet down my 90 soft top.
1) Trimmed out the window frames with 1" weather stipping from Home depot.
2) Filled the inside of the doors (pull off the plastic trim) with foil covered bubble wrap from Home Depot.

They are not known for being quiet but both things helped a lot and were cheap to do.
The bubblewrap stuff is OK, but for real sound deadening I was looking at installing either B-Quiet or Cascade products:

http://www.b-quiet.com/compare.html
http://www.cascadeaudio.com/products.html

I think I'll purchase the Cascade products because they are vinyl based, not asphalt based, and from what I understand the asphalt products can give off a smell over time.

I plan to make the truck pretty quiet (for a D90) - doors, firewall, floors and (eventually, when I purchase one) fiberglass top will all get the treatment.

I've seen some kits in one of the Land Rover monthies which had firewall and engine insulation kits also -- I might look up those while I'm at it.

The guys at Expedition Exchange soundproofed their D90 and from what they say it's darn quiet at highway speeds.

Look, it *IS* my daily driver, after all (for those who think the only good D90 is one buried up to the hood in muddy water ;) )
 
#11 · (Edited)
Dave - at least one problem you are having is that the rubber trim between the door and the door top is on upside down.

It shouldnt take draconian measures like adding weatherstripping to the door tops - simply shimming the outside edge of the door works perfectly as shown by the before (pic 1) and after pics (pic 5). I cut strips of heavy duty pond liner that I bought at Home Depot to use as shims.

Here's a step by step to replace the felt-
Note that the window doesn have to be removed, but it makes everything easier.

1- slide windows to reveal the 4 screws in the channel - remove all 4 screws
2- drill out the four rivits holding in the window lock - note that there is no need to remove any of the 3 screws in this mechanism. Remove the lock.
3- drill out the two rivits at each end of the window channel
4- slide the windows to the center and pull the window channel out - the windows come with it.
5- fold the felt in half lengthwise and feed it into the appropriate channels. It takes four pieces to do one window. No, there is no adhesive or anything. You might have to use a putty knife or something to get it in there well.
6- Assembly is reverse of removal. Use aluminum rivits (steel rusts!) also avaiable at home depot. A cheap-o pop rivit gun is all you need.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Jim,
I'm not having any problems with sealing up my rig. There is no upside or downside. It is a $4 roll of stick on weather stripping. It sealed the gap between the windows and the top. It also stopped the water and the wind. I'm not sure what the felt kit is doing differently. $4.00, scissors, and about 3 minutes and my problem was solved.
 
#15 ·
The roll goes on the inside, but the "lip" on the outside part faces down. Its correctly positioned in my #3 pic. Its actually that roll that causes all the problems since its so thick it keeps the door top from tightening down in the right spot. Oddly enough, the door seals great when its on backwards, but then there are "ears" sticking out each end and all your water drains into the interior from the door channel. I'm embarassed to admit I thought this was acceptable for a very long time.
 
#17 ·
jaherring said:
The bubblewrap stuff is OK, but for real sound deadening I was looking at installing either B-Quiet or Cascade products:

http://www.b-quiet.com/compare.html
http://www.cascadeaudio.com/products.html

I think I'll purchase the Cascade products because they are vinyl based, not asphalt based, and from what I understand the asphalt products can give off a smell over time.

I plan to make the truck pretty quiet (for a D90) - doors, firewall, floors and (eventually, when I purchase one) fiberglass top will all get the treatment.

I've seen some kits in one of the Land Rover monthies which had firewall and engine insulation kits also -- I might look up those while I'm at it.

The guys at Expedition Exchange soundproofed their D90 and from what they say it's darn quiet at highway speeds.

Look, it *IS* my daily driver, after all (for those who think the only good D90 is one buried up to the hood in muddy water ;) )
I have been dealing with insulating my Defender for awhile now and have found some pretty good deals along the way. I bought 100 sq ft. of Peel and Stick at Burbank Hardware for $89. It is esentialy the same stuff as Dynamat. It is asphalt based but I have had no problems with smells or off gassing. I have had it in for over a year and in some very hot temps, no smell at all. I did my bulkhead, floors, seat boxes and headliner. It has significantly cut down on noise. I also put it under my hood. It is aluminum on one side sticky on the other, and it REALY sticks. Another thing I did was used a aircraft fibreglass blanket attached to the firewall in the engine compartment. See picture. This cut down on heat and noise transfer. I still have a few of the blankets left if intersted. $20. For $110 I did my entire truck with material left over. Not too bad.

Kevin
 
#18 ·
Jim,
The rubber thing on my windows is stuck to the bottom of the window. When I take the windows out for the summer all that is left behind on the door is shinny painted metal. It looks like the rubber is stuck to your doors.
 
#22 ·
kellymoe said:
I have been dealing with insulating my Defender for awhile now and have found some pretty good deals along the way. I bought 100 sq ft. of Peel and Stick at Burbank Hardware for $89. It is esentialy the same stuff as Dynamat. It is asphalt based but I have had no problems with smells or off gassing. I have had it in for over a year and in some very hot temps, no smell at all. I did my bulkhead, floors, seat boxes and headliner. It has significantly cut down on noise. I also put it under my hood. It is aluminum on one side sticky on the other, and it REALY sticks. Another thing I did was used a aircraft fibreglass blanket attached to the firewall in the engine compartment. See picture. This cut down on heat and noise transfer. I still have a few of the blankets left if intersted. $20. For $110 I did my entire truck with material left over. Not too bad.

Kevin
Wow, that's cheap for 100sq ft, if it's of similar quality to Dynamat. I only know of the outgassing problem from what I've read online, so a real-life testament is better. So...would you characterize your Defender as quiet-ish now? EG have conversations on the highway in a normal voice, and phone calls don't sound like you are at a construction site?

Were you going to attach a picture? There isn't one in your message. I'm sure I'd be interested in the aircraft blanket material, if it's what I think it is. Are you a pilot also? Is Burbank Hardware a chain or a mom-and-pop shop? I'd be willing to give that a shot, but hopefully don't have to drive to Burbank to find it.
 
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