Hello all, I'm new to the forum and have been enjoying RV'ing for the last 2 years. My RV is a 2007, Class C, 26" Fleetwood Jamboree with the Vortex engine and Chevy Express chassis. The issue that I am experiencing is that, while driving (on the trip back home, after I have used the front stabilizers during camping(I only take the front end high enough to level and stabilize the RV. Tires never come completely off the ground), when the brakes are applied at normal speeds (30-40 MPH), the front end will start to shake excessively. the shaking can be very violent, especially when going down hill. After driving a couple of miles on flat road, the issue goes away until the next time the RV is jacked up on the stabilizers. I have taken the RV to the local RV shop, they have been able to duplicate the issue, but cannot find the root cause. they say the suspension is tight, nothing is wrong with the rotors and brake pads, and I just had Bilstein heavy duty shocks put on last year also. Does anyone have any recommendations or have experience with this issue? I'd really like to get it fixed before my next trip. It seems very unsafe.Thanks!!!

A couple of idea's:The brake rotors may measure perfectly true but have raised spots due to over heating. So simply measuring them for warpage doesn't show anything. Even turning them wont stop the issue because those overheated spots wear differently than the rest of the rotor. This is actually the most common cause of rotor induced vibration.Also, does it have a hyd stabilizer (looks like a shock absorber laying down)? When they go bad they can cause this.Rather than an RV shop that knows almost nothing about these kinds of matters, take it to a good tire or repair shop.

Upper Control arm bushingsBall joints

Just an educated guess, but if it is a P30/32 chassis, has the air bag pressures and ride hight been checked?My mistake; should have looked closer at the year. It would be a G series,not P.

harold1946 wrote:Just an educated guess, but if it is a P30/32 chassis, has the air bag pressures and ride hight been checked?Plus over extended shocks.

Violent front end shaking | Good Sam Community

Travelcrafter
Explorer
Dec 02, 2014
I guess it would be different on certain types of suspension but the wheels are going to follow an arch as the truck/chassis goes up, at least to some degree. It's just something you can watch for and I'm not saying this is your problem but if all checks out it could be a contributing factor. I had a similar problem with a pic up truck.
IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Dec 02, 2014
davron94 wrote:
IAMICHABOD wrote:
enblethen wrote:
You need to get it to a front end shop that deals with larger vehicles and not just cars and pick ups.
I believe they will find issues as I said before with the control arm bushings and/or the ball joints.
They should check out all steering linkage as well.

If you are in So Cal I know of a good shop that does just that.

I'm in the Ventura County area, if they are close to that, i would greatly appreciate a referral.

Well it would be a bit of a drive, it is in Bellflower.
B and D Alignment
You can give them a call and see if they have any Ideas about your problem and maybe a referral in your area,ask for Jerry Butcher, he is the Manager and very knowledgeable on RV suspension.
davron94
Explorer
Dec 02, 2014
IAMICHABOD wrote:
enblethen wrote:
You need to get it to a front end shop that deals with larger vehicles and not just cars and pick ups.
I believe they will find issues as I said before with the control arm bushings and/or the ball joints.
They should check out all steering linkage as well.

If you are in So Cal I know of a good shop that does just that.

I'm in the Ventura County area, if they are close to that, i would greatly appreciate a referral.
davron94
Explorer
Dec 02, 2014
Travelcrafter wrote:
I don't have a fix but when you raise the front of your rig the tires most likely pigeon toe in and when you drop it back to the ground one or both tires may stay in a degree of misalignment due to several factors like tire pressure, tire type and condition until you drive it down the road and they find there center. If you take it to a tire shop and nothing is found. Try to observe the tire geometry the next time you raise it and you will see what I mean. Also next time when you drive off after having the rig up try steering back and forth while driving at low speed to center the tread back on the road way. Hope this makes sense to you and helps the situation.

Are you saying that it would pigeon toe even if the tires don't lose contact with the ground? I never take the stabilizers high enough to lift the tires completely off the ground. The shocks are the heavy duty Bilsteins and they are only about a year old and a half old.
Travelcrafter
Explorer
Dec 01, 2014
I don't have a fix but when you raise the front of your rig the tires most likely pigeon toe in and when you drop it back to the ground one or both tires may stay in a degree of misalignment due to several factors like tire pressure, tire type and condition until you drive it down the road and they find there center. If you take it to a tire shop and nothing is found. Try to observe the tire geometry the next time you raise it and you will see what I mean. Also next time when you drive off after having the rig up try steering back and forth while driving at low speed to center the tread back on the road way. Hope this makes sense to you and helps the situation.
EMD360
Explorer
Nov 27, 2014
This happened to me in our 2006 Ford F250. Scared me pretty good. I was driving about 50 going downhill and braking on a curve. The truck shook like crazy as if the brakes had seized up. I took it in and got a complete brake job--new rotors etc. Then I got a letter from Ford saying be careful, this can happen, we don't have a fix. I just filed it in the round file. Love the big truck, its a workhorse and hopefully it won't happen again.
rooney77
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
winnietrey wrote:

Not saying I have the answer, But when you hit the brakes the rig is going to nose dive. If one side does nose dive and the other not, I wonder if that would account for the shaking when the OP hits the brakes? I would think the stuck side would do some bouncing of the tire, and perhaps that is why he feels the shake.

I suppose it's possible, I'm no mechanic. I just can't imagine that though. Seems that if the shock was frozen then that tire wouldn't move up or down at all and all the bumps would be transmitted straight to the frame. But it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong, just ask my wife. :D
winnietrey
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
rooney77 wrote:
winnietrey wrote:
Only thing I can think of, is a bent or seizing shock. Did it ever do it with the old shocks? When you lift the front end, you will be extending the shock pretty much to it's max range. A bent rod, or improper mounting, or bad shock from the factory, and that may jam it. Or maybe they put the wrong shocks on

I can not see why any other front end parts would behave this way, if it only occurs when you raise the front end.

After a few miles maybe the thing unsticks and that is why the symptoms go away.

One thought next time after you lower it down, from the stabilizers, do the old bounce test on the front end. If a shock is stuck, you would get no bounce on one side. Just my 2 cents, But my money is on one or both shocks

A frozen shock shouldn't cause a tire to bounce/wobble. It would make it ride horribly though. If the shock was stuck the suspension wouldn't be able to cycle at all, well not until something gave way at least. Worn out shocks could allow vibrations to amplify to the point of bouncing I suppose.

Also, tie rod ends being shot can cause all sorts of crazy issues.

Not saying I have the answer, But when you hit the brakes the rig is going to nose dive. If one side does nose dive and the other not, I wonder if that would account for the shaking when the OP hits the brakes? I would think the stuck side would do some bouncing of the tire, and perhaps that is why he feels the shake.
j-d
Explorer II
Nov 25, 2014
Stuck Shock...uncommon but not rare, I've seen a couple. If you do NOT have one, perhaps something in the front end is so loose or badly worn that it drops out of position. Then it doesn't re-position till after it has caused the coach to wobble.
rooney77
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
winnietrey wrote:
Only thing I can think of, is a bent or seizing shock. Did it ever do it with the old shocks? When you lift the front end, you will be extending the shock pretty much to it's max range. A bent rod, or improper mounting, or bad shock from the factory, and that may jam it. Or maybe they put the wrong shocks on

I can not see why any other front end parts would behave this way, if it only occurs when you raise the front end.

After a few miles maybe the thing unsticks and that is why the symptoms go away.

One thought next time after you lower it down, from the stabilizers, do the old bounce test on the front end. If a shock is stuck, you would get no bounce on one side. Just my 2 cents, But my money is on one or both shocks

A frozen shock shouldn't cause a tire to bounce/wobble. It would make it ride horribly though. If the shock was stuck the suspension wouldn't be able to cycle at all, well not until something gave way at least. Worn out shocks could allow vibrations to amplify to the point of bouncing I suppose.

Also, tie rod ends being shot can cause all sorts of crazy issues.