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Old 04-11-2017, 04:46 PM   #1
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A few bumps in the road

Heading from Florida to California on our first long trip in our new Isata 5. Got most of the bugs worked out before starting but after about 1000 miles on this trip a rattle developed that sounds like the door is going to fall off when we hit any rough patches at all. This is not the normal motorhome rattle. I took the passenger door panel off only to find a second plastic sub structure which I did not take off. My 55 Chevy never had that second panel. I know rattles are tough but this one Is driving me crazy. If I were a betting man I would bet on the Dodge part of the unit rather than the Dynamax portion. I, however, am not a betting man. Any suggestion appreciated.
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Old 04-11-2017, 07:31 PM   #2
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I had the same kind of sound in mine. I thought it was from inside the door like the window rail was loose. Took the door apart and it was not there. After hours of listening while the wife drove, I found the problem:

Take off the 3 wood trim panels around the top bunk floor, behind the panels is a 1" square tubing shaped into a U. There are threaded bolts at each end of the U and one in each bend. The bolts are supposed to lift the U channel to give some kind of support. In ours, one of the bolts had unscrewed and the 1" tubing was bouncing and hitting the metal frame of the body.

I ended up tightening all four bolt supports and twisted a piece of copper wire behind the locking nut to stop it from loosening up in the future.

Not saying this is your problem but it sounds exactly what I had. Drove me crazy for 1,000 miles till I figured it out.
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:14 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Rrzasa View Post
I had the same kind of sound in mine. I thought it was from inside the door like the window rail was loose. Took the door apart and it was not there. After hours of listening while the wife drove, I found the problem:

Take off the 3 wood trim panels around the top bunk floor, behind the panels is a 1" square tubing shaped into a U. There are threaded bolts at each end of the U and one in each bend. The bolts are supposed to lift the U channel to give some kind of support. In ours, one of the bolts had unscrewed and the 1" tubing was bouncing and hitting the metal frame of the body.

I ended up tightening all four bolt supports and twisted a piece of copper wire behind the locking nut to stop it from loosening up in the future.

Not saying this is your problem but it sounds exactly what I had. Drove me crazy for 1,000 miles till I figured it out.


What panels are you talking about? I have the entertainment system so set up differently. I gotta get this rattle to stop.
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Old 04-12-2017, 09:02 AM   #4
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A few bumps in the road

I have removed the panels and I found a part that has been created from 3 pieces of square steel rod into what I would describe as three sides of a rectangle. There are four receivers welded into the part which accept bolts with the equivalent of a rounded head. These were very loose on the passenger side and very likely the cause of the rattle. Are we talking about the same thing? Brian what is the function of this part? It looks to only be functioning as a separator between the cab area and the bottom of the over cab bed or in my case entertainment area. Click image for larger version

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Old 04-12-2017, 09:17 AM   #5
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That's the part, I had one of the bolts come right out and that tubing was bouncing up and down behind the drivers head. The bolt had actually slipped down the side wall and it was all I could do to retrieve it.
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Old 04-12-2017, 09:48 AM   #6
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I think that is the cab roof reinforcement.
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Old 04-12-2017, 09:53 AM   #7
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OK Rrzasa this looks like the culprit. After wiggling it around I don't see how it could not be. Obviously the proof will be tomorrow when we get back on the road but assuming this is the fix I owe you lunch or dinner at the restaurant of your choice in Asheville or other place of your choosing.
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Old 04-12-2017, 10:08 AM   #8
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OK Rrzasa this looks like the culprit. After wiggling it around I don't see how it could not be. Obviously the proof will be tomorrow when we get back on the road but assuming this is the fix I owe you lunch or dinner at the restaurant of your choice in Asheville or other place of your choosing.
Glad to be of help. That is why I like this forum so much and why I bought the Isata 5 in the first place. We all help each other and when we can't help Brian steps in.

Safe travels.
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Old 04-12-2017, 10:15 AM   #9
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I was about 6 minutes from driving my Jeep into a brick wall. I had been hit by a deer (yes...he hit me broad side). Had both doors replaced and the front quarter panel. (head hit, then body swung around and took out the doors).

After the repair, I developed a rattle. For the life of me I cold not figure out if it was the front door or the back door. I was absolutely sure that a tool was left in the door panel during repair. Just made me angry to drive. I finally took it back and told them if they didn't fix it, they could have it. After about 2 hours of test drives and pulling their hair out...they found out it was a loose exhaust hanger near that area. You can't imagine the sheer joy that brought me to drive rattle free..well, I guess you guys can

I feel your pain.
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Old 04-12-2017, 01:12 PM   #10
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A few bumps in the road

OK. Fix applied. I went to Home Depot and purchased self adhesive felt pads and locktite. Applied the pads both top and bottom to the bolts and bolt casings. Also applied them to any area where the part might vibrate against the body. Applied locktite to the bolts and button the whole thing back up. I have my fingers crossed.
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Old 04-12-2017, 01:26 PM   #11
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...they found out it was a loose exhaust hanger ....
I know exactly how you feel. My old Chevy dually had the most annoying rattle known to man. It would only happen when I was driving, or stopped in drive. As soon as I put it in park, it stopped. I checked all the exhaust hangers, they were all tight. I fooled around with this for weeks, finally figured out the rubber on the inside of one of the hangers had worn through, and was just reverbing all throughout the exhaust system, just at certain frequencies. So annoying.
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Old 04-14-2017, 07:42 AM   #12
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Happy days are here again. The fix eliminated the rattle. Thanks again to Rrzasa for his post. My blood pressure yesterday must have been 20 points lower while riding in comparative silence.
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Old 07-19-2017, 10:21 AM   #13
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Chalk me up to the third one to have this same rattle. Unfortunately I didn't see this thread before finding and fixing it on my own. I didn't do the lock-tite, but worse case, I know what it is, and can address it differently if it comes back.
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Old 07-19-2017, 10:54 AM   #14
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I don't have an Isata but I know how much rattles can drive you crazy. We used to tow with an SUV and after loading the back with stuff it would often shift and start to rattle on the road. ARGH!

Now all that stuff goes in the bed of the truck where it can rattle all it wants!

- - -

Anyway, it's really nice to see a specific problem reported and a specific solution posted. Congrats on solving your rattle!
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