Call for assistance.

Topic: Call for assistance. (Read 2113 times) previous topic - next topic

Call for assistance.

December 03, 2018, 08:01:32 pm

Need some help in finding a good truck suspension shop. We are in Barstow at the moment. I believe the issue is my bushings. I think the pounding on the Cali highways did in the likely old bushings. Every time I hit a small divot in the highway or a bridge expansion joint. It sounds like someone is underneath the bus hitting metal components with a hammer. I can probably push it to Vegas.

Re: Call for assistance.

Reply #1 – December 03, 2018, 08:07:23 pm

I can't offer help, but I can offer sympathy. I hate that you keep having issues with your coach.

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Reply #2 – December 03, 2018, 08:13:08 pm

It is what it is. Just fix it and move on is all I can do. And buy a bottle of Whiskey while we are here in the Walmart lot🤪

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Reply #3 – December 03, 2018, 08:27:02 pm

I get a think when my muffler for the generator hits the frame on a big bump or multiple bumps. Might not be the same but see if your exhaust pipe moved back and forth that much.. worth a look

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Reply #4 – December 03, 2018, 08:30:34 pm

It's def. in the front. You wouldn't believe how small a drop off type irregularity causes it to make that noise. It sounds close to the sound that a Joey bed makes when it is extended and you are shaking it up and down. But the bumps are too small to rattle the Joey beds with them loaded.

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Reply #5 – December 03, 2018, 08:32:28 pm

Might check the shock mounts and bolts while your looking. If the grommets are gone it will do the same thing

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Reply #6 – December 03, 2018, 08:35:07 pm

Quote from: bigdog – December 03, 2018, 08:13:08 pm

It is what it is. Just fix it and move on is all I can do. And buy a bottle of Whiskey while we are here in the Walmart lot🤪

Check around a lot of trucks pass through Barstow there must be a shop. The Walmart you are at closes at 12:00 and the signs say no overnight parking. If you are in the rear near the big dirt field you probably are ok. We stayed there on the way back from the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks ago.

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Reply #7 – December 03, 2018, 08:37:25 pm

We are way in the back next to the high wall. About 7 trucks back here and 3 other rv's.

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Reply #8 – December 03, 2018, 08:39:31 pm

Try some of these tomorrow.

Best Commercial Truck Repair in Barstow, CA - Yelp

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Reply #9 – December 03, 2018, 08:46:51 pm

Check you bolts holding your generator slide in. If they are loose or gone the slide might be moving and hitting under the front of your coach. Hopefully it is something simple and easy to get fixed so you can get on down the road safely.

Best of luck

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Reply #10 – December 03, 2018, 09:05:19 pm

It most likely is the shock mounts. Mine lost a washer and bugged me for a long time. Found it accidentally and hasn't made a thump thump in years. If one is loose, it will shake by hand.

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Reply #11 – December 03, 2018, 10:09:03 pm

I'll give the shocks a shake in the AM.

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Reply #12 – December 03, 2018, 10:17:45 pm

Take a pry bar and try and wiggle/move the torque rods,if you can move them it's the bushings,those are the only bushings except
for the shock mounts.If you still have the original shocks it's time for the Koni FSD.

Re: Call for assistance.

Reply #13 – December 03, 2018, 10:46:47 pm

A set of Koni's would be nice.

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Reply #14 – December 03, 2018, 10:55:50 pm

Bigdog, I had a similar sound just recently, started half way between Eugene and Junction City. It was so loud I was not going to drive it back to Eugene without a tech looking at it. He crawled under, found nothing. Turned out to be a large loose piece of metal that had fallen beneath the "joey" bed pull out tray. He laughed, no bill, said he was glad to find just that as his shop was so busy.

I had described the sound to him as a loose broken shock. I had to replace the bushings in Roadmaster 8 bag RV, after a blow out, sounded similar.

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Reply #15 – December 03, 2018, 11:02:56 pm

Check all the excellent suggestions. I had bad bushings on my sway bar. If this is the problem I would replace with polypropylene as they give better control.
Bill

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Reply #16 – December 04, 2018, 08:09:41 am

After my similar experience recently I'm betting on a shock.
Let us know what you find.

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Reply #17 – December 04, 2018, 10:53:06 am

Until you get the 'shake, rattle & roll' fixed, a good reason to avoid the 'Highway from hell' eastbound out of Blythe on I-10.

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Reply #18 – December 04, 2018, 11:20:32 am

I was able to grab all front shocks and two in the back. None of them moved. They are red Koni's. However. I was not under the coach so I didn't have a good position to really get a firm grip. One that I had a good view of in the back has a leak.

I called three places and the word is. We are days to a week out. One is supposed to call back. So hoping for the best.

Found a shop that can lift the coach and do an inspection on the suspension later today. So one more night in Barstow. Will report on what they see.

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Reply #19 – December 04, 2018, 08:00:30 pm

Mechanic inspected everything in the front. More mystery. Torque rods were tight. Shocks were tight. BUT. One shock was blown out (his words) He did say that it looked real clean and tidy in there.

He also noted that the gen exhaust pipe sits real high. So I commandeered a few small pieces of wood to hold the pipe still while driving back to Walmart. The noise remains.

I opened up the gen door and put my weight on the gen tray. Not a bit of movement or noise. So back to square one.

The one bit of bad news was that my air bags are pretty bad. So that is on the Arizona to do list.

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Reply #20 – December 04, 2018, 08:11:51 pm

Jerry, is your front ride height OK? If it is low you might be bottoming out once in a while. Check in the DR side front bay to make sure the radiator and blower are secure.

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Reply #21 – December 04, 2018, 08:13:51 pm

Jerry,
Did he go under and check the bushings on the panhard bar? This is another place that can cause a clunking while in motion.
Mike

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Reply #22 – December 04, 2018, 08:39:33 pm

He looked at everything under the front end. Said everything was tight.

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Reply #23 – December 04, 2018, 08:44:15 pm

All that stuff is secure Roger.

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Reply #24 – December 04, 2018, 08:59:03 pm

Quote from: bigdog – December 04, 2018, 08:39:33 pm

He looked at everything under the front end. Said everything was tight.

He should go back and look again, OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING IS WRONG!

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