Rear air bags

[spongebox1]

Has anyone ever had there rear air bags walk towards to center of the rear axl? I might have asked before but my truck has done it again, I had them moved back into the factory place and here again they are walking in, its driving me nuts and I hope someone can give me an answer soon!

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[davekc]

New one on me. I guess you could weld some metal next to the base to keep them in place?

 

[spongebox1]

New one on me. I guess you could weld some metal next to the base to keep them in place?

The bottom mount for the bags are those half springs and the bottom u bolt plates keep walking in, I've seen a brace run from one side to the other on some freightliner semis but have not seen any on a straight single axl yet, the rear end moves side to side once they walk in and it makes the truck walk side to side, I've had them moved before but I'm lost as to why they do it, I replaced the motor mounts and had the front springs rebuilt recently but still happening, I'm going to put new cab bushings and bunk shocks on this weekend to see if that solves this issue, its driving me nuts.

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[Slo-Ride]

Im thinking you have a busted bolt that holds your spring pack in place..You should be able to see it dead center under the spring saddles..
Other proplems could be worn out saddles,,Bad U-Bolts/Nuts,,worn out axle housing caused by spring saddle moving..Bad spring bushings..bad torque rod and or bushings..Check frame bolts to Torque rod.
Not sure on these M2 if thats what you have but most saddles have some sort of centering guide to insure saddles are correctly placed prior to snugging up U-bolts. Not sure what ya call those those centering guides and if you will excuse my language Ill say a little ti*ty that sticks up off the axle housing and a hole in the spring saddle plates match up to it..
Dave is correct in saying you can weld a stop in place once you have it aligned..But it not the correct repair..If this little ti*ty is worn/broken best thing to do is have it build back up by a qualified welder.. Saddles can also be burned in place once aligned but will cause more work down the road should you need to remove them.

It is possible this lil Ti*ty thing can be reversed and be on the saddle themselfs with a locating hole in the axle housing.. I have never had a M2 apart so I maybe off base here..Let us know what the fix is when ya get it fixed.

Walking beams will move somewhat side to side as they age but a single axle should not..There is something loose somewhere..

 

[spongebox1]

Im thinking you have a busted bolt that holds your spring pack in place..You should be able to see it dead center under the spring saddles..
Other proplems could be worn out saddles,,Bad U-Bolts/Nuts,,worn out axle housing caused by spring saddle moving..Bad spring bushings..bad torque rod and or bushings..Check frame bolts to Torque rod.
Not sure on these M2 if thats what you have but most saddles have some sort of centering guide to insure saddles are correctly placed prior to snugging up U-bolts. Not sure what ya call those those centering guides and if you will excuse my language Ill say a little ti*ty that sticks up off the axle housing and a hole in the spring saddle plates match up to it..
Dave is correct in saying you can weld a stop in place once you have it aligned..But it not the correct repair..If this little ti*ty is worn/broken best thing to do is have it build back up by a qualified welder.. Saddles can also be burned in place once aligned but will cause more work down the road should you need to remove them.

It is possible this lil Ti*ty thing can be reversed and be on the saddle themselfs with a locating hole in the axle housing.. I have never had a M2 apart so I maybe off base here..Let us know what the fix is when ya get it fixed.

Walking beams will move somewhat side to side as they age but a single axle should not..There is something loose somewhere..

Ty, let me check a few things then I will update

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[Slo-Ride]

I'm thinking ya may have already done this but if not,,Look over your frame rails and cross members also. Pay attention to what I call the fish plates,,These are the plates that attach the cross members to the frame rails..Not saying any of this is your problem I am only guessing at things here.
Again keep us posted as what the fix is..Im curious as to what ya find out. Alot of times we hear of proplems and try to suggest things but never hear back as to what the actually proplem is.

 

[spongebox1]

So far I've found a bad upper cab airbag mount and a rotten cab bushing, the rear bags keep walking in but the spring shop told me the bad cab bushing and cab airbag are causing excessive frame flex = walking rearend, I will update soon as I get the new cab mounts!

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[usafk9]

I was actually crossing leaf spring bushing numbers online Friday and came across something about u-bolts on fl trucks loosening and creating havoc with bags. Immediately thought of this thread. Might be worth another search?

 

[spongebox1]

I was actually crossing leaf spring bushing numbers online Friday and came across something about u-bolts on fl trucks loosening and creating havoc with bags. Immediately thought of this thread. Might be worth another search?

I've had them checked and torqued at every other service, I'm considering having new ones put on and some extra welds put on the underside of my box, where did you see this article at?

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[usafk9]

Cannot remember for the life of me. Maybe I'll try to dig in the morning.

 

[spongebox1]

Cannot remember for the life of me. Maybe I'll try to dig in the morning.

No problem sir, if you do run across it again but no need to go to any special research, thx again

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[spongebox1]

While inspecting cross members for damage or cracks I put my band on my lower motor mount and I can spin the bottom rubber isolator by hand, I had these rubbers replaced a few months back and never thought to check them, I'm thinking this could be part of my issue, thoughts?

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[jacobh15]

having used Firestone and Airlift in 2 different truck all we can say is that they make your ride while towing a totally different world!
Depending on what are you planning on towing they are worth it

 

[guido4475]

My Freightliner and Sterling did the same thing. I took it to Certified alignment in Detroit 6707 dix. They did something to it to straighten it out, but couldn't remember what. They are the best, as this is all they do.The only truck I had that did not do this was my Ford L-8000 as it had a Hendrickson suspension and the air bags sat on top of a bar that went from side to side. Another idea is to go to a Kenworth dealer like Palmer trucks in Indy. They have a machine called a vis-check that they put youre truck on and it simulates youre truck going down the road while on this machine, rocking it, spinning the wheels,and so on. It was like 100 bucks to get it done, but it also will save alot of time and frustration finding a problem. It was great.

Another place that is also real good and pricey is TAFA on Foster ave in Nashville off of Murfreesboro rd. They pride themselves on their workmanship as well. Awesome people, who have been in business since the 50's....The Kenworth dealer had a new truck that had a wheel hop that they could not find. This was a brand new truck. TAFA found it. They also balance the tires while on the vehicle, meaning that everything gets balanced...Mr White, the owner, in his late 80's, still comes in everyday...

Both places mentioned are top-notch.