Community Forums

whiterhino11 · 06-28-2010, 06:03 PM

Hello all,

My wife and I are new to the group and new to RV word as well. We purchased a 1999 Fleetwood Bounder just over two months ago with only 20,000 miles on it. After traveling a short period of time the motor starts to make a rattling noise. It sounds like a bucket of marbles, I tried different levels of gas but it doesn’t seem to help. Could anyone give me an idea of what I’m hearing and is there a simple fix?

Thanks
Bob & Donna

DAN L · 06-29-2010, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whiterhino11

Hello all,

My wife and I are new to the group and new to RV word as well. We purchased a 1999 Fleetwood Bounder just over two months ago with only 20,000 miles on it. After traveling a short period of time the motor starts to make a rattling noise. It sounds like a bucket of marbles, I tried different levels of gas but it doesn’t seem to help. Could anyone give me an idea of what I’m hearing and is there a simple fix?

Thanks
Bob & Donna

welcome to this forum.

some questions come to mind...

what kinda engine have you got? is the coolant temperature ok? is the oil level ok? have you changed the oil and filter? do you loose power when it starts rattling?
you can update your signature block with info about your moho.

Gary RVRoamer · 06-29-2010, 08:05 AM

A bucket of marbles...Hmmm. How much is "a short time"? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? And is this a GM/Chevy 454 engine or a Ford 6.8L V10?

The only thing I can think is that the engine warms up enough that the cooling fan(s) comes on. The fan is hitting something, making the noise.

J Walker · 06-29-2010, 09:27 AM

I might be engine knocking or pinging if it is a gasser. That would be halted every time you let off on the accelerator.

Vegasdan · 06-29-2010, 12:49 PM

If it is pinging or knocking when you are accelerating or climbing a hill, then a couple things come to mind. If it's a carbureted engine the carb might need to be cleaned as it could be giving you a lean mixture due to varnish in the innerds which will cause detonation-not a good thing to have as it can burn holes in pistons. Pull the plugs and see what they look like. If you don't know how to "read" them take them to a mechanic. Sooty black equals rich and shouldn't ping, white equals lean and would ping, brownish tan would be correct mixture and melted equals real trouble.

MaverickBBD · 06-30-2010, 11:40 AM

Welcome to the forum and the rv world. As you have probably learned already the more information you can provide about your coach the better the quality of answer to your question.

whiterhino11 · 06-30-2010, 02:51 PM

Let me start by thanking everyone for their response,Then to answer some of the questions. Yes, the fluid levels are fine and checked each time we head out. the oil was change the day of purchase. The engine is a ford V-10 and I think it's fuel injected. The noise does seem to take place only when I'm climbing a hill and traveling at high speeds 60ish. I purchased real inexpensive gas a couple weeks ago ($251 per gal) while traveling white mountains of New Hampshire and it seems that the noise began shortly there after.. but maybe coincidental.. My wife and I were thinking of heading to Maine this weekend which would be a 3 hour drive from home and was wondering if I should try some injector cleaner or maybe an octane booster?

Thanks again
Bob & Donna

Vegasdan · 06-30-2010, 04:57 PM

Could be the cheap gas. It definately sounds like pinging if you hear it when the motor is under load only. If you can put in some more fuel try adding some premium and see if this goes away or improves.

TandW · 06-30-2010, 05:18 PM

Any chance it was Canadian gas?

whiterhino11 · 06-30-2010, 07:30 PM

should I try some injector cleaner or maybe an octane booster?

Stump Jumper · 06-30-2010, 08:55 PM

I would try a couple of cans of octane booster. It sounds like a detonation (pinging) problem due to bad gas. The injector cleaner won't hurt either. Since your motorhome is a 1999 and only has 20,000 miles, it has done alot of sitting which probably means that it has had some "old" gas through it. The injector cleaner will help clean it out.

Possum · 06-30-2010, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TandW

Any chance it was Canadian gas?

80% of the gas sold in the USA is from up here. What's the point of your comment as we have no problems using Canadian gas.

You could try 'lock de-icer as there may have been a bit of water in your 'cheap' gas.

whiterhino11 · 07-01-2010, 06:10 AM

I thank everyone for all their good advise, I'm heading for a few days and will give those suggestions a try then follow up with everyone next week.. have a joyful and safe holiday weekend.

Thanks again.
Bob & Donna

whiterhino11 · 07-06-2010, 03:38 PM

Hello All,

I just wanted to thank everyone once again.. The wife and I had a wonderful weekend of traveling with the absent of any engine noises!! It seems that a little octane booster and some high octane fuel did the trick..

1999 Fleetwood Bounder 32H V-10

Bob & Donna