The story of the Airstream 310 Jacket

[Keyair]

I was, of course teasing/joking and the 370 I was referring to did sell for $5k.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by Keyair

I was, of course teasing/joking and the 370 I was referring to did sell for $5k.

Must have missed that one, Steve. Thanks for not telling me about it

[Keyair]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

Must have missed that one, Steve. Thanks for not telling me about it

It was on the for sale thread...
About page 155 I think.
$5k was the number I heard...
But you were probably out playing with your wood....

[PeterH-350LE]

Need your help guys. My Airstream Bvan shakes at 55-65 mph and I can't figure out why.
Its build on a Ford E350. This is what I have done so far:
1. Tires are new and as of a couple of month the front rotors are new as well
2. Steel rims/tires were balanced by tire company
3. I installed Centramatic wheel balancers on all 4 wheels.
4. I jacked up each wheel, and used a stationary device to check each wheel/tire combo for out of round, both on the thread and side wall.
5. I installed new U-joints front and rear, its a 1 piece driveshaft.
I have not had the driveshaft balanced
what else could it be?

[bkahler]

Ball joints and tie rod ends come to mind but my guess is you've checked those already. What about the shocks?

Another possibility would be having the drive shaft balanced.

[Air345Fly]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

Need your help guys. My Airstream Bvan shakes at 55-65 mph and I can't figure out why.
Its build on a Ford E350. This is what I have done so far:
1. Tires are new and as of a couple of month the front rotors are new as well
2. Steel rims/tires were balanced by tire company
3. I installed Centramatic wheel balancers on all 4 wheels.
4. I jacked up each wheel, and used a stationary device to check each wheel/tire combo for out of round, both on the thread and side wall.
5. I installed new U-joints front and rear, its a 1 piece driveshaft.
I have not had the driveshaft balanced
what else could it be?

1. If you feel the shaking without pressing the brake pedal then they are not at fault. I assume that you checked the wheel bearings for looseness when you did the brakes.

2. Balance is a suspect but if you just had them balanced then that should be good however the weights can get knocked off.

3. Whose wheel balancers do get good reviews here but I have my doubts.

4. Is the tread wear pattern even? Scalloping or other patterns can indicate an alignment or ball joint wear problem.

5. If the driveshaft is not damaged then it should not be your problem.

I suspect something is worn in your front end; ball joints, tie rod ends, steering stabilizer, shocks, etc. Any funny noises when this is happening? If you go about 20 MPH and swerve back and forth do you hear any clunking noises?

Hope this helps,
Pete.

[mayco]

I had similar symptoms years ago on a truck. Turned out to be the tail piece bearing on the tranny. I have no idea if that would apply to your tranny but the symptoms were the same. (I had the driveshaft balanced before I found the worn bearing.)

[Isuzusweet]

It's not just you, but we need more info on how you feel the shaking; in the steering, does it feel like a constant buffeting; any increased noise associated with the shaking or buffeting?

https://www.vanning.com/threads/ubbt...ghway_vibratio

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...n-problem.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...n-problem.html

It would seem that sidewall construction and air pressure can play a role in highway shaking. Too stiff a tire and a suspension too stiff can have the wheel go through up and down motions, even on flat tarmac; from the sounds of it, it builds up a resonance or harmonic imbalance.

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[PeterH-350LE]

Thanks for all the replies!
Shocks are new, ball joints are good, front end is good, hardly any steering play. Its positively not caused by front end issues.
No unusual tire wear.
Best way to describe it would be its coming from the center behind me.
One of my first Motorhomes had a worn out yoke at the transmission that caused a wobble at a certain speed. I checked everything at the rear of the trans, all seemed fine, no leaking oil. Mike, your bearing scenario sounds interesting, i wonder what it takes to get to it? Does the third member have a bearing as well?

[PeterH-350LE]

This is the harmonic balancer mounted behind the trans. It showed no obvious wear or problems.Could it be the culprit?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybX5LfXh9IE

[gunner]

One other item to check are weak or broken motor mounts.

[streamquest]

Somewhere on the forum, someone once described "universal joints" being installed "out of phase".
I forget the specifics, but maybe a possibility since "new" were recently installed??

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by streamquest

Somewhere on the forum, someone once described "universal joints" being installed "out of phase".
I forget the specifics, but maybe a possibility since "new" were recently installed??

Very possible:

https://www.machineservice.com/techn...tional-issues/

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by streamquest

Somewhere on the forum, someone once described "universal joints" being installed "out of phase".
I forget the specifics, but maybe a possibility since "new" were recently installed??

Yes, except the symptoms were identical after the new U-joints were installed.
Nice article, Tony, I am working on getting the driveshaft checked out soon.

[PeterH-350LE]

And the winner is:
Brad
The driveshaft was out of balance.
Brad you won a 1974 20' Argosy MH in need of a complete resto.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

And the winner is:
Brad
The driveshaft was out of balance.
Brad you won a 1974 20' Argosy MH in need of a complete resto.

Dang, if I'd known what the prize was I'd have kept my mouth shut

One 74 is more than enough for me

So is your vibration issue gone completely?

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Dang, if I'd known what the prize was I'd have kept my mouth shut

One 74 is more than enough for me

So is your vibration issue gone completely?

for a 1996 Ford E350, yes, its gone. The place i brought it, also discovered a wobble in 2 wheels, despite my best effort to check it. So I will replacing those.
For those local to Austin or some of the locations in the midwest, the place is called Inland Truck Parts & Service and they mostly work on big rigs. They helped me out before and do a straight business.
https://www.inlandtruck.com/locations/

[PeterH-350LE]

Whilst some of you are contemplating the rescue of some Argosy in the Kentucky mountains and others eyeballing a 350 for their next restoration project, I am using my Airstream fleet to work on historical homes in the great state of Texas.
Now, if the right 300LE comes a long I may be very interested until then I continue using my talents on creating ceilings like these:

[Isuzusweet]

Now if only you could put that ceiling into an Airstream......

As for Argosy's........I tried, but no dice, (even the DW was onboard.)

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[bobmiller1]

Do you think that would look good in the 370LE ???