Airliner Suspension - Western Star 4700 Maintenance Manual

32
brackets. If contact exists, check the V-rod bush-
ing for wear. Check the V-rod fastener torques.
3. Inspect the rubber center bearing and spring tip
pads for excessive wear, including de-lamination
of the rubber-to-metal shim interface, and distor-
tion and degradation of rubber.
4. Inspect the V-rods and lower control rods for
wear and looseness.
4.1 Without disconnecting the control rods,
use your hand to attempt to move each of
the control rod ends up, down, in, and
out. If there is any movement, examine
the control rods for wear or damage. Re-
place if necessary.
4.2 Inspect the rubber bushings for cracks or
cuts.
4.3 Check for any shifting of the barpin.
4.4 Check for cracks in the metal compo-
nents and welds.
5. Check all fasteners for looseness.
6. Inspect the shock absorbers for oil leaks and
worn rubber bushings. Replace the shock ab-
sorbers and/or rubber bushings if wear or dam-
age is noted.

AirLiner Suspension

WARNING
Do not replace individual leaves of a damaged leaf
spring assembly; replace the complete spring as-
sembly. Visible damage (cracks or breaks) to one
leaf causes hidden damage to other leaves. Re-
placement of only the visibly damaged part(s) is
no assurance that the spring is safe. On front
spring assemblies, if cracks or breaks exist in the
two top leaves, a loss of vehicle control could
occur. Failure to replace a damaged spring assem-
bly could cause an accident resulting in property
damage, serious personal injury, or death.
IMPORTANT: To prevent voiding the warranty
on Barksdale height-control valves, note the fol-
lowing:
• Do not overtighten the bolts in the Barksdale
height-control valve housing. The bolts should
not be loose, and should not require tightening.
Only if necessary, tighten the valve housing
32/4
bolts 45 lbf·in (500 N·cm). Any damage to the
valve housing will void the warranty.
• Do not attempt to disassemble the Barksdale
valve body or the control lever. There are no
serviceable parts in the valve, and any disas-
sembly will void the warranty.
NOTICE
When removing or loosening a Barksdale height-
control valve from a mounting bracket, always
hold the valve-side mounting studs in place with
an Allen wrench while loosening or tightening the
nuts that attach the valve to the bracket. Because
the mounting studs are threaded into the valve
body, loosening the nuts without holding the
studs can tighten the studs, which can crush the
valve body and damage the valve. Conversely,
tightening the nuts without holding the studs can
back the studs out, causing a separation of the
two halves of the valve body, and possibly a leak.
1. Inspect the fasteners that attach the suspension
brackets to the frame for proper torque. See
Group 00 for bolt torque specifications.
WARNING
Be sure that the fasteners are torqued correctly.
Fasteners that are not tight can cause separation
of components or premature failure of compo-
nents, loss of vehicle control and possible per-
sonal injury or property damage.
2. Inspect the forward and rear spring brackets for
wear, cracks, and other damage. If any of these
conditions exist, replace the damaged bracket(s).
WARNING
Replace worn, cracked, or damaged spring
brackets. Failure to do so could result in bracket
breakage, possibly leading to loss of vehicle con-
trol and resulting in personal injury or property
damage.
3. Inspect the crossmember(s) and gussets for
wear, cracks, and other damage. If any of these
conditions exist, replace the damaged parts.
4. Visually check the air spring piston for cracks,
chips, and broken areas. Check the air bag for
Western Star Maintenance Manual, September 2015
Suspension