Can anyone help me identify a noise?

Pete'sMH · 05-04-2017, 02:02 AM

My 2017 Freedom Elite on a Ford E-450 chassis sometimes has a fairly loud intermittent clicking sound coming from under the hood. It only occurs sometimes and only when the engine is running. Vehicle does not have to be moving or in gear. Today while it was happening I got out and opened the hood. It sounds like a relay clicking and or is coming from up behind the brake booster. Can anyone tell me what this might be? It does not sound "proper"!

Thank you.

Woofwoof · 05-04-2017, 02:12 AM

Did you have the dash AC or defroster on? Could be the ac compressor coming on. Perfectly normal click when the compressor engages. You can see the front of the pulley start spinning when the compressor comes on. Will come on and off intermittently.

Pete'sMH · 05-04-2017, 03:35 AM

No, wasn't on and it's not in that area. Definitely up behind the brake fluid reservoir. Also when it happens it's like it chatters randomly, sometimes rather rapidly sometimes not. Today it happened only after driving about 300 miles. Appreciate the response. Of course it doesn't do it when at the dealers!

Ewok · 05-04-2017, 09:24 PM

Does it have a electric fan? might need replaced if it over heats it will try and cycle. Hope this helps

blw2 · 05-05-2017, 07:08 PM

mine is an E-450 chassis. Thor put the house battery / chassis battery isolating relay....along with the Intellitec B.I.R.D in that area just under the brake master cylinder.

I recently replaced the relay, so I am familiar....

clicking on and off indicates battery voltage falling below 12.6V when plugged in or when engine is running. This is normal with heavy loads or with low batteries

blw2 · 05-05-2017, 07:10 PM

http://intellitec.com/assets/pdf/145...-00362-000.pdf

Pete'sMH · 05-06-2017, 02:40 AM

Thank you blw2. Might be on to something here. After driving for 6 hours today I noticed that the house battery is showing 3/4 charge. After being plugged into shore power it's still showing the same after unplugging (it shows full while on shore power). Perhaps my original factory battery is failing to hold a proper charge. I don't have a voltmeter out on the road - I'm a LONG way from home at Zion in Utah at the moment. It's something to check! Coach was made last August but sometimes batteries fail....

blw2 · 05-06-2017, 11:23 AM

yes they sure do. I learned the hard and expensive way, over many years with boats and my old popup. And found that the battery in my MH was DOA when I bought the coach new.
These things are damaged by deep discharge, and I think what happens often, as what I'm sure is what happened in the case of my MH....
the RV sits on the lot for a while, and the battery gets drained
either by self discharge over time, &/or by folks leaving the "use" switch connected, maybe a light left on over night, etc.....
It might sit dead for a day or more, then get recharged
One, two, or more cycles like this kill the battery.
It might hold enough charge when recharged to look ok for a PDI
but it's really no good at all.

The very first thing I did on mine was to install battery post disconnect switches on my chassis and house batteries. When I park the thing, I always disconnect them so that there is zero chance for parasitic loads to drain them. Now all I have to worry with is the self discharge that happens over time.
They last a lot longer than they did in my popup.

I found that my isolating relay was bad a few weeks ago, when I discovered that after a long drive my house battery was only partially charged, and barely made it through the night of light use. I was at the Sun n Fun fly-in, and found a vendor selling aircraft grade contactors so I was able to replace it right away...but I'm afraid my battery was probably harmed....so I'll prob. be buying a new battery soon.

edit: now I know to listen for that click regularly to make sure it's working

Pete'sMH · 05-07-2017, 01:25 AM

I really appreciate the clue. I'm still a week from home but I noticed that after today's 8 hour drive my panel still only shows 2/3 charge on my battery unless hooked up to shore power. So where exactly did Thor mount the relay? On the firewall under the hood or inside the cab? (It's been pouring rain and I haven't really looked yet....)

I'd love to take my coach to Sun n Fun! I'm an 88 hour sport pilot who built a titan tornado a few years back.

blw2 · 05-07-2017, 02:11 AM

Mine is under the hood, mounted on the fender near the firewall, just under the coolant bottle and very near the brake cylinder.
This is what was in mine from the factory
https://www.amazon.com/Trombetta-Vol.../dp/B00K7DSQ4C
and mounted nearby was the Intellitec delay relay,sorta like this one but not exactly
Products - DC Power Management - Intelligent battery charging - The BIRD

blw2 · 05-07-2017, 11:42 AM

I don't know if you have this same one or not, but attached is the manual for the relay delay unit I have

I was thinking about your question.... specifically this has reminded me that I never went back and tested all the functions of my unit since I replaced the contractor...and specifically I need to verify if the emergency start function is still working. I don't think it's pulling in the relay but I need to check. There's a fuse on that circuit that may be blown....

Anyway, I was looking over this manual again and thought you might find it interesting too.

Pete'sMH · 05-19-2017, 03:06 AM

Blw2 - thought I'd follow up now that I'm home from a great 4000 mile trip. I appreciate your help and I think you've got me on the right track. I put the awning out to dry when we got home and found that my battery didn't have the juice to bring it back in until I connected to shore power. Took the battery out and charged it on the bench and then took it to Batteries Plus where it tested fine. Notwithstanding, something is going on here. I want to check the chassis ground connection next.

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