Chassis Noise

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Water Dog

Water Dog

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Posts
2,487
Location
Sumner, TX
Okay everyone, I've got a mystery noise in the MH. It is on a 2000 Ford F-53 chassis and here are the symptoms. It occurs when steering or going over bumps, basically anything that makes the body sway a little. To me, it sounds very metallic, like something metal swinging and hitting something else metal. My wife says it sounds to her, like a threaded fastener moving back and forth in sheetmetal. The sound seems to be coming from either underneath the driver's seat or just behind it (no comments please) and from underneath the coach. I have taken everything out of the storage bays and still have the noise. I have checked springs/bushings, replaced shocks, and checked kingpins, and all steering components and can't find anything amiss. I have also looked for anything dangling to no avail.

If anyone has an idea or suggestion....any and all are appreciated. I hate unknown noises.
 
Is it like a clunk, On my previous '02 Brave, I believe it was the leaf springs loading and unloading. They was rusty and sticking. Another poster suggested a little tranny fluid on the springs where they rub and after about the third spraying, never heard the clunk again.

Jerry
 
How about a muffler bracket Dennis?  I have chased that noise on a pickup I used to have, and it was a muffler holder that worked it's way loose. 
 
I have something for you to check, same thing on my coach. The drivers seat is mounted on a small floorpan which tends to move indpendant of coach body, it moves with chassis. check the screws that hold it to the coach floor. my noise is just aft of my feet. when driving I can feel the joint in the floor move.

Steve
 
Wizard46 said:
Is it like a clunk, On my previous '02 Brave, I believe it was the leaf springs loading and unloading. They was rusty and sticking. Another poster suggested a little tranny fluid on the springs where they rub and after about the third spraying, never heard the clunk again.

Jerry
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Good suggestion Jerry, Ithought maybe it was side to side play in the leaf spring bushings allowing the side of the springs to hit the shackles, but I stuck some 1/4" thick rubber between there and took it for a drive, and had the same thing. I'll try the lube between the springs.

SargeW said:
How about a muffler bracket Dennis?  I have chased that noise on a pickup I used to have, and it was a muffler holder that worked it's way loose. 
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Marty, I've shaken the whole exhaust system, and everything appears to be tight. There is one heat shield on the passenger side that sounds a little tinny if I whack it with a rubber hammer, but I don't think it's the same noise.

Steve, I've tried to wiggle the drivers seat thinking, maybe loose bolt and couldn't detect any play. Maybe I'll crawl underneath and have someone wiggle it while I watch.  What I relly need is for someone to hang underneath and listen while I drive, but the dw refuses to do that... ;D
 
zzyzx said:
Ear plugs :D
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Vici says I have selective hearing as it is; she might be offended if I actually wore ear plugs....good thought though Tom.. ;D

eddieelk said:
My '87 Pace Arrow had a weld on the front cap framework break. It was made of square tubing.  I had it spot welded and the noise stopped. Eddie Elk.
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I'll check that out as much as I can. I guess it could be the framework tubing between the bays, but I would have to remove all the partition material to check....that will probably be the last place I look.....when it's cooler..  8)
 
[quote author=Water Dog]I guess it could be the framework tubing between the bays, but I would have to remove all the partition material to check....that will probably be the last place I look.....when it's cooler.. 8)
[/quote]

I think the square tubing (about 1") that Eddie and I were referring to is all the exposed framing in the wheel well and supporting the dog house and front cap and dash area.  No one is suggesting that you start tearing out basement walls.
 
Just Lou said:
I think the square tubing (about 1") that Eddie and I were referring to is all the exposed framing in the wheel well and supporting the dog house and front cap and dash area.  No one is suggesting that you start tearing out basement walls.
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I know Lou, but I was just thinking, if I can't find it anywhere else, and if a broken weld in the front was making his noise, there is a possibility that one of the welds on the 1 x 1 square tubing that frames the ends of the basement walls could have suffered the same fate. Most of the walls just have a fiber type board scewed to them, but I'm going to exhaust every other possibility first. The noise is definitely not coming from the front. But with 100+ temps here in the afternoons, it's hard to leave the comfort of the AC to go out and crawl around underneath the mh.
 
Dog - My 85 Allegro had this dull thud that it would produce if I took off at a medium speed. Fast or slow take offs didn't produce the noise. I could not tell where it was coming from, it sounded like it could come from anywhere. I had never heard a noise anything like it before. I searched everywhere for the culprit and in the two years I owned the RV I never found it. The best solution for me was to crank the stereo up loud enough so I could not hear the thud.
 
I had a similar noise that turned out to be a broken weld on the bracket at the top of one of the rear axle air bags.  I know you say your noise seems to be near the driver's seat area, but the noise we had was very difficult to pinpoint.
 
loddy said:
It's a self tapping screw

Loddy  :p
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My wife thinks your right...!

zzyzx said:
The best solution for me was to crank the stereo up loud enough so I could not hear the thud.
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As much as I would like to do that Tom, it's in my nature to not give up until it's found. I guess it's looking for things like this, that keeps me out of trouble.

 
Trying to move the seat will not help you find what I am talking about. It will only happen when driving. The seat plate is solid to the chassis, the flex occurs when the body moves around it. and I believe it is held to the body(floor) with self tapping screws.
 
LOL Tom, I was just providing another Britlish/Amlish translation tidbit for Loddy  ;D
 
Tom
Sheet metal screw don't tap, it's a self tapping screw ( make a noise, tap tap tap )

Loddy
 
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