m2 106 shaking

roadman · Dec 31, 2009

Hi drivers,

I have a 2005 freightliner m2106, and the front shakes unbearably. Does any one have the same problem or even a solution.
I have had to replace both tie rod ends and draglink, had two tires put on and aligned. Nothing.
I hate to give the truck up but this is crazy. Any tips or suggestions will be great. Have fun drivers,
And Happy New Year.

Dakota · Dec 31, 2009

I have driven a few frieghtliners and they all seemed to have the 45 mph shake.
I know it's not common practice but maybe try balancing the tires. I assume this wasn't a problem at one point. Did this happen with the old tires or just the new ones? Have you hit any curbs, or huge potholes? Are the rims aluminum or steel? Maybe there is rust buildup and the rims are not seated on the hubs properly. Maybe removal of wheel and reinstallation might cure it. Maybe the rims are bent/not true?
Just giving you some ideas, hope it helps

RETIDEPXE · Dec 31, 2009

I would agree either tire or wheel problem. We have an '07 M2106. Didn't think it could be done, but we bent an aluminum steer once by dropping off of a nine inch curb a little too fast pulling into the Wally World in Long Beach. Also had a Dunlop steer develop an out of round shape, even with Centramatics since the tire was new. Changed to YOKAHOMA RY617 steers about 50,000 mi.s ago, rolling resistance 102, wearing very smooth and love the smooth ride. You might try a different tire shop as some do not maintain a well calibrated tire balancer. And, regardless of what anyone says, I always balance the wheel and tire before bolting it up, even tho some say centramatics it is not necessary to balance. Balancing will show if tire is good, I think it's like 12 oz.s or more means the tire is defective. Good luck,

Retidepxe

Dakota · Dec 31, 2009

alot of shops don't or can't balance the tire due to lack of the right equipment, find one that can!!!

TeamCaffee · Jan 1, 2010

You could have a tire out of round. A product you might want to consider is Balance Master wheel centering device. We have also never had a shimmy on any of the Freightliners we have drove.

roadman · Jan 1, 2010

thanks guys. ill try something in the morning and later in the week. thanks for the ideas.

layoutshooter · Jan 1, 2010

We had the same problem with our 2006 M112 Freightliner. We had a front end alignment when we bought it. It was right up to factory specs. At the time it only had 145,000 miles on it. We the first set of steers only had 45,000 when they went bad.

We had another alignment, done by one of those guys that come out to the truck stop. I was often told that they were no good but I had to do something. This set of steers now has 144,000 on them and are wearing perfectly. I still have 10/32 left.

The company that did our alignment was "United Alignments" out of Dallastown, PA. That is near York he will come out to the "J" in Carlisle. The phone number is 717-578-6834, ask for Willie.

He claimed that aligning a Freightliner to factory specs does not work. He did mine "his" way. He put a very thick wedge on the right side of the truck and a much thinner one on the left. The truck drives itself now. I could not believe the difference it made. You might give him a try if you ever get up that way.

By the way, I see that you live in Pickens, SC. Mrs. Layoutshooter and I used to live near there. We had a place on Martin School Road. Six Mile was the nearest town. That was when I was working at a site up in mountains in North Carolina, there was one of those "ultra-secret" places in the middle of the Pisgah National Forest.

Dakota · Jan 1, 2010

I wonder if these trucks are realigned after the sleeper and box are put on the frame or are they aligned for just the cab and frame. This would make a huge difference

layoutshooter · Jan 1, 2010

Both of mine were done with sleeper and box on.

teamliz · Jan 1, 2010

Willie in PA is the best..He will come to the J and give you the best alignment you will ever get. I HIGHLY reccomend him and have to many drivers. He does high quality work for a fair price.

greg334 · Jan 1, 2010

The tires seem to be out of balance. Get the tires balanced before the alignment is done and make sure that they check everything. The alignment should be more than Toe-in/Toe-out.

Also have you changed your shocks?

Desperado · Jan 13, 2010

don't forget to check king pins and u joints

roadman · Jan 15, 2010

OK guys got it!!! The passenger side wheel was bent, and i got two new yoko tires on the front. Straight as an arrow now. The truck has never drove so good. Anyway thanks for all the suggestions and ideas, i appreciate them all. Thanks

layoutshooter · Jan 15, 2010

Good to hear, a bad front end is hard to work with.

Dakota · Jan 15, 2010

Cool, was the bent wheel visable? Or was it something they noticed while balancing?

rspangle · May 26, 2010

I just went through the same thing. The sterring wheel would shake between 35 & 45 MPH and I could feel the shake at high speeds. Take it to a truck alignment shop (make sure they can bend the axle, not all allignment shops can bend axles) and have them spin balance the two front tires right the truck (balancing the tire, rim and brake drum as one unit). They will be able to tell if the front tires can be balanced. If one or both cannot be balanced, then new tires are in order. While at the tire shop ask them to check the balance of the rim. The rims should check no more them 2 OZ out of balance. Rims should be replaced if they are more the 2 OZ out of balance. Back at the alignment shop have them check the king pins and the wheel bearings for loseness. Repair if required. Also I would have new shocks installed if they haven't been replaced in the last 50,000 miles. after all of this, have the alignment shop complete a two axle alignment. This fix my M2 112 Freightliner.

I had a right from wheel bearing lose. Rims checked okay. Replace left tire replace because it could not be balanced and mouted a new front right tire because of ware due to bad alignment. The alignment shop spun balanced the tire right on the truck and preform a 2 alxe alignment and wala vibrations gone.

barkie