volvo shimmy

[Mr P}heasant]

Got two volvos in for drivers complaint of a shimmy! My luck or does Volvo have a problem! We inspected veh. Balanced steer tires. Still have this low speed shimmy! Both 2008 780 Volovs

Wobble man

[volvoman]

do you feel it in steering wheel or floor boards? what speed does it start and go away?
did you check drive shafts and angles? air ride or springs?

[Bob86ZZ4]

How did you balance them? I was told you can't do it with weights on the outside. You need to put balancing beads inside them.

[Mr P}heasant]

You feel like the whole cab shakes....we're thinking we got two shimmys. One on light pull, Rocking forward and back. (maybe motor!?) Then another....you get going over 40 mph and shut motor off, (Neutral of course) and as you coast on smooth road you can feel a side to side shimmy. Balanced Steers w/Hunter Road Force (new) Balancer. Tried new Bal. brake drums on str's. Frt end looks ok, spr's, pins, shocks. D/L turns true and angles look good. plus going to slow for d/L to cause a problem. If you hit a pot hole...cab kind of shudders similar to shimmy....replaced rear cab shocks and insp cab frt mounts...going to ck bal on str tires while on trk with Bee Line whl spinner.
like to be the hero and solve problem for new owner...
Had this other volvo month or so ago...similar shimmy. Just wondering if anybody else has run into this?

Wobble Man

[volvoman]

has this truck been sitting long? tires could be flat spotted. jack up front end and spin tire
and watch between tire and ground to see if gap changes. some times after driving at highway speeds and tires get hot they will straighten out. if you can find someone to switch tires with just to check out it could eliminate them.

[Highway OPie]

Good advise so far!

I had a similar problem this spring with my Peterbilt motorhome conversion project. Here are two additional items to check:

1> Make sure the steering box, steering shaft, and all the drag-links and tie rods are tight and operate smoothly with excessive end play. If you have excessive "play" in the steering wheel when you mive it side to side, this could be a problem. I had a loose fit between the steering box output shaft and the pitman arm. Tightening it up with an impact eliminated all the play. I did not have to replace any parts. But, I keep my eye on it!

2> My real shimmy problem was most evident at speeds between 45-55 mph; it was speed sensitive. For this, I went to my local Peterbilt dealer, whom I do regular business with. The mechanic jacked up the front end, one side at a time, and place a 4x6 block of wood about 24" long up against the tread of each front tire to check the run-out. One side was fine, but the other side revealed a "bulge" in the tire, making it about 1/2" out of round.

As I needed new steer tires anyway, I replaced both tires with nice new Goodyears, and the problem was solved!

Hope this helps.

Speed Gray, K8SG
Grand Rapids, MI

[Highway OPie]

Should say "without excessive play"