How hot does your floor get?? (1 Viewer)

[Zack1978]

Hi everyone,
Quick question about "floor heat"........
I don't usually take my 1987 60 on longer drives, it usually stays local so I never really noticed the floor heating up on long drives. This weekend I took a trip about two hours away from home. The trip was fine and I got about 14 MPG, I was a happy camper!
What I did notice however was the intense amount of heat emanating from the drivers side floor, actually under the drivers seat. I don't have the rear seat area carpet installed so I felt a good amount of heat directly behind the drivers seat as well. The area of the floor to the immediate left of the parking brake was much too hot to touch for example. The drivers seat brackets were even hot. It took about an hour into the trip for things to get very toasty.
The obvious culprit is the exhaust running directly under the area that I am describing. I checked the cat as soon as I pulled into my driveway and it was not glowing red, or glowing at all for that matter. Should the exhaust be heating it up that much? I don't think I have any exhaust leaks and it seems to run fine. Given how hot the area to the left of the parking brake was, i'd be reluctant to install carpet over that area.
Any ideas?

Thanks,
Zack

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

wicked hot. i could copy/paste your description and that would be my truck as well.

I did a 5 speed swap last year and I have not recarpeted my truck yet - so i'm running metal floor boards, it's ridiculously hot. the metal bits of the seat frame are warm to the touch. e-brake hardware is almost too hot to touch. the side of the transmission tunnel radiates so much heat I could slice meat off the side of my right leg and call it steak, and I bet I could bake a loaf of bread under the drivers seat on a long trip . (in fact I might try this!!)

all my exhaust heat shielding is in place. truck runs perfect and gets 16mpg down the highway so i dont think it's tuning, or lack of heat shielding.

 

[OSS]

It's the catalytic converter. It heats up to 1000°F. Make sure it's heat shield is installed.
The carpet inside is almost mandatory to insulate the floor. Without a cat, the floor and engine bay stays a lot cooler

 

[klinetime574]

I was typing a reply last night but didn’t have much to share. I’d say my floor gets similarly hot as well. Headers and a hi-flow cat on mine (2.5” all after the header). After reading what OSS said I want to delete my cat now. Lol

 

[1911]

Make sure the vacuum advancer on your distributor is functioning also. Running with retarded ignition timing (not enough advance) will heat up the exhaust a ton. The advancers tend to rust up, especially if the factory dizzy evacuation system is inoperative or has been ill-advisedly removed as part of a de-somg.

 

[Zack1978]

It's the catalytic converter. It heats up to 1000°F. Make sure it's heat shield is installed.
The carpet inside is almost mandatory to insulate the floor. Without a cat, the floor and engine bay stays a lot cooler

I would almost be afraid that the carpet would ignite........
I am totally desmogged so does the cat really serve any purpose at this point? Will my truck run the same without the cat or better?

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

I would almost be afraid that the carpet would ignite........

nah - that's not going to happen. it's hot yes...but not that hot. paper burns at 451 - it's not even close to that.

my truck - i can press my hand on the exposed transmission tunnel sheet metal - it's hot...but not even hot enough to actually burn my flesh. The trans tunnel is uncomfortably warm - yes...but actually burn skin? no. maybe if you left it there a long time you'd get a 1st degree burn? it's not going to catch anything on fire.

by comparison: if you pulled a cast iron skillet right out of the oven at anything above 150?? (guessing here) you'd certainly get a 1st / 2nd degree burn.

 

[Fieldtester96]

I dont really have much more to add, except i have my whole floor bed lined. It does get warm, but less than when i had uncovered metal.

Honestly though i like it, especially in the winter. Since my FJ62 doesn't really want to warm up the heat from the floors keeps my feet from freezing off.

 

[OSS]

I am totally desmogged so does the cat really serve any purpose at this point? Will my truck run the same without the cat or better?

The original cat creates a lot of back pressure in the exhaust (something that the EGR modulator required). Besides reducing the stink of the exhaust and removing some smog (even when desmogged) it does nothing good to the engine or performance. It's the number one performance killer on the 2F and heats up the floor and engine compartment.
The 2F is happy without the cat installed and not happy when it is.

 

[Spike Strip]

Hotter 'n Georgia asphalt.

 

[87CRUSR]

Trans tunnel gets real hot during 18 hr drives so I installed cruisercr*p and doubled up on the trans tunnel which gets plenty hot.

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

so I installed cruisercr*p

what is this cruisercr*p you speak of? i checked their site - but didn't see anything obvious.

 

[87CRUSR]

what is this cruisercr*p you speak of? i checked their site - but didn't see anything obvious.

Checked website as well. Looks like he no longer sells the stuff. Its similar to Dynamat.

 

[60Works]

Once my 62's floor above the cat got so hot it cooked the 'Toyota tar' on the floor. Created a real stink of burning rubber. Looked underneath and the heat shield on the out board cat had rusted away. Once the cat was replaced the heat level of the floor returned to normal; hot to the touch of bare skin but not enough to blister.

 

[MANUCHAO]

Could the catalytic converter be repositioned in a way that is further away from underneath the floor? Or perhaps a thicker aluminum heat shield?

 

[Paul DiNapoli]

Could the catalytic converter be repositioned in a way that is further away from underneath the floor? Or perhaps a thicker aluminum heat shield?

i like this idea...i also wonder if there's a way to just bring the exhaust from the exhaust manifold collect into 1 pipe with just a single cat. could keep the 02 sensors where they are - but past that collect into 1 pipe - get rid of that outboard pipe routing under the frame. and have a cleaner exhaust setup - 1 less cat.

why are there 2 cats in the first place?

sigh....more $$$!!!

 

[87CRUSR]

i like this idea...i also wonder if there's a way to just bring the exhaust from the exhaust manifold collect into 1 pipe with just a single cat. could keep the 02 sensors where they are - but past that collect into 1 pipe - get rid of that outboard pipe routing under the frame. and have a cleaner exhaust setup - 1 less cat.

why are there 2 cats in the first place?

sigh....more $$$!!!

2 Cats? I remember replacing my 1 cat convertor on my 60 and don't recall researching a need for 2 cats.

 

[MANUCHAO]

why are there 2 cats in the first place?

I think stock 60 has one catalytic converter...
v8 have two...
Idea is the same tho...

 

[87CRUSR]

I think stock 60 has one catalytic converter...
v8 have two...
Idea is the same tho...

That explains it!