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 can not drop. Failure to follow these steps
could result in serious personal injury or death.
32–01 Suspension Inspection
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.
Front Suspension Check
Inspect the front spring assemblies for cracked, bro-
ken, or abnormally bent leaves. If any of these condi-
tions exist, replace the spring assembly; see Group
32 of the Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual.
Front and Rear Suspension
Shock Absorber Check
Make sure the shock absorber brackets are tight,
and the shock absorber is not striking or rubbing the
frame or some other part of the chassis. Striking or
rubbing the frame is characterized by chafe marks on
the shock absorber body and the frame rail; see
Fig. 1. Check the rubber mounting bushings for
cracks, cuts, swelling, dry rot, or missing pieces. If
the shock absorber bushings are no longer service-
able, replace the shock absorber with a new one.
Inspect the shock absorber for oil leakage. Some
misting of the oil is normal, and does not mean the
shock is leaking. If the shock absorber is damaged
or leaking, replace it with a new one; see Group
32of the Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual.
Freightliner AirLiner Rear
Suspension Check
Components Checking
Inspect the forward spring brackets for wear, cracks,
and other damage. If any of these conditions exist,
replace the damaged bracket(s); see Group 32 of
the Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual.
Inspect the spring bushings for wear or other dam-
age. If any of these conditions exist, replace the
damaged bushings.
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.
Inspect the crossmember(s) and gussets for wear,
cracks, and other damage. If any of these conditions
exist, replace the damaged parts; see Group 32 of
the Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual.
Visually check the air spring piston for cracks, chips,
and broken areas. Check the air bag for rips, tears,
and holes. Verify that the air spring assembly does
f321090
05/24/2007
Fig. 1, Direct-Acting Shock Absorber (front suspension
shown)
Suspension 32
Cascadia Maintenance Manual, August 2015 32/1
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