Squeaks and rattles

[Jeff64]

I've had my coach about a month now and have worked tirelessly to eliminate all the squeaks and rattles from it, I think I have finally got all of them! My wife said it would have been much easier for me to have just gotten some earplugs! I thought I would post a list of the problem areas in my coach and maybe it will help others in search of these annoying rattles.
Squeak & Rattle list:
Bathroom wall where it sits on pedestal was making a wood on wood squeaking sound, removed caulking, inserted shims, installed new caulking, applying a generous amount under the wall in the small gap created by the shims.
Bathroom door at door stop strip, (or scribe molding) rattles when door is closed, I applied a strip of thin weather stripping to the full length of the strip.
Bathroom mirror, applied small thin white weather stripping where it touches the fiberglass
Bathroom sprayer is extendable, the water line has a weight attached to keep it in place. It will bang against the inside bathroom wall while driving.
I applied Styrofoam pipe wrap secured by duct tape. (Accessible through the access panel on the bathroom wall.)
Bathroom wall expansion has a latch to hold it in place, it will rattle while driving. I applied a thin rubber bumper between the latch and the contact point on the inside of the bathroom wall which will pull the door in slightly but will also hold it tighter and help prevent rattling. It may be necessary to also apply a bumper between the expanding wall and the toilet where they contact
Folding countertop piece rattles when down, Apply a small amount of thin weather stripping at hinge area.
The entire sink/range cabinet had enough wiggle room that it would bounce against the floor on a bumpy road. I inserted a couple shims (not too tight) to tighten it up a bit then cut them off flush so they can’t be seen.
The shelves in the wardrobe were making an awful racket, they will move side to side and front to back banging on the back wall of wardrobe. I applied a little thicker weather stripping on the back edge of the shelves and small clear thin cabinet door bumpers to the front at each side where the shelves touch cabinet walls.
The plastic insert tubs above the wheel wells are hard plastic sitting on wood, very noisy! Removed and applied a medium size weather stripping all the way around the underside where the plastic sits on the wood.
There is an air vent pipe behind the gray plastic panel on the outside of the bathroom wall behind passenger side captains chair. This pipe was completely loose and banging into the bathroom wall near the ceiling. I applied a small shot of expanding foam between the pipe and the wall. I also applied thin weather stripping to the gray panel before reinstalling it.
There is a copper propane supply line to the burner top, it was rattling against the back wall of the cabinet. I accessed it through one of the drawers and simply bent it slightly away from the wall.
The black cover plate for the heater was rattling.
I applied thin weather stripping to the outside edges (not visible when reinstalled). I realize it gets hot, I have used the heater with no issues, however it is something you might want to watch should you choose to do this.
There is an aluminum raceway or cover on the drivers side floor that buts up against the sink/ microwave cabinet, it was making a rattle noise from rubbing the cabinet. I applied small clear very thin rubber bumpers between the cabinet and the aluminum. Pretty well invisible from a standing position.
The tool kit under the passenger floor board was also making a racket. I removed the tool bag and placed it in a tool box I carry in the rear of the van.
I applied small thin weather stripping to the inside tops of all drawers in the coach. They are all wood on wood and could rattle.
I also applied small clear thin bumpers to all the upper cabinet doors, although I don’t believe they were rattling but they won’t now.
I also placed rubber mesh style padding in all drawers and on the wardrobe shelves to help prevent things in drawers
from rattling.

[Protagonist]

You've got a lot more squeaks and rattles than I ever did in my 2012. And considering the state of the roads in and around New Orleans, believe me, anything that could rattle, would rattle!

My Airstream Interstate seems to be quieter than my Honda Fit, and the Honda isn't loaded with dishes, cookware, and tools that can rattle every time you hit a bump! Mind you, I haven't bought a decibel meter app for my tablet to actually measure noise levels while I'm driving, so it's just a matter of perception, but still…

[Smartstream]

I toured the Ford Proving Grounds in Arizona several years ago and that was their primary goal, to be free of squeaks and rattles for 100,000 miles. Their research showed that people will put up with many minor faults but if a squeak or rattle showed up they were back at the dealer and while there they also brought up all the other flaws they had been living with.

I guess that is one advantage of a trailer, you can't hear all the racket while going down the highway.

[Jeff64]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

You've got a lot more squeaks and rattles than I ever did in my 2012. And considering the state of the roads in and around New Orleans, believe me, anything that could rattle, would rattle!

My Airstream Interstate seems to be quieter than my Honda Fit, and the Honda isn't loaded with dishes, cookware, and tools that can rattle every time you hit a bump! Mind you, I haven't bought a decibel meter app for my tablet to actually measure noise levels while I'm driving, so it's just a matter of perception, but still…

Interesting.. Not sure what the difference could be, I bought mine in Ohio and was fixing rattles on the way back to Missouri. I am surprised that AS doesn't put just a little more effort into this, on the other hand there is a lot packed into the coach so some noise is to be expected, none of the fixes are hard it just takes some persistance, it seems to be quiet now.

[David M]

Thank you very much for the extensive writeup Jeff64! I will have to bookmark your post for future rattle fixes on my Interstate.
David

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Jeff64

Interesting.. Not sure what the difference could be, I bought mine in Ohio and was fixing rattles on the way back to Missouri. I am surprised that AS doesn't put just a little more effort into this, on the other hand there is a lot packed into the coach so some noise is to be expected, none of the fixes are hard it just takes some persistance, it seems to be quiet now.

The difference is probably a matter of our relative expectations. If your post is any indication, my Interstate would probably drive you nuts, but I don't mind it because it more than meets my expectations, even if it wouldn't come close to meeting yours.

I didn't expect a motorhome— even a luxury mini-motorhome like an Interstate— to be as quiet as a Lincoln Continental. It started life as a delivery van before Airstream had their wicked way with it, and from the beginning I fully expected it to sound like a delivery van, rattles and all. That might be why I was pleasantly surprised that it had fewer squeaks and rattles than competitors such as the Winnebago ERA, and why I haven't felt compelled to track down every little noise and deal with it as you did.

[73shark]

One of the biggest noise sources on mine was the large gray panels on the inside of the rear doors. Functioned like a drum head when you hit a bump. Removed and filled the cavities w/ fiberglass insulation.

Since I'm not a big guy, I blocked the bathroom wall open permanently.

I gave up on the bathroom door but will try your weather stripping fix.

Good writeup. Not sure why the font was so tiny on it tho.

[russ240]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Good writeup. Not sure why the font was so tiny on it tho.

Ditto. Great info but hard to see. I had to blow it up to read it. The good news is that those of us who's eyesight won't let us read it probably have hearing such that we cant hear the rattles anyhow.

Kidding aside, the squeaks and rattles in my unit drive me nuts but I can't get the wife to drive it far enough to let me track them down. Hopefully I can use some of these tips to make it better! Thank you!

[wayneskid]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Good writeup. Not sure why the font was so tiny on it tho.

In advanced mode you can choose your font, size, and color;
BIG RED Verdana 6 pt
OR
Tiny green Verdana 1 pt

Default is Verdana 2pt in black. You can also choose a few other fonts like Comic Sans MS.

[Jeff64]

At first I couldn't understand the comments regarding the size of the text but then I realized that I've gone in to my setings and turned up the text size so it appears larger than what everyone else would see. Let's try this.
Squeak & Rattle list:
Bathroom wall where it sits on pedestal was making a wood on wood squeaking sound, removed caulking, inserted shims, installed new caulking, applying a generous amount under the wall in the small gap created by the shims.
Bathroom door at door stop strip, (or scribe molding) rattles when door is closed, I applied a strip of thin weather stripping to the full length of the strip.
Bathroom mirror, applied small thin white weather stripping where it touches the fiberglass
Bathroom sprayer is extendable, the water line has a weight attached to keep it in place. It will bang against the inside bathroom wall while driving.
I applied Styrofoam pipe wrap secured by duct tape. (Accessible through the access panel on the bathroom wall.)
Bathroom wall expansion has a latch to hold it in place, it will rattle while driving. I applied a thin rubber bumper between the latch and the contact point on the inside of the bathroom wall which will pull the door in slightly but will also hold it tighter and help prevent rattling. It may be necessary to also apply a bumper between the expanding wall and the toilet where they contact
Folding countertop piece rattles when down, Apply a small amount of thin weather stripping at hinge area.
The entire sink/range cabinet had enough wiggle room that it would bounce against the floor on a bumpy road. I inserted a couple shims (not too tight) to tighten it up a bit then cut them off flush so they can’t be seen.
The shelves in the wardrobe were making an awful racket, they will move side to side and front to back banging on the back wall of wardrobe. I applied a little thicker weather stripping on the back edge of the shelves and small clear thin cabinet door bumpers to the front at each side where the shelves touch cabinet walls.
The plastic insert tubs above the wheel wells are hard plastic sitting on wood, very noisy! Removed and applied a medium size weather stripping all the way around the underside where the plastic sits on the wood.
There is an air vent pipe behind the gray plastic panel on the outside of the bathroom wall behind passenger side captains chair. This pipe was completely loose and banging into the bathroom wall near the ceiling. I applied a small shot of expanding foam between the pipe and the wall. I also applied thin weather stripping to the gray panel before reinstalling it.
There is a copper propane supply line to the burner top, it was rattling against the back wall of the cabinet. I accessed it through one of the drawers and simply bent it slightly away from the wall.
The black cover plate for the heater was rattling.
I applied thin weather stripping to the outside edges (not visible when reinstalled). I realize it gets hot, I have used the heater with no issues, however it is something you might want to watch should you choose to do this.
There is an aluminum raceway or cover on the drivers side floor that buts up against the sink/ microwave cabinet, it was making a rattle noise from rubbing the cabinet. I applied small clear very thin rubber bumpers between the cabinet and the aluminum. Pretty well invisible from a standing position.
The tool kit under the passenger floor board was also making a racket. I removed the tool bag and placed it in a tool box I carry in the rear of the van.
I applied small thin weather stripping to the inside tops of all drawers in the coach. They are all wood on wood and could rattle.
I also applied small clear thin bumpers to all the upper cabinet doors, although I don’t believe they were rattling but they won’t now.
I also placed rubber mesh style padding in all drawers and on the wardrobe shelves to help prevent things in drawers
from rattling.

[wayneskid]

Originally Posted by Jeff64

At first I couldn't understand the comments regarding the size of the text but then I realized that I've gone in to my setings and turned up the text size so it appears larger than what everyone else would see. Let's try this.
Squeak & Rattle list:
Bathroom wall where it sits on pedestal was making a wood on wood squeaking sound, removed caulking, inserted shims, installed new caulking, applying a generous amount under the wall in the small gap created by the shims.
Bathroom door at door stop strip, (or scribe molding) rattles when door is closed, I applied a strip of thin weather stripping to the full length of the strip.............

Lots better; thanks! FWIW, something like this is even more readable if you used bulleted list mode. Like this:
Squeak & Rattle list:

• Bathroom wall where it sits on pedestal was making a wood on wood squeaking sound, removed caulking, inserted shims, installed new caulking, applying a generous amount under the wall in the small gap created by the shims.
• Bathroom door at door stop strip, (or scribe molding) rattles when door is closed, I applied a strip of thin weather stripping to the full length of the strip.

[jquayle]

One of the biggest culprits we have for rattles is the max air fan. The arms that allow the lid to move up and down rattle against the rail. I took off the filter to examine it better, but I couldn't find a good solution to the rattling.


Anyone else have ideas or something that fixed this?

[nesoutlook]

Ditto on the Maxx air fan. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Driving me nuts.

[Jeff64]

I noticed my Maxx air fan rattling also, I determined it to be the white plastic grid that opens with the cover, not quite sure of it's purpose but I removed it and no more rattling. Also for those of you who are annoyed by rattles I tracked down two more culprits, the microwave and fridge sit on hard wood shelving with no cushion. The microwave has 4 hard plastic feet which I removed. I went to Lowes and bought 8 furniture grippers (approx 2" diameter) made for the bottom of a sofa leg, adhesive on one side and rubber cushion on the other. I applied them to the bottom 4 corners of the fridge and microwave. Even though both are screwed in from the front on a rough road both will move enough to bang on the wooden shelf they sit on. One other thing I've done is to put foam pipe wrap on all the water lines and copper propane lines that I could find. I know this might be overkill for some but for those that the rattles drive you nuts this will certainly help. When I got my AI in August it was full of rattles and squeaks now it's nice and quiet. It's taken 5,000 miles and alot of hours but I think I've finally got them all.

[joemikeb]

Originally Posted by wayneskid

In advanced mode you can choose your font, size, and color;
BIG RED Verdana 6 pt
OR
Tiny green Verdana 1 pt

Default is Verdana 2pt in black. You can also choose a few other fonts like Comic Sans MS.

Not to change the point of your very pertinent comment, but as a web site builder and an old timer at hand coding HTML, your assertion of the default font being Verdana 2 point jarred me. So a technical correction if I may.

A font point is 1/72 of an inch from the bottom of a descender to the top of an ascender, so your default 2 point Verdana characters would be 1/ 36 of an inch in total height. Too small to be read by anyone without the aid of a magnifying glass. I suspect you are referring to the HTML tag argument size=2 which is a relative, not absolute size as size=2pt would be. Some developers use pixels for font size (size=2px) but that get ugly because Windows uses 96 pixels per inch while Apple uses 72 pixels per inch for compatibility with the print industry.

[Protagonist]

I've been guilty of mixing up size and point values as well.

Oh, well, learn something new every day!

[Aage]

A couple more points regarding text size, font and colours. First, here is what the Community Rules has to say about them:

Posting Standards
Forum members should use the standard fonts available on the forum. The standard font size is 2. The use of bold, large or colored fonts should be used sparingly. Posts containing inappropriate formatting will be removed or modified at our discretion; e.g. all caps or excessive color.

I did reset the font and size to the default values in the first (pretty well unreadable) post. I suspect that information was copied form somewhere else on the web. Since the standard treatment of formatting I see appears to try and keep what what in the original document in the place where it is posted to, you get odd fonts and formatting.

So, a good way to copy is to select the "Paste Special" and go with "No formatting". This will allow Airforum's formatter to apply it's settings in a readable manner.

Lastly, the first post, even having had its formatting "repaired" is still difficult to read due to a complete lack of space (or 'air') in the doc. Don't be afraid to hit the second return after you complete a thought. It makes your posts much easier to read.

[Kevin Madiso]

Thanks again, jeff...you have saved us all a lot of time cracking down on these noise culprits!

[Ron_CA]

I went through mine for the 1st couple weeks and got everything that rattled taken care of...until...I hit the damn railroad tracks. Developed a squeak in the back where the range / refer cabinet meets the seat. My Wife found it by pushing on the cabinet and got it to quiet for a while. Eventually I lifted the seat up, pulled the storage tray out and shoved a small folded towel in between the wheelwell and the cabinet. Worked good for xxx amount of miles and then seemed as if the cabinet pushed back and the squeak started again. We were in Atlanta and my Wife asked her Aunt if she had any old flip flops she could let us use to wedge down in there. Worked perfectly from Atlanta GA to North Carolina and back to California. May work on a more permanent solution but for now it is Peggy's flip flops .

Jeff Thanks for starting this thread, helped out a lot.

[Kwils25]

Originally Posted by Ron_CA

I went through mine for the 1st couple weeks and got everything that rattled taken care of...until...I hit the damn railroad tracks. Developed a squeak in the back where the range / refer cabinet meets the seat. My Wife found it by pushing on the cabinet and got it to quiet for a while. Eventually I lifted the seat up, pulled the storage tray out and shoved a small folded towel in between the wheelwell and the cabinet. Worked good for xxx amount of miles and then seemed as if the cabinet pushed back and the squeak started again. We were in Atlanta and my Wife asked her Aunt if she had any old flip flops she could let us use to wedge down in there. Worked perfectly from Atlanta GA to North Carolina and back to California. May work on a more permanent solution but for now it is Peggy's flip flops .



Jeff Thanks for starting this thread, helped out a lot.

I have a squeak in the same area. Just may try the flip flop solution!


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