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Old 04-12-2010, 07:36 PM   #1
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what is the "clunking" sound over bumps?

We have a 2001 Winnebago Journey 36GD with with 40,000 miles on the speedo. Bought the rig used and have put the last 3,000 miles on it. Noticed "clunking" sound in the suspension on the test drive and thought it was the rear shocks. Dealer replaced the rear shocks, changed all the fluids, new tires, new batteries and a grease job. No clunk when we drove off the lot.

After about 500 miles the clunk slowly came back. After another 1000 miles I crawled under and greased all 29 points again. Again the clunk went away. 500 mile later, it's back.

The rig runs and drives great. Everything works perfect inside and out. Still we have this clunk from under the coach going over small bumps in the pavement. Most noticable at 10 to 30 MPH. Sounds like a loose shock mount, but all four are tight. At highway speeds 60mph I don't notice it as much.

I have noticed this same noise when riding on city buses. I know it's not our junk rattling around down in the basement because I have it all well stored and padded.

Something in the suspension, steering gear or whatever is making this noise. The noise is not real loud and I can't feel it in the seat or in the steering wheel. I have tried to determine if the noise is coming from the front or back and all I can say for sure is, it's from down below and maybe in the front. Not sure about the in front part.

Can anybody tell me what the "clunk" is and how to get rid of it? I hope it's not something we have to live with. With a rig this old I do expect to have a few fixes. So far however, except for this rather anoying little noise, everthing is perfect and we love the coach. Please help me if you can.

Pine Tree
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Old 04-13-2010, 12:03 AM   #2
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You might try greasing 1 joint at a time,followed by a short test drive till the noise goes away again.that might help you narrow your search.Noises can sometimes be elusive,but if lube makes it go away,you can use that as a diagnostic aid.I'm not shure what chassis you have.Good luck.
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Old 04-13-2010, 04:38 AM   #3
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Thanks for the reply. Very good idea. Your right, noises are illusive. We have the freightliner chassis model XC.
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Old 04-13-2010, 07:02 AM   #4
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I seem to recall another posting a while ago (possibly on a different board) about someone with a similar clunking sound that turned out to be something in the upper shock mount that wasn't tightened up to spec. Once things were re-torqued the clunk went away. Might be worth checking in any case.
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Old 04-14-2010, 11:43 AM   #5
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Could it be a rusty and or flat "s" cam on the breaks that is slipping? Try calling 1.800.FTL.HELP and see if they can lead you in the right direction
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Old 04-14-2010, 05:52 PM   #6
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Try to determine if the 'clunking' noise only occurs upon braking. If so, you need an S-Cam roller service for your front (and possibly rear) brakes. The S-cam roller actuates your brake shoes. It's notorious for getting corroded on our MH's which don't see a lot of miles. Any good shop should be able to service them.

Service includes pulling wheels, removing the s-cams, cleaning and lubricating them on the roller ends (looks like a rolling pin).
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Old 04-18-2010, 09:37 AM   #7
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I had a similar issue on an 08 Journey after about one year. Turned out to be bands around the front leaf springs. Freightliner dealer said they loosened up (poor design). Dealer installed new clamps around them (at my expense). That fixed the problem. I wasn't satisfied with Freightliner not covering the repair under warranty.
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Old 04-19-2010, 07:44 PM   #8
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Pi Trip,
I guess I don't understand. Bands on leaf springs??? Winnebago Journeys don't have leaf springs. They have air bag suspension as do all FL D pusher chassis. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
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Old 04-20-2010, 06:11 PM   #9
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I have the same chassis as you Pine Tree and have a noise thump during hard braking (not brakes) but not on bumps as far as I can tell cause my junk ain't always well stored. got to looking down below and my bushings that keep the solid axle from moving fore and aft look original and probably need replacing but don't look worn out. If your noise went away after greasing then it has to be a suspension or steering bushing. Bushing is worn and grease has taken out the play. My 38' Discovery has 60000 miles on it but they seem to be easy miles. I would expect to change suspension bushings to get rid of your thump. Might take a look at your airbags while there, mine have some very minor cracking and I imagine would be easier to change bags while changing front end bushings. I worry about blowing a bag while on the road. I could be wrong on this diagnosis but maybe some help. Post results please. Good luck
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Old 04-26-2010, 12:17 PM   #10
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Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by pine tree View Post
Pi Trip,
I guess I don't understand. Bands on leaf springs??? Winnebago Journeys don't have leaf springs. They have air bag suspension as do all FL D pusher chassis. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Pine Tree
I've attached a picture. You'll see the clamps the FL dealer installed that replaced the bands that loosed around the front leaf springs. This fixed the clunking sound immediately.
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Old 04-27-2010, 06:57 PM   #11
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Pig Trip,
Thank you for the picture. Now I understand. [Picture is worth a thousand words] I am familar with these bands. Mine seem to be tight. Never the less in the morning I'm going to put a couple hose clamps on those babys and go for a test run. Wish me luck. I'll let you know results. Just thought of something--There are NO bands on my spring wrap arounds at all. Can hardly wait for morning to put some on.
Thanks Again,
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Old 04-28-2010, 07:04 PM   #12
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Pig Trip,
Sorry to say "The clamps made no change." I made date with a FL frame and chassis expert [I hope he is an expert] to check things out.
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Old 04-29-2010, 03:33 PM   #13
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Please post the "expert" diagnosis.

Nick
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Old 04-30-2010, 03:15 PM   #14
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Nick & Pig Trip,

Bottom line, I still have the clunk. On the other hand I had a wonderful experience with the "Frame Expert" You know the big sign at every repair facility. [NO CUSTOMERS BEYOUD THIS POINT] Well, this was the complete opposite. I was welcomed under the elevated coach and for four hours [Yes, 4 hours] given a complete run down on all the feathures of the XC F/L chassis. What to look for and how to maitain it. For example, how to measure the oil in the front wheel hubs. I'll bet most F/L owners don't know they have oil bath front wheel bearings. Much less, how to maintain them. This guy was just great. I'm a clean fingernail motor-head, so all this information was very exciting to receive. He just went on and on. At the end of this great education I got a bill of $113.00. WOW. He banged and turned every thing on the bottom of my coach. Could not find the "Clunk" However he drove the coach before and after his try at the "clunk" and basicly said "Everything was in great shape and the coach drove just fine". Please IRV2 can I tell the folks how to contact this great guy?
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Old 04-30-2010, 03:18 PM   #15
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To All,
Winnebago Grand National Rally is coming up and I hope F/L will be there to have a wack at my "Clunk" I'll find this baby yet.
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Old 04-30-2010, 03:53 PM   #16
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Wish you luck, Pine Tree. I and several dealers (Including Winnebago Ind) chased the "clunk" without success for several years. Finally just gave up. I will try the spring leaf clamp, but don't expect any results. If they do eliminate the clunk at Forest City, I would appreciate knowing what it was.


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Old 07-31-2010, 02:34 PM   #17
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FOUND THE PROBLEM'
Thanks for all your help and advice. My friendly Freightliner dealer finely came up with the answer to the "clunking." Seems kind of stupid but it did cost $725.00 for them to figure it out and fix the "Clunk." I talked to and had a ton of folks look at this problem. Including F/L at the GNR. So maybe it was not as simple to figure out as it was to fix.
THE FRONT LEFT SHOCK WAS BAD
All is now well. Good thing I'm rich. Ha Ha

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Old 07-31-2010, 10:00 PM   #18
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I also have the "clunk" in the driver's side front suspension on an 02 F53 we just bought. Based on other postings, I suspect it might be the horizontal sliding of the spring leaves as the suspension compresses.

Before our next trip, I plan to lube the shackle rubber joints with silicone and to spray around the ends of each leaf in the springs with a graphite penetrating oil.

The rig had been static for about 18 month before we bought it, so it's possible that rust has built up around the end of each leaf in the spring. Since semi-elliptic leaf srpings move horizontally against the adjacent leaf as they compress and relax, any corrosion in the area could cause a temporary bind and a "clunk" as it releases.

We'll see if the graphite spray fixes the problem when we go on our next outing.

The F53 certailny reminds you of its delivery truck ancestry at frequent intervals, but at least the brakes are OK and the transmisson parking selection is conventional pawls in the box, not like Workhorse. The problems with the Bosch service brakes and that dumb "Autopark" system on the Workhorse Chassis made me eliminate WH from our search for a new rig.
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Old 08-01-2010, 03:07 AM   #19
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Hello pine tree,

Below is the post I wrote but now I see you have found the problem. Oh well, I’m glad for you except for the expense. I’ll stick this in anyway since this information may be of use to someone else.

________


I would try tx2stroke’s idea of greasing the joints systematically. One technique that’s used when there could be multiple things causing the same problem (like a short on a board with 28 boards installed) is the half / whole method of troubleshooting.

In your instance, you could try greasing just the front end or the rear to isolate the problem to the front or rear. Then break it down to left or right. This can reduce the number of points to 1/4th of 29 in only two tries if you selectively grease the right number of fittings.

Good luck!

ps When we had our Journey, it developed a clunking that started out faint and I could not find it until it got worse. Then using a stethoscope, I traced it to behind the passenger seat. The Freightliner shop found the top shock support on the passenger side was not torqued properly causing a clunk sound. After tightening, the clunk was gone.
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Old 11-25-2010, 09:48 AM   #20
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Smile Fixed the clunk

The "clunk" turned out to be bad front shocks. Simple but true. All is well now

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