Play in Track Bar on Front Suspension

[Lindenberg]

The track bar on the front suspension of my 2000 Alpine makes a knocking noise every time I hit a bump. When I crawl under the motorhome I can wiggle the bar and feel play between item 12 and 25 on page 6 of the Suspension Manual.

http://www.hollandhitch.com/NR/rdonlyres/6A2F722D-3C33-...XLAK38501RevBweb.pdf

Does anyone have any experience on how to remedy this issue?

[Lindenberg]

The track bar on the front suspension of my 2000 Alpine makes a knocking noise every time I hit a bump. When I crawl under the motorhome I can wiggle the bar and feel play between item 12 and 25 on page 6 of the Suspension Manual.

http://www.hollandhitch.com/NR/rdonlyres/6A2F722D-3C33-...XLAK38501RevBweb.pdf

Does anyone have any experience on how to remedy this issue?

[Old Scout]

Similar situation on my 2003--the bolts that fasten the track bar ends to the frame/axle havent compressed the flanges sufficiently to trap the steel bushing between the flanges. End result--I suspect the steel bushings rattle/knock on the bolts Vs having the rubber mountings take the shock. Solution--use a 3/4" drive and a long handle to add some shims or squeeze the flanges against the steel bushing. Did I mention the need for some muscles.

[Louie & Linda]

Linda and i had a 2000 coach with the exact same thing. I spoke with Gary Jones, the chassis designer, and he advised me that the mounting brackets were 1/4 inch wider than the track bar ends resulting in slack and the noise we all hear. Corrective Action: Torque teh very large bolts down tight enough to bent the brackets for a tight fit. Note: torque up around 500 Ft Pounds. I had Freightliner in Yakama do mine while they were doing the brake caliper fix in about 2002. Once tight, all is quite in teh Western front. He He!

[Lindenberg]

I would think adding appropriate washers on each side of the bushing would be a better solution than bending the bracket with 500 ft. pounds of torque.

[Tom and Patty]

Tom,

We did have a rattle (heavy) and it was a loose track bar bracket. But we still have another rattle up front.

You may have just found my rattle .

Now those 500 ft/lbs, do I use a 3/8 drive or the 1/4 drive ? I hate to snap bolts .

[rmmpe]

I have what I suspect to be the same noise issue. I'm no lightweight but 500 #' of Torque is a bit beyond my reach. Even with a 1/4" drive.

I'll try the shim route.

[dshogman]

Well if the track bar is the same as others have called the "steering drag link" then I had the problem which no on could find for a few months after I got the coach last April. Finally, someone spotted that the bearings at both ends were "shot" - a technical term for "pretty much gone." Tried to get the end pieces from WRV and their supplier wouldn't supply them so had to buy the whole bar. It did cure the problem - just a little more expensive than if I had been able to get just the end pieces with the bearings.

[dshogman]

Whoops... just looked at the exploded parts diagram and the track bar is a different part than my steering drag link. Oh well, what do you expect from a retired accountant.....
Now you know about my steering drag link bearing problem.

[SteveS]

If there is end play between the bracket holding the track bar end piece and the track bar, I would have thought it would have been taken up by rubber washers rather than metal. It appears that there would be some relative motion between the bracket and bar and since there is no lube point, two rubber washers seem to be appropriate to go on between the bar and bracket.

[Old Scout]

Steve has it about right--normally, the rubber bushings would absorb all the shock on the ends of the track bar. However, since the mounting flanges are too wide, the steel spacers [inside the rubber bushings], move around between the flanges, bypassing the dampening that would be provided by the rubber bushings.