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A worrying noise

Posted: Sun, 31 May 2009, 9:12 am
by bigbird
Hi all, can you tell me if I am the only one to experience a fibreglass, creaking or cracking noise from the central tunnel? I'm hoping that when I lay the plywood this will help the structure, but it doesn't sound healthy? :roll: A diet may be the only way to go!!!!

Posted: Sun, 31 May 2009, 7:10 pm
by Admin
Mine creaks a bit when you walk up and down. Wouldn't worry too much, not unless you start to notice cracks appearing...

Creaks

Posted: Mon, 01 Jun 2009, 7:23 pm
by txfsealord
Is the noise there when the van's supported partly on its corner-jacks, or more when it's on its wheels only?

I ask this because (a) I'm nosy, (b) on ours I found severe cracks & splits running rearwards from behind the plates which support the axle. They only showed on the underneath, & I only found them when cleaning the dirt from under the hull. The axle assembly had punched its way up into the hull floor, our creaks were worse when standing on the wheels alone. Also noticeable was a distinct lack of reserve suspension travel, & attempts by the tyres to wear through the wheelarches. And this was when the van was empty!

There's a large slab of plywood in a sort of X-shape, or perhaps '+ shape' describes it better, running across the hull between the wheelarches & along the length of the footwell, or tunnel. As ours had been used to store rainwater (they're very good for that) our plywood was rotten. Bad news, as the ply's fully encapsulated between the upper hull moulding (locker tops & footwell) & the lower (main) part. My response was to add to the drawbar A frame the chassis-extension to the rear, which included longitudinal rails to the wheelarch edges & supplanted the need for the ply as axlemount stiffening. My footwell still creaks (can't 'ave everything) but the hull is sound now (& heavy).

Food for thought?

Steve