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Darel · 06-26-2010, 08:00 PM

I have condition that I need help with troubleshooting. While traveling a lower rates of speed, when I hit a series of bumps in the road on the curbside, my front tire starts to vibrate to where it jerks the steering wheel back and forth until I slow down. I had my front end checked by a large truck mechanic and he found nothing loose. I suspect that it might be a stabilizer shock. Can anyone help me narrow my search?

bkahler · 06-27-2010, 06:34 AM

Darel,

I don't think the stabilizer shock alone is going to resolve your problems. At a minimum you're going to need to replace the front shocks as well. I'm betting that you probably have loose ball joints as well.

After replacing those items let us know what the results are. I'm betting that you have bad ball joints as well.

Brad

Darel · 06-27-2010, 02:09 PM

Brad,
The stabilizer shock looks pretty new with no rust on the crown nut. So I figured that the previous owned must have changed it to try to eliminate the problem. I will change the shocks and let you know the out come. Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it.
Darel

r carl · 06-27-2010, 02:42 PM

Is your truck a ford?

bkahler · 06-27-2010, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r carl

Is your truck a ford?

Carl,

Darel was asking about the front suspension on his Argosy motorhome which sits on a Chevy P30 chassis.

Brad

ROBERTSUNRUS · 06-27-2010, 04:19 PM

Hi, getting the shakes after hitting a bump in the road is caused by a few things;

(1.) Loose or worn suspension parts.

(2.) Zero, or very close to it, toe in/out.

(3.) Loose or worn wheel bearings.

(4.) Worn, or out of adjustment, steering gear box.

(5.) Any of the above, especially with an "I" Beam axle.

(6.) Worn out steering dampner/stabilizer.

Note: Although a steering dampner/stabilizer can and will, in some cases, stop this from happening, [wheel shake] it's primary purpose is to help keep the steering wheel from ripping your hand off during sudden bumps to your steering tires/wheels. You still need to fix the cause of the problem.

Mikethefixit · 06-27-2010, 04:54 PM

I think if I were you I'd get my kreeper and roll under that baby and check all the tye-rod ends for play,it's very possible you have some worn steering parts. Jackup that front end and grab the top of each front wheel and check those KING PINS. The other most likely cause is a mis-alignment and bad shocks. If you are not capable of doing these tests,please find a big truck dealer,KW,Peterbilt,Freightliner ,they all have alignment machines and know how to properly check a heavy duty front-end such as you have.
GOOD LUCK
Roger

Darel · 07-01-2010, 09:14 PM

The guy that checked my front suspension lives about 30 miles (mostly highway)away. No problems on the trip there and back. I checked the shocks and they both were bad. Replaced them last Saturday. I will be taking it for a short trip this weekend. I will let you know if I have any vibration.

Darel

Darel · 07-10-2010, 06:19 PM

Back from a weekend trip in Michigan. The handling was smoother as far as the ride. No slap that I had experience since buying back in '03. As for the vibration on bumps at low speed, I didn't experiece it either. To know for sure, I need to take it to places that I have had it happen to me before. King pins may still need replaced.

Darel · 08-03-2010, 07:03 PM

In an attempt to fill the front suspension airbags to the proper psi, I found them to have leaks. I ordered the new airbags from Air Lift Company for $132.54 to my door. I will do the install when they arrive.

bkahler · 08-04-2010, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darel

In an attempt to fill the front suspension airbags to the proper psi, I found them to have leaks. I ordered the new airbags from Air Lift Company for $132.54 to my door. I will do the install when they arrive.

Darel,

Prepare yourself for some bloody knuckles. Replacing those air bags on our 310 was a chore I won't soon forget. There are some good posts on the forum about replacing the bags. If you haven't already I would read them and follow their advice.

The one thing I would do different the next time is to use a water soluable hand cleaner as a lubricant. Slather a lot on them before and during the process of installing them.

Patience will also help a lot when installing them, and of course a few of your best choice words will as well

.

Brad

Darel · 08-05-2010, 09:26 PM

First and foremost I would like to thank everyone who has contributed their experiences on this forum. Your experience and knowledge are a huge asset. I replace my air coils tonight with minimal problems. I took from the experiences that were posted on this site that I found to make the most sense to me and my situation.
On Tuesday, I ordered my air coils for the Airlift website and printed their instuctions from their website and thought that I would get a jump on the tare out before the new aircoils came in. Following the instructions did not help. The removal was for the OEM aircoils which are black. My old aircoils were orange (heavy-duty), so twisting and pulling throught the small hole with vise-grips wasn't working. I couldn't get them to collapse enough. I resorted to cutting them in half with a utility knife, which didn't work too well either. I couldn't cut through with the knife. I was done for the night. Tonight (Thursday) they came in the mail and I had a revolation at work. I got out my cordless reciprecating saw with a long blade and was able to get the first one cut in two. It collapsed enough to get it through the hole. I got it out in about four pieces. Now for the install. I found that the squeezing them down and putting the valve stem cap on didn't hold well, so I squeezed it down and inserted a valve stem. I used the hose clamp method with moving the clamps long the way. Then I finished it with my floor jack. All ideas came from this site. It took about 3 hrs for the first side and about an hour and a half on the other. Doing the overnight air test right now. Thanks again for everyones input on this subject and al the rest.

Darel · 08-06-2010, 04:23 AM

Pics of the install.

bkahler · 08-06-2010, 10:24 AM

Darel,

Glad you found a method that worked for you. Once installed I felt the ride improvement was worth the effort.

Brad

Darel · 08-09-2010, 04:02 AM

I took her for a test drive last night only to find that I still have the vibraton in the front on the passingerside and only after hitting a series of bumps and the speeed was a bit higher (40-45 mph) than before (15-25mph). This time the wheel was chirping until I slowed enough for it to settle out. Probably from the rate of speed I was going. So after a couple of needed inexpensive fixes I am back to square one. My next idea is to take it to a truck garage and have them take a look at it. I will keep anyone interested updated on my findings.

richinny · 08-09-2010, 08:10 AM

if the wheel chips you've got something that is REALLY loose. be very careful and take it STRAIGHT to a shop.

Darel · 08-14-2010, 10:19 AM

I've decided to replace the steering dampener just to eliminate that as a possibility. A quick and inexpensive part to change. The one that is on my rig doesn't seem to be HD. And after talking to some others, a bad dampener will allow the front end to shimmy after hitting bumps. I still think that myself being a MTM-Maint. Tech. Mechanical, not and auto tech., I should still be able to trouble shoot and fix this problem. I'll keep posting. The only thing that gets into my way is other responsibilities, work schedule and so on.

Darel · 08-24-2010, 07:19 PM

The new steering damper/stabilizer shock came in the mail today. I installed it but haven't taken it for a test drive yet. Maybe later in the week. I was suprised at the size difference between the old/black one and the new/white one. I'll keep posting.

bkahler · 08-25-2010, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darel

The new steering damper/stabilizer shock came in the mail today. I installed it but haven't taken it for a test drive yet. Maybe later in the week. I was suprised at the size difference between the old/black one and the new/white one. I'll keep posting.

As they say, sizes DOES make a difference

.

Darel · 01-23-2011, 09:19 AM

Sorry it's taken me so long to write this post.
Last September, I took my RV up to SouthWestern Michigan for winter storage. The road that I take to Michigan is a good testing/proving road for suspension because it is not a highway, just some back county road that has a posted speed limit of 55 MPH. I didn't experience the shaking or shimmy that I had before. This trek is about 35 miles from home and has many opportunities for the vibration to start. I don't want to say that it is fixed but I will stop trying to find the loose or worn parts.