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Subject Topic: Knocking sound
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PersonBedlam
23/5/2014 at 5:49pm
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I have just bought a Kia Sportage with a Kia dealer fitted tow-bar. Before this I had a Kia Sorento. I tow a Sterling Elite Amber, when it was hitched to the Sorento there was never any noise from the tow hitch. Now with the Sportage there is a knocking when in very slow moving traffic, at speed it is Fine, no noise.Any ideas would be great.
Regards

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I have forgotten more than I now know


Personalbee
23/5/2014 at 6:16pm
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Hi, just make sure it has the correct tow ball for your hitch, and also check how easy it is to push back caravan hitch in case the damper is weak.


Persontango55
23/5/2014 at 6:56pm
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Does the knocking at low speed start to increase as you speed up before it diminishes?


PersonFeezee
23/5/2014 at 7:03pm
 Location: Gloucestershire
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Bedlam
I am interested in the answers you get. I am having a similar problem with my outlander. Never had a problem towing the same van with a Zafira. Same type of tow ball as the old car (but different make).
I have a "dry" tow ball which I have been advised to ensure is grease and paint free, and to clean the coupling underside in case it has been contaminated with paint flecks and is affecting the alko pads.
Also, someone suggested I ensure that there's as near as possible the correct tow ball weight in the front of the van too. I don"t know how valid that advice is.

If anyone could add to this thread it would be good!
Cheers
Feezee

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Took a break like everyone over covid, flogged the caravan and got a campervan!


Persontango55
23/5/2014 at 7:18pm
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Also, someone suggested I ensure that there's as near as possible the correct tow ball weight in the front of the van too. I don"t know how valid that advice is.
        _______________________________________


That is called the caravan noseweight and should be measured with a noseweight gauge which is supposed to be checked each time before hitching up and towing.
The towcar will also have a weight limit for the towball downward pressure which the manufacturer states is the safe limit regarding the structure design and suspension etc.
If the noseweight is too light it can cause instability problems because as you pull away the caravan will start to lift making the rear end of the car lighter which can cause snaking. If the noseweight is too heavy it will push down excessively causing the vehicles front wheels to lift which is called loss of traction. It is therefore important to achieve as near as possible the required noseweight for the reasons mentioned so the advice given was correct in terms of noseweight.


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PersonJohnnie Boy
23/5/2014 at 8:34pm
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First thing I would do is take it back to the workshop where the tow bar was fitted and have it checked.


PersonBedlam
24/5/2014 at 9:09am
 Location: West Midlands
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Thank you. I have taken the car back and they have confirmed the tow bar is OK. As soon as I speed up to say 10mph the knocking disappears and whilst getting to that speed it does not get worse.I will also check the damper.I have had the tow-ball off the car and fitted to the hitch and it seems a really good fit.There is no paint and I took great care cleaning off.I checked the nose weight and the Sportage tow-bar weight is 80kg the caravan weight was 90kg. As Tango mentioned I would rather have it a tad to heavy instead of too light. To explain further the knocking sounds like an object in the boot moving backwards and hitting the tailgate when moving forward and when stopping it moves and hits the other way. So I would say it is a lateral movement more than vertical. Sorry about the description.

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PersonAL53HX
24/5/2014 at 12:50pm
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May seem silly but have you checked the spare wheel well,something may be rolling around in there.


Persontango55
24/5/2014 at 1:23pm
 Location: Lichfield
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Is the knocking sound only evident when you have the caravan in tow or is it when travelling solo as well?


Personmichell8
24/5/2014 at 5:29pm
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Sounds like hitch damper. It can still have had it even if hard to push in, the draw tube can get rusty & sticky & bushes can expand over time. If damper is taken out & replaced & bushes reamed if necessary that should sort it. If you push damper in by hand it should push in smoothly with plenty of resistance & then slowly slide back out on its own. If it don't do that it needs attention.


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PersonBedlam
24/5/2014 at 5:52pm
 Location: West Midlands
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When the car is solo there is no knocking. Michell I will check the damper. I have noticed that the towbar is a very snug fit to the car. Even though it is all tight, could there be a slight deflection when the van is on the back?

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Persontango55
24/5/2014 at 7:24pm
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Now that it has been stated that it's only happening when your caravan is on tow, I have an idea what the POSSIBLE cause may be. You said it didn't happen with your Kia Sorrento but it does with the Sportage. The difference is that the noseweight limit on the Sorrento would be 100 kgs. on the Mk3. and 150 kgs. on the Mk.4. However, the towball weight limit on the Sportage is far less at 80 kgs. so I would rule out any problem with the caravan and focus on the noseweight first. Any vehicle manufacturer will conduct safety tests which include the maximum towing limit and the maximum downward pressure on the towball to avoid any excess stress on the rear suspension and this should not be exceeded.
Now the noseweight on your caravan is 10 kgs. too heavy for the car and I suspect that what is happening is the suspension springs are compressing further causing the vehicle body to bounce on the suspension stops (known as bottoming). Now the reason why this only happens at low speeds is because the current noseweight is pushing down causing the bottoming but when you speed up the caravan starts to lift so the noseweight effectively decreases thus avoiding any bouncing effect.
I would suggest that you use a noseweight gauge and lower the noseweight from 90 to 80 kgs. to what the maximum pressure should be for the vehicle then re-hitch the caravan again and see if the knocking noise is eliminated at slow speed. It may cure the problem, then it may not but at least you can rule it out if it doesn't. If that fails then I would turn your attention to the caravan.


PersonBedlam
25/5/2014 at 9:14am
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Thanks Tango. Will try and get the nose weight to 80kgs. The only thing I will say is that when we went away for a weekend and there was hardly any weight in the car it still happened. When away for the week with the car fully loaded it was no more evident. What I need to do is hitch the van with someone in the back with the tailgate open and go very slow to try and identify where the knocking is definitely coming from.

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Persontango55
25/5/2014 at 10:19am
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I find it strange that it didn't happen with the Sorrento but it does with the Sportage so you have to identify what could be different. The caravan caused no problems previously so I checked the noseweight limits for both vehicles. When a caravan is in tow, the wind pushes against the front of the caravan which gives a very slight lifting effect which in turn will effect the noseweight trying to lift the rear of the car. The faster you travel the more the noseweight reduces and this is probably why so many caravans start to snake at speeds in excess of 60 mph. as traction on the rear wheels is reduced. This will effectively lighten the vehicle's suspension so when you said the knocking only occurs at speeds less than 10 mph. I just thought there may be a link between the excess noseweight, the suspension and very low speed. It could be the likely cause because it doesn't happen when the caravan is not hitched up so it's a matter of a trial and error process. All you can do at present is reduce the noseweight and determine whether this is the cause or not even if you have to put some extra weight in the rear of the van to achieve the correct noseweight as you won't be travelling at great speed, it's just a short tow to see if it eliminates the problem.


PersonBedlam
25/5/2014 at 12:33pm
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Update: I have pushed the hitch backwards and it seems to resist as it should but when moving forwards it moves as it should but there is a juddering as it moves. I have called a local caravan mobile engineer who is close and been recommended and he is coming out in the week to have a look. He seems to think that it might just need greasing. Anyway he is going to check anything is OK. Will keep all updated.
Cheers

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I have forgotten more than I now know


Persontango55
25/5/2014 at 2:28pm
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Okay thanks, but whatever it is I just hope you get the problem sorted. After all, it may just be something simple regarding a sticking draw bar behind the hitch that needs lubricating.



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