My Oliver POPPED all night long

[Trainman]

Well not that this doesn't happen,, probably normal, let's face it, it's fiberglass and glued together. We were camping last weekend and for some reason the trailer up by the A/C area in the roof popped all night long. Just a sharp pop, crackle, whatever, this has happened before and I just figured settling of the fiberglass construction, but there was more popping then usual. I thought that maybe I didn't put enough tension on the rear jacks as I did notice that the trailer was not as stable as other times, but too laze to go out and give the jacks a little bump down. Just wondered if you have ever experienced this before, I don't see where you could do much about it, but adjusting the stress on the trailer with the jacks is probably the only thing you could do.

trainman

[John E Davies]

I have never heard a sound from the hull, other than some creaking where the doghouse meets the front wall when raising up the front. I think you have a problem up top, perhaps a loose or improperly mounted AC unit. I don't have a clue why it would be popping continuously. That is baffling. But I think you should investigate, it is not normal.

How loud it is? FYI my MaxxAir vent was not bedded right, it leaked water but it never made weird noises.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited July 3, 2020 by John E Davies

[topgun2]

Agree with JD - no noise from mine either - ever.

[Mike and Carol]

I have not noticed any hull noise either.  I’ll be listening next trip.  Mike

[Overland]

Never heard anything like that.  We've only had noises when we've had the awning out at night.  It can creek and pop, but I'm guessing that yours was rolled in for the night.   Was it particularly windy or anything?  I wonder if the AC shroud could be loose and making noise?

[GraniteStaters]

The first couple of nights after we picked up our Ollie it made lots of popping noises near the AC. I've heard a few since then, but nothing like those first couple of nights. Paula

[SeaDawg]

I've honestly not heard anything like that, in 12 years. 

Did you have a big difference in elevation or temperature,  day to night? Weather conditions?

If I  hear noise on the roof, it's usually tiny hail or sleet. 

I'd check the ac shroud, and ac mounting bolts, first. Probably.  

[Corvus]

Our LEII started creaking and popping very loudly during our second and first long distance trip. Using the steps, moving in the trailer and windy gust made it pop, creak or crackle. After a lot of tracking and trouble shooting it appears the street side stabilizer rubs against the hull in the direction of the wheel well. The trailer makes a good speaker box and amplified this a lot. Just mentioning this so you can look to see if there is something plucking at the hull in the AC area.

The popping sound reverberated through the hull so much it was difficult to track down at first.  I finally found the source by using a stethoscope. 

[SeaDawg]

So, Corvus, how did you fix it? Or do you still get the same sound?

[Landrover]

Interesting my unit made the same popping noise once in a while. I believe it coming from the ac unit or the fiberglass around the AC  We had some very hot humid days  once the interior gets cooled down you can still feel the heat between the hull.  I think the popping came when the sun was setting and the hull cooled. Ill pay more attention next time to try to narrow it down,

[Corvus]

15 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

So, Corvus, how did you fix it? Or do you still get the same sound?

The noise would stop with the bolts that hold the stabilizer and ring were loose. On the last attempt to find a solution I tightened the rear bolt first and the noise stopped. I had also added a couple of drops of silicon lubricant where the stabilizer goes through the hull. I expect the noise to return eventually, but hopefully this will buy some time until I can take it to Oliver for a permanent fix.

[Trainman]

I don't think anything is loose, but until the cover comes off the A/C unit and I inspect it, who knows. The outside temp was around 95 degrees, but even night time with lower temps did not make a difference on the popping sounds, or if the A/C was on, or off.  Now these sounds are random, so there is no set pattern when the will happen. Movement in the trailer is not a factor either, as this happen when we are in bed and not moving around in the trailer. I still think it was that the rear jacks were not under enough pressure and their adjustment may have been more on one side vs. the other. If it wasn't so hot outside I would go out an take a nap in the trailer as see if it will happen, yes I do have power to the trailer at home, but just haven't wanted to fool with it at this time, I have to work on my garden railroad as it is more fun then messing with the trailer. I still think it is stress related in the fiberglass, after owing several Corvettes and being with Chevrolet for 35 plus years, I have had owner of Vettes say they get a popping sound from time to time. Plus I have owned many boats of all types of fiberglass and they may have popped to, but just couldn't hear them when under power on the water. I will let you know if something comes up, but I don't expect to be doing too much camping during this Texas heat and everything else that is going on. Maybe we can set around at the Oliver Rally (if it happens) and have a beer and wine "popping party". 

trainman 

[GraniteStaters]

Paula and I experienced the popping sound with the A/C on at Davey Crockett.  I suspect that you are on to something about the stabilizer jacks as we haven’t had it since.  That being said, we haven’t had too many opportunities to use the A/C all night since TN last fall.  I do put a bit more lift in the rear stabilizers to take some of the bounce out of the trailer.  I will advise as to my results as we use the A/C more this summer in NE this summer.

Edited July 5, 2020 by GraniteStaters

[Ray and Susan Huff]

I'm confused . . . . . does this only happen when the AC is running?  How do the stabilizer jacks fit into the equation?  Is it only occurring on newer models and only Elite IIs?

Funny noises from unknown sources drive me nuts!  Someone needs to figure this out before we get our new Oliver 😖  I'm certainly going to ask about this during our orientation.    We had a loud chirping in our van while on a road trip last summer.  My husband doesn't hear well, so he was no help.  First it sounded like it was outside, but when I went out to investigate, it would sound like it came from the inside.  I finally determined it was loudest in the stand-alone shower stall, but when I would look in the shower, it quit.  Then I thought maybe something on the shower skylight; nothing there.  I  finally discovered a cricket that had apparently hijacked in on a box I had stowed in the shower.  Just like the hull of an Oliver, the fiberglass shower was like a drum.

Hopefully the mystery will be solved.

[BackofBeyond]

I would think heat and cold cycling, along with a left/right/front thrust from the stabilizers would put some amount of stress on the unit - mine certainly has a few creaks and moans each time I set it up for a level setting. However i haven't noticed any thing like what was describe - perhaps someone spilled a little Rice Krispies in the hull....

 

[KountryKamper]

It's expansion and contraction. 95 outside 55 degree air blowing from the A/C unit. Ours has always done it. 

[Townesw]

7 hours ago, KountryKamper said:

It's expansion and contraction. 95 outside 55 degree air blowing from the A/C unit. Ours has always done it. 

Ours too. 

[Ray and Susan Huff]

1 hour ago, Townesw said:

Ours too. 

 

9 hours ago, KountryKamper said:

It's expansion and contraction. 95 outside 55 degree air blowing from the A/C unit. Ours has always done it. 

So, not to be concerned?  

[John E Davies]

2 hours ago, Susan Huff said:

So, not to be concerned?  

It should not occur. I don’t think it is a big deal if it does, but I would definitely be concerned and try to fix it. I have enough trouble sleeping with odd outside noises, I don’t need more generated at random inside the cabin....

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Overland]

I guess I’m going to have to stop following Trainman around and tossing acorns at his trailer.

[Ray and Susan Huff]

1 hour ago, Overland said:

I guess I’m going to have to stop following Trainman around and tossing acorns at his trailer.

I always blamed that on birds or squirrels when we camp under trees.  Perhaps you were the culprit . . . . . .

[Mattnan]

We had similar popping while camped in FL with the ac on.  It was random.  It seemed to be near the ac.  I never figured it out.  I tend to believe it was the temperature difference.  It has not happened when we do not run the ac.  I plan to bring our trailer to Honnenwald in January for some service and will add this to the list for inspection.  Thanks for bringing this up.

[Corvus]

Thank you for starting this thread Trainman. The first and only time we used the AC was a couple of nights on our first outing with the Ollie last October. During that trip there was a popping noise which interrupted my sleep a lot. Initially thought it might be the refrigerator cycling, but did not try to track it down until now. After reading this thread I wondered if the source of the popping was the AC. So I started testing the AC first.

After starting my AC it popped in less than ten minutes, then continued to pop about every ten minutes for a couple of hours.  It also popped in a couple of minutes after shutting down the AC. As others suggested the simplest explanation appeared to be the diffuser was not able to expand or contract smoothly with changes in temperature.

Flexing the edges of the diffuser by pressing different areas produced a lot of popping and crackling and if felt like the edge was grabbing the hull. The diffuser is held in place by eight wood screws and two sheet metal screws. I started backing out each screw a little at a time to see if it would change anything. The pops and crackles were reduced with each iteration. I stopped when a sheet of letter paper could easily slide under all edges. The diffuser is forced to follow the contour of the ceiling so the corners were the last to separate.

Immediately after backing out the screws I ran the AC for two hours without popping. Although encouraging I ran the AC a few more hours over a couple of days and still no popping. Now I'm looking at ways the screws can be snugged down without forcing the edges against the ceiling, leaving a thin gap all the way around. The largest gaps occur in the front and back at the center. The back gap is the largest at 2.7mm (measured using two dimes) at the center. I don't think these gaps will cause any issues but maybe a soft gasket could be used to seal these areas.

Hopefully others will help confirm whether or not these observations help resolve this issue in their trailers. Suggestions for a permanent fix would also be appreciated.

 

This diagram is from Dometic AC 64767 instructions.

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Corvus
Changed the word cover to diffuser.

[Overland]

Nice job tracking down the problem.  I would think that a few strategically placed felt pads on the AC diffuser would solve the popping.  

[Trainman]

I might give those screws a twist with the screwdriver, but I don't think that's the problem. I personally am not going to worry about it, or tear the trailer apart trying to find it. 

trainman