2005 Chetah windshield movement and noise questions

[Guest Al redcay]

Motorhome dash squeak as it moves with windshield as you drive , how do I stop this. 

[DavidL]

That is too general of a topic to provide specifics.

Basically it needs to be resecured.

To do that depends on where it's loose and how to access those fasteners and if it's due to corroded framing, corroded or loose fasteners, broken adhesives, poor original installation, etc.

On my Bounder, it required subframe welding, replacement metal, new wood, fasteners but it was tight as a drum thereafter.

 

If you are asking the question, then I will assume you are not experienced in fabrication.  So, you will need to get an eyeball from someone who is.

I doubt your going to get much help from a forum otherwise.

[Dwight Lindsey]

Al:  What model MONACO do you have?  It's not in your signature.

The plywood dash in my motorhome is secured to the cap with brackets.  I was repeatedly breaking windshields, so somewhere around 2010 I took it to Monaco in Coburg and the tech told me that there should have been two brackets, but only one was installed and it was loose.  He installed 2 more brackets for a total of 3 and had a colleague lean on the cap until it was square, then tightened all three brackets.

I've had no trouble with windshields since.

I suggest that you look for brackets securing the dash to the cap and tighten them.

Dwight

[Dwight Lindsey]

Al:  OK, I see that Cheeta Safari is in fact in your signature.  Open the generator door and look carefully inside for dash to front cap brackets.

Dwight

[Guest Al redcay]

So you’re telling me the windshield is not supposed to move back a forth, which causes the rubber to squeak.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Al redcay
Add info

[Guest Al redcay]

2005 cheetah 

[Dwight Lindsey]

Al:  

The front cap should be secured to the dash with brackets that are tight.  If it's not well secured, 65mph forward speed into a 30mph headwind will result in a 95mph wind on the cap and it will deform.  I don't know exactly what's happening with your coach, but I suspect that the cap is flexing and moving, which makes it seem like the windshields are moving.

Dwight

[Guest Al redcay]

So how do I stop the squeezing 

[Dwight Lindsey]

Al:  

You don't seem to be listening.  Open the generator door.  Look for brackets from plywood dash to cap.  Tighten brackets.

Dwight

[Guest Al redcay]

Ok I’ll check it out, thanks 

[Guest Al redcay]

I checked everything in under dash area & there is nothing loose or broken .

[Dwight Lindsey]

When you say "Under dash area" are you looking from inside the coach?  Or from the generator bay door?

Where are you located?  You may want to take it to a shop that is familiar with the issue.

Dwight

[Guest Al redcay]

Yes I was under dash in generator compartment, I can see everything & it’s all tight, it’s been like this for the 9 yrs I’ve owned i, I spray rubber with silicone & it’s stops for a time. It’s a head scratcher.

[walt2137]

Rex Darley wrote a detail explanation of how to solve that problem years ago on his 2000 or 01 Diplomat look in the files and see if its there.

 

   Walt

[Happycarz]

Al, get three more brackets, stand on your head and install them. That is what I did to get rid of the inferno squeak. 

When attaching to the front cap, make sure you have the wood piece that is fiberglassed in as your backstop.  You will need to drill pilot holes as that is some tough going. When screwing to bottom of the horizontal piece, drill tiny pilot holes as that material is not the strongest stuff. Use all the holes. You have in the bracket. The horizontal one you want to hand tighten. 

You can see the Monaco bracket in the background painted black. Theirs have six screw holes both horizontally and vertically. All of the horizontal ones are used, but the wiper linkage gets in the way of some of the vertical holes, so all are not used. 

After driving it the first time, go back and check the screw tightness. The ones in the vertical screws in the front cap seem to stay tight, but the other ones loosen over a few thousand miles and will have to be snugged again. I get 6-9 months before the treaded squeak comes back. I know what screwdrivers to take in there to tighten them back up. Five minutes and I’m done. Of all the horizontal holes, I have only one screw that is stripped. Again, horizontal screws need hand tightening.  The vertical ones can handle a drill. You might even use hex heads on those.

Just look at it as a maintenance item.  I was thinking of removing the brackets, applying 3M Marine 5200 glue and screwing them back in place.  
I’m sure once you add brackets and tighten the existing ones, your squeak will be gone. It only took me a year to figure that one out. Now I’m a happy camper. 

[Agpopp]

Wonder if my neptune should have these? I do get windshield wobble on some roads. 

[Happycarz]

Each coach model is built slightly different than other models and adding additional bracket might not be doable  Look to see if you have some brackets there, already.  See if they are tight. Maybe adding more will help.

I didn’t have windshield issues, just a squeaky dash.

If you stabilize your dash to the front cap maybe it would help. Dunno!

[1nolaguy]

We also have a 2005 Safari Cheetah and while the windshield does not squeak (yet) the dash has. It tends to want to pull away from the firewall in front. Similarly the side mirrors can come loose. I believe this is because much of the front superstructure, on this model at least, is wood and attachments are were made with wood screws or in some cases self-taping screws or even drywall screws. I have found in some cases tightening the screws will help but in many cases the wood has become worn from coach movement. In these cases filling the screw hole with hot glue, wood glue or even PL6000 and then reattaching the screw before the glue sets will create a new tight attachment. In the case of the mirrors, I did not discover looseness until one mirror fell of while driving. Luckily the wires remained in tact and I did not loose the mirror. In that case the screw hole was too wallowed out and so I had to pull the dash, drill out the hole and use a machine screw with fender washer and nut on the inside to re-attach it.