Doghouse

[mtnprecept]

I have researched the numerous threads on this forum, and others, about removing the doghouse on an Allante & Precept, and from what I understand, the center console has to be removed before removing the doghouse. On my 2019 31UL we do not have carpeting and most of the older posts reference carpeting. Is there anything different about removing the doghouse on the 2019, or is it just no carpet to remove an no search for screws.

I don't want to start a project and get myself into a problem without fully understanding the scope of what I need to do.

Thanks,
Bill

[1955farm]

I think it's the 2018.5s and later that lost the carpeting in the front and around the doghouse.. Otherwise no changes to the doghouse area.

[beachvic]

I have a 2018 Precept and I took mine off, removing the center console section that the Fusion and AC controls are housed. It was a major pain and I hope I never have to do it again. 6 screws along the front of the dog house. 11 around the side. and 3 screws that attached the frame for the center console to the doghouse itself. I was trying to add insulation for heat and sound to the doghouse.

[mtnprecept]

beachvic, thanks for the information. That is exactly what I wanted to know before I buy the insulation for heat and sound.

[beachvic]

One other thing to note. As we drove the motorhome for the first time after adding the insulation, we got a strong glue burning smell in the motorhome. We had driven less than a mile from the house and it started to smell really badly. We pulled over and tried to inspect from the wheel wells and saw nothing. No smoke, but a very strong smell. We decided to continue on. The smell stopped a few seconds later. Didn't notice a huge difference in sound but the doghouse was not nearly as hot as it usually is.

[hawkster]

Have not done the insulation but my dash had several broken screws at the window area so I replaced them. They can be found at HD. Are long with smooth area near head. I think this is to let the dash have some movement and not be hard fixed to the wood underneath.

[JB newowner]

I have a 2019 Precept 31UL also and I complained to Jayco that the doghouse got so hot my wife would burn her feet on it. Jayco told me to take to my dealer and it should be under warranty. My dealer reported that Jayco failed to put any heat suppression material under the doghouse and performed the repair that you are considering. It is still warm, but not so hot that burns your skin.

Good luck

[psw757]

Any update on this?

We recently bought the Entegra Emblem which is very similar to the Precept Prestige and while the engine noise isn’t terrible I’ve read that adding dynamat to the dog house and flooring of cockpit can lower the decibels by about 8-10.

Planning on installing dynamat extreme with the dynamat hoodliner product for heat resistance.

How difficult is it getting the doghouse out?

[Jerry Burks]

I found on a recent long trip that the engine noise (Alante 31V) is not so bad (usually running abou 1900 rpm@60mph). What really gets annoying and much more than the engine is the tire noise on roads with rough surface. When the road surface is smooth, I can almost talk with my wife on the passenger seat without yelling...Anything to be done about that? (sorry don't want to highjack the thread)

[psw757]

So has anyone had success removing the dog house?

Jayco sent me the instructions on how to remove and says nothing about having to remove the lower portion of dash. Only the bezel trim around center stack needs to be removed according to their diagram.

Anyone successfully do this?

[fizikpal]

Can you post the instructions. I'd be interested in them.

[psw757]

So I finally dug in and accomplished this yesterday. My coach is the Entegra Emblem which is very similar to the precept prestige with some minor differences.

Results were pretty impressive, there was nothing on underside of my doghouse except what appreared to be some sort of black spray on like a plastidip.

I saw a 10db noise redution in gear with brakes held and a 12db reduction driving at 2200-2500 rpm. Pretty darn significant.

Here is what needs to be done and in this order

Remove the 4 screws holding the center stack bezel to the dash and pull center section out and remove the screws holding the ductwork to the outlets in stack.

Remove 2-3 silver screws in bottom lip of center stack the secures it to the top of doghouse.

Remove bolt and washers from inside top of center-stack on right side.

Next remove 11 screws from floor flange/lip and side near feet and 3 more inside center stack where lip/flange meets the wood box behind dog house.

From this point the dog house can be lifted slightly and pulled out. It’s helpful to have a second person gently lifting the center stack slightly to provide more clearance. Go slow as the is a rubber jungle of wires in there!

If you need more wiggle room lifting center area there are some more screws on the right side that can be removed, I didn’t need to.

Reverse the instructions for installing everything.

I ordered the following
Dynamite extreme kit 36sqft kit
Hoodliner kit, 3/4 thick
Dynamat tape.

This provides plenty of material to also line the wheel wells and under the seats.

Have fun and seems worth the hassle!

[mtnprecept]

PSW757, thanks for such a detailed post. I have not started my project on the doghouse insulation yet, but plan to do it in December. Your post makes it much easier.

Bill, 2019 Precept 31UL

[mtnprecept]

It has been 7 months since I started this thread and I finally got around to insulating the doghouse yesterday. The post above from PSW757 was a perfect installation guide and I followed his instructions to the letter. I found nothing different from what he described, but it was hard work and I'm sure it will be worth the effort. It would have helped to have a second person to lift the center stack while I removed the doghouse, but I got through it ok. One thing I had to be careful with was the jungle of wires in the central console and making sure I didn't trap some of them when I replaced the doghouse. I used some duck tape to stop them falling into the engine when I replaced the doghouse. Love this forum and thanks to PSW757.

[McGruff]

So, what was the hard part? I just received my insulation today and I'm ready to jump into the project. Any other tips you can provide before I start?

Thanks for getting this topic started.

Bill

[mtnprecept]

The hard work was in working in such a small space. It may have been easier if I removed the front seats, but that seemed like another day of work. The hardest part was removing and replacing the doghouse. When I replaced it, there was a 1/8" gap between the wooden box and the front of the doghouse and the screw holes did not line up. I used some clear caulk on the front and around the side of the doghouse and drilled small holes to make it easier to replace the screws. When everything was back in place, I noticed a orange and white wire with a white connector hanging loose, but I could not find anything to connect it to, so it must have been like that before I started. I have not driven the it yet, but I do hope for reduced noise & heat.

[McGruff]

Thanks for your additional insight into this project. I did this on my Thor Vegas and it was well worth the trouble. However the Precept looked more challenging. I'll give it a try.

[bykerhd]

I have not tried removing the doghouse but have removed the passenger seat, once, to get to the wiring under the dash.
Unplugged the electric seat, removed 4 bolts holding the seat to the floor and removed the seat.
The hard part is that it requires two people to remove and install the seats.
One inside holding the bolt heads with a wrench.
One below with a ratchet( impact wrench is quicker and easier).

If an extra set of hands were available, I think I would opt for removing the seats before attacking the engine cover.

[jakisslan]

Could you send me a copy of the instructions. jakisslan@comcast.net

[mtnprecept]

jakissian look at post #12 above for instructions.