Sudden noise at 4 AM

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Sudden noise at 4 AM

November 05, 2021, 06:59:07 am

Just so happens we were both up at this time.
Daisy in the living area and me in the restroom.
All of a sudden a very loud noise. I thought the microwave fell or the fridge toppled over, that's how much "mass" the noise had. It sounded like the noise came from the floor.
There was no vibration or shaking of the coach. The coach did not move or lean in any direction.
We are parked with the coach leveled, airbags lowered ( maybe bottomed out)on the front and raised ( look completely full) in the back since about 6 PM.
Went outside and walked around the coach but did not see anything unusual.
Tire pressures are fine.
Could it be a driveshaft issue from the rear being elevated?
Any other suggestions?
Will do another walk around in the day light.
Thanks

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #1 – November 05, 2021, 08:01:19 am

And what was the outdoor temperature change? These bodies do pop as they adjust to the outside temperature going up or down.

If this is all you have to worry you. Congratulations!

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #2 – November 05, 2021, 08:10:14 am

You got me laughing old toolmaker!
Temps were mid 40's

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #3 – November 05, 2021, 08:16:10 am

Frank,

We came into campground late one evening after dark. About the same time frame in the morning we were awakened by crashing sound. After daylight we found that there was a dumpster through the woods just behind our site. Yep the garbage gobbling truck must have dropped he dumpster rather than gently letting it down. Hope you find something as simple as that.

Mike

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #4 – November 05, 2021, 08:19:31 am

Floor people, the people that put the part in the machine and pull the lever, go through a learning curve. The first point is when they "hear a strange noise." To me this means that they are getting comfortable with what they are doing. The next stage is when they make an adjustment to the machine. . .

What are you doing awake at this ungodly hour?

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #5 – November 05, 2021, 08:22:50 am

Quote from: Lt403 – November 05, 2021, 06:59:07 am

Could it be a driveshaft issue from the rear being elevated?

Highly unlikely.

Minor earthquake? I jest, but we DO have these in West TX, and they can be startling in the middle of the night. Sometimes it is just one quick jolt that feels like the whole house moves a fraction of an inch sideways. The BOOM noise always sets our dog off...

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #6 – November 05, 2021, 09:08:30 am

Check your bulkheads. It may of popped. I have no idea why I thought of that.

My wife and I will hear a noise and then look at each other and ask what was that. Only to find out way later what the noise was. Last time, on our last trip going down highway we heard a loud noise. We both had no idea, and she walks through coach. Comes back and can not find what the noise was. Turned out big rock hit the windshield up above where we can see it. Figured it out when we saw the crack working it's way down the windshield.

Once we stopped at a campground late at night. Wife and I are woken by the coach shacking. We asked each other what was going on. A few minutes later we hear a train that turned out to be about 20 ft from where we were parked.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #7 – November 05, 2021, 09:13:40 am

The transfer switch makes a fairly loud thump on our coach. Could have lost electricity at your power pole?

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #8 – November 05, 2021, 09:55:19 am

Well,
Just saw someone else walking his dog and asked if he heard anything at 0400.
He said no, but did say that the DUMPSTERS were empty when he passed by them now and they were full last night.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #9 – November 05, 2021, 10:05:02 am

"Break out the Winchesters"

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #10 – November 05, 2021, 10:17:36 am

One morning, while up in the north woods camping, there was a very loud noise in the coach.
Then the DW started beating me with a pillow and telling me to go sleep on the couch. Never did find out what the noise was, but might have been a skunk?

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #11 – November 05, 2021, 10:27:29 am

About 50 years ago when I was full timing in a Class C I woke up and it was dead
quiet out and then the wind hit the side of the coach with a really loud bang. My
girlfriend woke up frighten. I said it's just the wind. I don't know how wind could do
that but it was enough wind to blow over a plane at the nearby airport.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #12 – November 05, 2021, 10:27:51 am

NO, blame it on Rocket!

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #13 – November 05, 2021, 10:34:57 am

Quote from: Old Toolmaker – November 05, 2021, 08:01:19 am

And what was the outdoor temperature change? These bodies do pop as they adjust to the outside temperature going up or down.

If this is all you have to worry you. Congratulations!

Thanks, you solved my dilemma. On occasion our coach will pop in the rear in the night. Coach is in auto, not dumping air or anything. Always thinking one of the control arms do it as it might be settling.Never been an issue, has done it for 20K miles now.
Chris

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #14 – November 05, 2021, 10:38:16 am

Is it possible the coach let down on a log or something at the back of your campsite? Our compressor does not run at night the the coach may settle.

Pierce

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #15 – November 05, 2021, 10:46:25 am

There are times I think I see a look of admiration on Rocket's face. Didn't know cats could make facial expressions but he seemed to be able to for certain things.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #16 – November 05, 2021, 10:56:22 am

We had a similar experience on our last trip. There was a noise near the front of the coach that sounded like my Beretta firing and the first cabinet door opened a bit then slammed shut. We were stunned by the noise since there was nothing but food in the cabinet. When we sifted through the bread, cans and chips, we found a bag of potato chips that had blown up and popped. We've had things swell before but never make that much noise.
Good luck on your search!
Glen

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #17 – November 05, 2021, 11:41:29 am

My vote is for the garbage truck banging the dumpster to empty it. I think the drivers enjoy making as much noise as they can at 4:00 or 5:00 AM. Just jealous of the campers still asleep while they have to be up working before daylight. 😆

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #18 – November 05, 2021, 08:46:43 pm

Some of the older Newells with disc brakes would have a similar phenomena after having been put into auto level in a parking spot that was not very level. Due to having to torque the frame a bit to get the coach level it puts a LOT of pressure on the disc brakes. Sometimes the pressure was so great that during the night or early morning the disc brake would momentarily lose its grip from the intense tension enough for it to create a Big Bang but would still hold solid after its tension relief. Not saying this is what your's did but may have been something similar.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #19 – November 06, 2021, 11:09:00 am

In the spirit of adding examples that hopefully no one else experiences.

Camping in Teddy Roosevelt NP in North Dakota at beautiful site near river. Wife wakes me up at sunrise and accuses me of snoring. We both hear loud grunts and snorts and open shade to see a dozen bison. Turns out the the trail they take went right through our campsite. Some of them were rubbing trees but thankfully they didn't rub up against the coach. They did, however, leave several calling cards around the picnic table.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #20 – November 06, 2021, 12:25:50 pm

Things that go bump in the night? Wear ear plugs, no problem. (-; jes kidden. Bring a dog with you and REALLY enjoy those things that go bump in the night. My Dobey is on duty all night when we are asleep. She scares anyone who she thinks gets too close to the coach even if they are 100 yards away. Share a funny story. Back in the 90s my wife and I bought a brand new mobile home and found a very affordable park in the country. We congratulated ourselves on finding this hidden gem. First night in the home we are fast asleep, new bed and everything. Suddenly the trailer starts shaking and there is a horrendous roaring sound coming from behind our lot. Things are falling off the wall, items are being thrown to the floor from furniture, we both wake up in a panic. First thought was earthquake, coincidently we had just finished watching a movie about an earthquake in LA before we went to bed. I look out the bedroom window and see a large white cone of light at the front of a locomotive as a train passed us by. Suddenly we knew why our lot rent was so inexpensive. The lot owner ( a really nice guy, former B-17 pilot in WW2) had neglected to inform us the park was sitting fifty feet from the railroad track. Every night at the same time a freight train would pass us. We would wake up, hear the train, know what it was, then go back to sleep. After awhile we got so used to it we slept right through the noise. Ahh those early marriage fun times.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #21 – November 06, 2021, 12:49:52 pm

And some couples ended up with a bunch of kids.

Re: Sudden noise at 4 AM

Reply #22 – November 06, 2021, 01:00:37 pm

Diverging from topic slightly, but sorta the same subject IE loud scary noises that wake you up from a sound sleep.

In the early 70's my new bride and I were making a cross country honeymoon road trip. Decided to stop in Abilene one night. Checked into a low budget motel (we were poor(er) in those days). About 3:00am we were jolted awake by the most horrendous noise...with the whole room shaking and windows rattling from the low frequency roaring. After the initial shock, the scary noise repeated 2 more times in quick succession before things settled down. Took us a while to get back to sleep...

Next morning, checking out, I asked the desk clerk what the heck was that racket last night. He says "Sorry about that...shoulda warned you...that was a 3-ship cell of B-52s taking off from Dyess AFB".

Seems the motel was (unfortunately) situated a few miles directly off the departure end of the main north/south runway.

The funny thing was, at that time I was actually employed by the Air Force as a B-52 driver (stationed at March AFB in Riverside, CA). I should have recognized the noise, but to tell the truth I'd never realized how LOUD the BUFF could be at max takeoff power (water injection augmented) when passing a couple hundred feet directly overhead. From that episode I gained a new feeling of sympathy for the people living right outside the fence around my home base.

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