32–00 Safety Precautions
Safety Precautions in this section apply to all
procedures within this group.
DANGER
When working on the vehicle, shut down the en-
gine, set the parking brake, and chock the tires.
Before working under the vehicle, always place
jack stands under the frame rails to ensure the
vehicle cannot drop. Failure to follow these steps
could result in serious personal injury or death.
32–01 Suspension Inspecting
Freightliner Spring Front and
Rear Suspension Spring
Assemblies Inspection
Inspect the front and rear suspension spring assem-
blies for pitted, cracked, broken, or abnormally bent
leaves, and extreme rust. If any of these conditions
exist, replace the spring assembly. See
Group 32
of
the
Business Class® M2 Workshop Manual
for
instructions.
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: On multi-leaf suspensions, closely
inspect each component of the leaf spring as-
semblies, including the brackets, U-bolts, and
related parts.
Freightliner Spring Rear
Suspension Spring Brackets and
Equalizer Brackets (Tandems)
Inspection
Inspect the forward and rear spring brackets, equal-
izer brackets (tandems), and the wear pads, for
wear, cracks, and other damage. If any of these con-
ditions exist, replace the damaged bracket(s) and
wear pad(s). See
Group 32
of the
Business Class®
M2 Workshop Manual
for instructions.
WARNING
Failure to replace the forward spring brackets,
equalizer brackets, or rear spring brackets if they
are worn, cracked, or otherwise damaged could
result in progressive damage to and eventual
breakage of the bracket. This could cause a loss
of vehicle control resulting in property damage,
serious personal injury or death.
Freightliner Spring Tandem Axle
Suspension Crossmember and
Gussets Inspection
Inspect the tandem-axle frame crossmember and
gussets for wear, cracks, and other damage. If any of
these conditions exist, replace the damaged parts.
See
Section 31.00, Subject 130,
of the
Business
Class® M2 Workshop Manual
for instructions. Check
all fasteners for tightness. See
of this
manual for torque values.
CAUTION
Failure to replace the suspension crossmember or
gussets if they are cracked, worn, or otherwise
damaged could result in damage to the vehicle
chassis.
Freightliner Spring Shock
Absorber Check
NOTE: Shock absorbers are optional on spring
suspensions.
Make sure that the shock absorber brackets are tight
and that the shock absorber is not striking or rubbing
Suspension
32
Business Class M2 Maintenance Manual, August 2015
32/1
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