Land Rover Discovery: Expanding Foam Acoustic Seals

Expanding foam acoustic seals are used in various closed-sections of the body to improve vehicle refinement. The seals are installed during the vehicle body manufacture and expand during the paint process up to ten times original size, thus locking them into position. They are located such that they prevent noise accentuation along a section and reflect air borne noise away from the cabin.

The seals have spilt functionality depending on location. The seals located at the base of the body pillars have a primary function of preventing water ingress when wading. Their secondary function is to prevent noise and dust ingress.

The seal around the fuel filler has a primary function of preventing both fuel and water ingress. With a secondary function of preventing noise and dust ingress.

The remaining seals primary function is to prevent noise accentuation along a section and reflect air borne noise away from the cabin.

Another advantage of the seals is that they marginally increase the overall stiffness of the body and its structural performance in case of a crash.

The seals are manufactured from an expandable polymer.

Replacing Expanding Foam Acoustic Seals

As paint oven temperatures used in a repair workshop are significantly lower than those that are used during manufacture of the vehicle, (the temperatures are not sufficient to expand the foam), a different process and aftersales material is required to replicate the foam in repair.

If a repair disturbs the expanding foam acoustic seal it must be reinstated. If access allows, (whether a new seal is fitted or the original is reused), acoustic foam should be injected after paint refinishing. If access is not possible, or it is not practical to apply expanding foam due to the nature of the repair, a suitable flexible PU sealer should be applied around the seal and the corresponding body panel/s prior to assembly. In all cases the application of foam / sealer should form a seal between the expanding foam acoustic seal and any adjacent panelwork.

SEAM SEALER

A heat cured, PVC based sealant is applied to specific joint seams during factory assembly. This material is not suitable for service use and during repair and should be substituted by an approved aftersales seam sealer.

NOTE:

Where seams are inaccessible following the reassembly or fitting of components, ensure that a paste-type seam sealer is applied to such seams. Certain seams also become inaccessible after the completion of panel repairs. In such instances apply seam sealer and paint before final assembly.

Apply seam sealers after the application of primer and before the application of top coat. The sealer must form a continuous bead, with the profile of the bead dependent on the type of seam. If the seam sealer is applied with a brush take particular care to maintain the required coverage of the seam.

Ensure that all accessible repair seams are sealed following a repair.

Damage to a vehicle often flexes areas of the body remote from the impact.

As a result the seam sealer in these areas may be disturbed by subsequent straightening and repair operations. Check all seams in the vicinity of the area undergoing repair for evidence of cracked seam sealer, then clean out as required and apply fresh seam sealer using the following procedure:

• Clean the affected seam and re-treat any exposed metal areas with a suitable etch phosphate primer.
• Treat affected area with an etch-acid primer.
• Apply appropriate seam sealer as necessary. apply appropriate color coat (and under body sealer as applicable).

Provided access is adequate, apply seam sealer to both sides of a repair joint. Where access is limited to one side only, (e.g. box section), treat the inaccessible affected box member with cavity wax.

CAVITY WAX

After repairs, always re-treat these areas with an approved cavity wax. In addition, treat all interior surfaces which have been disturbed during repairs whether they have been treated in production or not. This includes all box members, cavities and door interiors.

Before wax injection, ensure that the cavity to be treated is free from any contamination or foreign matter. Where necessary, clear out any debris.

Ensure that cavity wax is applied after the final paint process and before refitting any trim components.

During application ensure that the wax covers all flanges and seam areas and that it is adequately applied to all repaired areas of both new and existing panels.

It should be noted that new panel assemblies and complete body shells are supplied without wax injection treatment. Ensure that such treatment is carried out after repairs.

Effective cavity wax protection is vital. Always observe the following points:

• Complete all paint refinish operations before wax application.
• Check the spray pattern of injection equipment.
• Mask all areas not to be waxed.
• Remove body fixings, such as seat belt retractors, if contamination is at all likely.
• Move door glasses to fully closed position before treating door interiors.
• Treat body areas normally covered by trim before refitting items.
• Check that body and door drain holes are clear after the protective wax has dried.
• Keep all equipment clean, especially wax injection nozzles.

Approved Service Materials for RepairBody Closure Noise Vibration and Harshness Sealing

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