Hood heat shield

[havoc64]

Ordered the Mopar one and Mopar cancelled the order as they said shipping would be $500. Back to square ine

Just go to your local Mopar / Jeep dealer and order it from them. No Shipping, at least the last three I have dealt with.

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[SamO.5]

I dont know about other manufactures, but the old Volvo's that I used to rebuild, the hood insulation was actually a "fire blanket". If the engine bay had a fire, the plastic clips melted, dropping the cloth on the engine, smothering the fire.

I considered removing mine, making the fake hood scoops real. Then I remembered this and left it alone. It could come in handy someday, hopefully not, of course.

 

[Sweetums]

I dont know about other manufactures, but the old Volvo's that I used to rebuild, the hood insulation was actually a "fire blanket". If the engine bay had a fire, the plastic clips melted, dropping the cloth on the engine, smothering the fire.

I considered removing mine, making the fake hood scoops real. Then I remembered this and left it alone. It could come in handy someday, hopefully not, of course.

TIL, and that sounds like a very Volvo thing to do.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Why not just leave it off? I removed mine months ago when it got brittle, no issues.

cooks bugs to paint faster. but ultimately not needed imo.

 

[mclousing]

Thanks for all advice. I ended up ordering from local dealer. I decided I wanted it for no other reason than not to burn myself leaning on the hood.

 

[Zachanadandy]

It's sound insulation and nothing more. That's why they didn't exist back when nobody cares if their truck was loud. You won't cook your paint. Mine went in the trash day 1. Functional hood scoop and a light bar for $23. 30k miles later and no issues. The truck gets driven at freeway speeds in the dirt when its 120⁰ in the desert.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It's sound insulation and nothing more. That's why they didn't exist back when nobody cares if their truck was loud. You won't cook your paint. Mine went in the trash day 1. Functional hood scoop and a light bar for $23. 30k miles later and no issues. The truck gets driven at freeway speeds in the dirt when its 120⁰ in the desert.

Then why did many in the 60s and 70s have that pad? Including muscle cars back then ....

 

[Zachanadandy]

Then why did many in the 60s and 70s have that pad? Including muscle cars back then ....

The same sound deadening. If half the vehicles ever made didn't have it, and none of them have paint boiling off the hood, why do we pretend like we need them now? I doubt the hood even has a measurable temperature difference with and without it after a long drive in the summer heat/sun. If it was hot enough to melt paint, the fenders and grill would need the same treatment. The edges of the hood aren't covered, is the paint melting? It's sound insulation. To expand on this, many vehicles over the years didn't have the insulation on lower trims but included it on higher trims. The heat output is the same. The paint warranty is the same. The buyers of higher trims expect a quieter ride. It's not a heat shield It's sound insulation.

 

[SamO.5]

TIL, and that sounds like a very Volvo thing to do.

....Im not sure if other car makers copied that. I mean Volvo came up with Seat Belts, other things and other manufactures used it.

 

[Sweetums]

....Im not sure if other car makers copied that. I mean Volvo came up with Seat Belts, other things and other manufactures used it.

Volvo created the 3-point seatbelt, patented it, then gave free license to the world to use it. They felt the technology was too important to saving lives to limit its use.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Volvo created the 3-point seatbelt, patented it, then gave free license to the world to use it. They felt the technology was too important to saving lives to limit its use.

Just learned something new. Once again, a good day.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Just learned something new. Once again, a good day.

Me too. I was having thoughts of removing mine and having a giant bacon cook off on the hood. Knowing there’s no temp difference has saved me some embarrassment.

 

[kb5zcr]

I know this is an old post but I was just researching because I may remove my hood insulation and saw this.

Here is what AI says about the Volvo "fire blanket". I know AI isn't always right, but I believe it in this instance.

I asked AI if they used the hood insulation as some type of fire blanket.
Here is its answer.

Answer-
No, Volvo did not design or create the under-hood (bonnet) insulation primarily as a “fire blanket.” It is standard automotive sound-absorbing and thermal insulation (often called a “hood insulation pad,” “sound absorber,” or “insulation engine compartment” in Volvo parts catalogs). Its main purposes are reducing engine noise transmitted into the cabin and shielding the hood paint/structure from engine heat.0c885d
usparts.volvocars
Volvo’s official part descriptions and diagrams treat these pads (examples include part numbers like 31383344, 31298731, 30740133, 8641171, etc.) as acoustic/thermal components. Aftermarket replacements sometimes advertise “fire-resistant,” “flame-retardant,” or “fireproof” properties because many modern under-hood materials are self-extinguishing or heat-resistant by design (common industry practice to limit fire spread). This is secondary, not the reason Volvo fitted them.fc0668
Autohausaz
Related notes and context
Forum discussions and myths: Volvo owners sometimes call the pad a “hood blanket” and speculate it could act as a fire retardant. Others correctly note that a pad fixed to the underside of the hood cannot effectively smother an engine-bay fire (which is typically fed from below by oxygen and fuel/oil sources). Removing it mainly increases noise and under-hood heat.bb955f
Swedespeed
Research on under-hood liners in general: A 2000s study of various vehicles’ under-hood insulation found that some materials resist ignition well and that heat could theoretically melt mounting clips, allowing a liner to drop onto a fire. This was presented as a possible incidental benefit of fire-resistant designs, not evidence that any manufacturer (including Volvo) engineered the part specifically as a deployable fire blanket.09e16e
Mvfri
Older patent idea: A 1990s patent discusses impregnating engine-compartment sound-absorbing material (including under the bonnet) with expanding polymers that release fire-suppressant gases when heated. There is no clear public evidence this was implemented by Volvo as a standard “fire blanket” feature.9e7218
patents.google
Actual Volvo fire-blanket use: Volvo service centers (e.g., in Taiwan) have equipped with large external vehicle fire blankets (such as Bridgehill models sized for SUVs like the XC90). These are separate, heavy, purpose-built covers that two people pull over an entire burning vehicle (especially relevant for EV battery fires) to starve oxygen and contain the fire until professionals arrive. They are not related to the factory under-hood insulation pad.376f6f
YouTube
In short, the underside-of-hood pad is ordinary NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) and heat insulation that happens to use materials with some flame-retardant characteristics in many cars, including Volvos. It was not created or marketed by Volvo as a fire blanket.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I know this is an old post but I was just researching because I may remove my hood insulation and saw this.

Here is what AI says about the Volvo "fire blanket". I know AI isn't always right, but I believe it in this instance.

I asked AI if they used the hood insulation as some type of fire blanket.
Here is its answer.

Answer-
No, Volvo did not design or create the under-hood (bonnet) insulation primarily as a “fire blanket.” It is standard automotive sound-absorbing and thermal insulation (often called a “hood insulation pad,” “sound absorber,” or “insulation engine compartment” in Volvo parts catalogs). Its main purposes are reducing engine noise transmitted into the cabin and shielding the hood paint/structure from engine heat.0c885d
usparts.volvocars
Volvo’s official part descriptions and diagrams treat these pads (examples include part numbers like 31383344, 31298731, 30740133, 8641171, etc.) as acoustic/thermal components. Aftermarket replacements sometimes advertise “fire-resistant,” “flame-retardant,” or “fireproof” properties because many modern under-hood materials are self-extinguishing or heat-resistant by design (common industry practice to limit fire spread). This is secondary, not the reason Volvo fitted them.fc0668
Autohausaz
Related notes and context
Forum discussions and myths: Volvo owners sometimes call the pad a “hood blanket” and speculate it could act as a fire retardant. Others correctly note that a pad fixed to the underside of the hood cannot effectively smother an engine-bay fire (which is typically fed from below by oxygen and fuel/oil sources). Removing it mainly increases noise and under-hood heat.bb955f
Swedespeed
Research on under-hood liners in general: A 2000s study of various vehicles’ under-hood insulation found that some materials resist ignition well and that heat could theoretically melt mounting clips, allowing a liner to drop onto a fire. This was presented as a possible incidental benefit of fire-resistant designs, not evidence that any manufacturer (including Volvo) engineered the part specifically as a deployable fire blanket.09e16e
Mvfri
Older patent idea: A 1990s patent discusses impregnating engine-compartment sound-absorbing material (including under the bonnet) with expanding polymers that release fire-suppressant gases when heated. There is no clear public evidence this was implemented by Volvo as a standard “fire blanket” feature.9e7218
patents.google
Actual Volvo fire-blanket use: Volvo service centers (e.g., in Taiwan) have equipped with large external vehicle fire blankets (such as Bridgehill models sized for SUVs like the XC90). These are separate, heavy, purpose-built covers that two people pull over an entire burning vehicle (especially relevant for EV battery fires) to starve oxygen and contain the fire until professionals arrive. They are not related to the factory under-hood insulation pad.376f6f
YouTube
In short, the underside-of-hood pad is ordinary NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) and heat insulation that happens to use materials with some flame-retardant characteristics in many cars, including Volvos. It was not created or marketed by Volvo as a fire blanket.

Can I ask why you’d remove it? I’d expect paint failure eventually, is one of its purposes is to protect the exterior paint on the hood.

 

[AOGAudiman]

Can I ask why you’d remove it? I’d expect paint failure eventually, is one of its purposes is to protect the exterior paint on the hood.

In my case, I removed the heat shield so I could open up the Rubicon hood vents, in an attempt to remove some heat from the engine bay (to lower oil temps on the diesel). I'm not gonna sit here and bullshit anyone claiming it made a difference because I don't have any real proof and frankly I don't give a damn. Been running this way for about 2 years now in the Pacific Northwest and have had zero issues with water onto the engine or any evidence of paint degredation on the hood.

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