SargeW
Site Team
Back on Sept 10th I posted a thread about an annoying squeal that I was pretty sure was coming from my left front wheel. I spent 2 days at a Freightliner dealer (they heard it too) checking brake pads, rotors, and bearings. Extended conversations with Bendix revealed no clues. Finally the pads were sanded along with light sanding on the rotor faces to remove any rust and the whole thing was put back together. Ten miles down the road the squeal was back, loud as ever.
As a last resort before I get to Gaffney Freightliner next week, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up 3 rolls of 3/4" X 5/8" foam insulating tape with one sticky side. I removed the wheel liners and cleaned the perimeter of the wheel with acetone. I applied the foam tape to the outside edge of the wheel where the wheel liner sits. I reinstalled the wheel liners and waited until I moved to the next camp site a few days later.
The squeak from the front left wheel was GONE, as well as the metal on metal shuffle sound from the rear wheel. The rear sound was like a failing drive shaft or axle. All that aggravation (2 months worth) and 2 days at a repair shop, all for naught. Wheel liners are not real common yet, but they will be on new units as manufactures find ways to reduce their costs. So far they do not look bad and shine up pretty decently. But if you don't keep the foam tape in there, it will drive you NUTS. :
Hopefully I will save someone the trouble down the road.
As a last resort before I get to Gaffney Freightliner next week, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up 3 rolls of 3/4" X 5/8" foam insulating tape with one sticky side. I removed the wheel liners and cleaned the perimeter of the wheel with acetone. I applied the foam tape to the outside edge of the wheel where the wheel liner sits. I reinstalled the wheel liners and waited until I moved to the next camp site a few days later.
The squeak from the front left wheel was GONE, as well as the metal on metal shuffle sound from the rear wheel. The rear sound was like a failing drive shaft or axle. All that aggravation (2 months worth) and 2 days at a repair shop, all for naught. Wheel liners are not real common yet, but they will be on new units as manufactures find ways to reduce their costs. So far they do not look bad and shine up pretty decently. But if you don't keep the foam tape in there, it will drive you NUTS. :
Hopefully I will save someone the trouble down the road.
