What is that annoying clicking noise from my wheels?
If you have snap on or even bolt on hub caps, you may be hearing the grabbers on the cap scratching against the rim as it flexes. From the weight of the coach, the steel rims will flex a bit and if the hub cap is so inclined, it will creak a bit.
The test is to take off the hub caps and see if the noise goes away. If it does, wrap a layer of duct tape around the grabbers on the hub caps and the noise will usually go away. If the noise does not go away with the hub caps off, you may have a bearing problem or at least a brake drum/rotor issue and you should have that checked right away.
If you have been looking for new hub caps to fit your 16.5″ rims, you know how hard they are to find– we got’em! $29.50 each, these will not make noise and resists falling off– why, because they are plastic. Give me a call and get a set while you can, these are the only ones I know still available.
What is that roar sound when I accelerate, it sounds like a noisy transmission?
Many people have been duped by slick transmission shops because of a loud sound like the poor tranny is coming apart! It may be the fan clutch cycling. If you have a heavy duty clutch, it will most certainly wake up the dead. For that reason, many people take off the beefier model and go back to the standard 75% rotation unit.
The fan clutch uses a bimetal spring the engages the fan when it gets hot in the engine compartment. It should only come on when it is hot. To test its operation, spin the fan by hand with the engine cold and off of course, see how it feels. Now, crank up the motor and let the engine get good & hot, you may want to go for a drive then let it sit running for 10 sec. or so. Turn off the motor and spin the fan by hand again. It should have more friction in it and should be a bit harder to spin.
If not, remove the fan clutch and inspect the center and look for oil. If you see a wet area around the bimetal spring, the clutch is leaking and should be replaced.
What is that popping sound when I turn the steering wheel?
Usually, the slip portion of the shaft assembly between the steering box and the bottom of the steering column is frozen. Have someone start the engine and slowly turn the wheel while you look at the steering shaft assy.. You may actually see it “pop” as it binds up.
Remove the assy. from the column and steering box, pull the shaft apart and clean out the slip portion. Many times, the boot covering the upper CV on the assy. will be torn, call us & we’ll send you a new one. Lube the slip portion well and reinstall the unit. If the noise still persists and you can tell it is in the slip shaft assy., replace it.
Why does my coach have a vibration that comes & goes around 55 MPH?
Your rear wheels exchange vibrations via the common to both air bag and the sharing of weight, you need to have your tires trued & static balanced to elevate this situation. A round, balanced tire will not vibrate and thus cause this condition. Balancing alone will not cure the physical “out of round” situation all tires have. If you are interested in more information about tire truing & balancing, go to Tire Truing.
Is “Tire Truing” snake oil?
There are many that have had their rims (both 16 & 16.5″) and tires trued here at the Co-op. Without question, every customer that has had it done has called back (because I asked them to) and reported on the coach ride after the job was done has told me they could not believe the difference. OK, fair enough but for you guys who are still on the fence about “shaving off” tires, take a look at this: 
You are looking at 6 very new tires on Alcoa rims and the rubber I removed from the 6 of them only. Now think about this for a minute, the tires seemed OK before I trued them and the pile here is 3″ deep. Think about how much better they are going to run if the ride gets better every time this is done to a set of tires? …….. Times up! The rubber you see came from the high points only on the 6 tires. The high point was taken down to the low point which is the max wear limit before and after the truing was done. So, no reduction of rubber to wear, less friction because the tires are rounder thus less wear and longer mileage. Rounder tires so you have a smoother ride (less vibration). The laws of physics cannot be changed, “Rounder tires – bump less”. Now that the rim and tire are round, the gravity balance will make the tire run smooth at 5mph, 50mph, 500mph and 5000mph – the tire and rim are perfectly round and perfectly balanced – It don’t get no better than that man! These are 6 tires ready to roll! Remember, this is not “snake oil”, ask Dean, Marsh, Nelson, Dave, Paul, Ed, Jerry, and a few hundred others – GET YOUR TIRES TRUED!