Hi,I seem to have a problem when towing over uneven surfaces? I get a creaking and bumping noise from rear of car,the car is an X trail 2007 I have had the towbar checked by the installer-OK, the car checked by dealer-OK,I have changed the bushes in the alko hitchhead in case of contamination,cleaned the ball until gleaming,it has not made any difference. The caravan is an Abbey 318 2006 1450kgs laden. I would be very grateful for any advice or experiences. Thankyou Denis.
Creaking when towing
- Thread starter mistralse
- Start date
Got a simalair problem when we first got the Grand Cherokee, turned out to be the spare wheel which is underneath the car .
I get a similar creaking when I tow, but only at low speeds, and I have a blade stabiliser.
I just put it down to going slow, the tourque setting is right, and it is a new stabiliser.
I just put it down to going slow, the tourque setting is right, and it is a new stabiliser.
Hi..
I do occasionally get a rythmic groaning noise, although it dosn't happen when I tow solo. Only seems to occur at night when the wife's with me?? Can't help but think its not the caravan..
Regards Brian....
I do occasionally get a rythmic groaning noise, although it dosn't happen when I tow solo. Only seems to occur at night when the wife's with me?? Can't help but think its not the caravan..
Regards Brian....
Hi, our van's only been towed 3 times (new in April) but on our recent French holiday it groaned horribly at low speed, even when going around roundabouts. On site it was unbearable. It got so bad that whilst on the move one day I got my wife to ring an engineer at our dealers who said it was normal and just bedding in. After that I started lifting the handle of the alko stabiliser when on site. This not only stopped the noise on site but stopped it on the move with the handle back down. Try it.
Chris
Chris
We had such alarming loud creaking and groaning from the Alko stabiliser that I changed the pads en route to Spain 3 years ago
They appeared to be glazed and flaking so I sent them back to Alko
They returned them very quickly with the comments that it was contamination probably from diesel fumes which was no surprise with the 1st X Trail as it was very prone to emitting large clouds of black smoke under load
They instructed cleaning of the pads with emery when creaking returned.
I think that it has returned and needs attention now!!
They appeared to be glazed and flaking so I sent them back to Alko
They returned them very quickly with the comments that it was contamination probably from diesel fumes which was no surprise with the 1st X Trail as it was very prone to emitting large clouds of black smoke under load
They instructed cleaning of the pads with emery when creaking returned.
I think that it has returned and needs attention now!!
If you have a blade type stabiliser throw a couple of cups water over where the pads are and that will stop the creaking .have done this myself lots of times .Good Luck.Jim
Jim's got the solution. Water. The pads simply get dry, and creak.
We've done the same for years. No probs.
We've done the same for years. No probs.
We aren't talking about the friction discs/pads here
Its the Alko hitch that he has the problem with and Alko recommend cleaning the pads with emery
It works for several months and so there is no need to water it every time
Its the Alko hitch that he has the problem with and Alko recommend cleaning the pads with emery
It works for several months and so there is no need to water it every time
Denis says he has changed the 'bushes' in the AlKo hitchhead (presumably that means the pads) and de-contaminated the towball and the creaking is still there. If that's the case, try checking the torques on the towbar attachment to the vehicle chassis or have the underbody area checked if there is a failed spotweld anywhere in the vicinity.
.... on the other hand it could also be that the fore/aft movement of the hitchhead which actuates the overrun brake needs greasing (not the coupling itself!).
Be absolutely sure that you have the correct towball with the extended neck - or a swanneck/detach - otherwise the lowerside of the Alko stabiliser hitch will make contact with the shoulder of the towball. Tell tale signs are roughness on the underside of the hitchhead and contact marks on the towball shoulder.
We had horrible creaking on our first towcar - we changed the towball to an alko towball and it imediately solved the problem ( we were told that the alko ball is ever so slightly off round / oval whereas the normal towball is a "perfect" circle and the alko ball is needed to match the alko stabiliser, we recently brought a new van with an alko hitch and it came with an alko ball)
I've noticed a difference in the surface finish of different tow-balls.
Some like our Bosal detachable tow-ball are machined to a very smooth, even polished surface.
Some like our previous Brink detachable tow-ball had a distinct series of concentric machined grooves around the tow-ball - the sort of thing you could just feel with your finger nail - and I'm not sure this is deliberate.
Our Bosal AL-KO combination has groaned once in one year - which was easily cured by cleaning the AL-KO pads with a cloth and some white-spirit solvent. The Brink never groaned in three years.
So maybe surface finish is important?
Robert
And water is a lubricant - it reduces the friction between the pads and the ball or plate.
Some like our Bosal detachable tow-ball are machined to a very smooth, even polished surface.
Some like our previous Brink detachable tow-ball had a distinct series of concentric machined grooves around the tow-ball - the sort of thing you could just feel with your finger nail - and I'm not sure this is deliberate.
Our Bosal AL-KO combination has groaned once in one year - which was easily cured by cleaning the AL-KO pads with a cloth and some white-spirit solvent. The Brink never groaned in three years.
So maybe surface finish is important?
Robert
And water is a lubricant - it reduces the friction between the pads and the ball or plate.
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