Brake Clunk?

[jjrbus]

 I had to step on my brakes very hard, about 40 mph. I heard a loud deep clunk from the right front (passenger side). Anything that is there to move and make noise would have been a light mettalic sound. It startteled me so bad I do not know if the brakeing or steering was affected. The wheel is free, the steering is fine and it is baking normally.  I just torqued the lugs at Timmonsville. I had to use Jacks torque wrench, it is the only tool he had that I had not used!!! Any ideas??

[David Anderson]

I have the same clunk, same side on my Eagle 10.  It is intermittent.  I had all this front end and brakes replaced back in 2002.  Everthing up front is new.  I cannot duplicate the problem on demand.  It just happens sometimes.   Nothing seems out of place from a visual inspection.  The coach steers and brakes properly.

David

[Ace]

Just out of curiosity, what did you torque the lugs at and what size wrench did Jack have?

Ace

[belfert]

When I bought my bus, one front brake clunked every time I braked.  It turns out one slack adjuster was backed off all the way and the brake wasn't doing any braking.  The clunking was the slack adjuster hitting when I let off the brakes.

I would guess this is not the problem if it happened only once and only during hard braking.

Brian Elfert

[buswarrior]

If you have inspected carefully, nothing is out of place, everything returned to normal, free wheel, straight steering, proper brake action, axle bolts intact....

Forget about it.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[kyle4501]

Hey Ace, Jack had a big one, he had just gotten it the day he left for this trip. As we were watching David bounce on that long handled torque wrench, we figgured he had about 450 to 550 ft-lbs on those nuts. If you hadn't been chasing the ladies at the flea market, you could have watched. 

David, could it be the king pin bushings are worn out? But, hey, I have a tendency to jump straight to the worst case posibility. It could just be a normal thing.

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Jim,

Try checking the clevis pin that connects the brake cylender to the cam.

I just had the same sound in my 102C and that was the problem.

Nick-

[TomC]

I had all new air bags installed, steering changed to rebuilt Sheppard steering, and keep my brakes adjusted.  I also get a clunk every so often.  Doesn't seem to change anything (if your steering wheel suddenly is in a different position after the clunk, then you have something loose with the front axle shifting) so I figure its just a loose part that can't be found shifting back and forth.  Do figure with a bus that's almost 30 years old.  Good Luck, TomC

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

I had the "pax front clunk" in my 4106 also... only under hard braking, which I tended to avoid. Never worried too much about it.

It could be something as innocuous as something shifting from the deceleration... sometimes a fire extenguisher is kept in that area.

Just a thought,
Brian B.

[Dallas]

David,

I suggest you check those lugnuts again. I noticed as I was walking by your coach, you have multiple kinds of lugnuts.

Some for hub piloted, some for stud piloted, some that have had the washers broken off. All on the same wheel.

That would REALY scare the peewaddin' out of me!

Good luck.

Dallas

[gumpy]

I know what it is    and it's not the brakes !!!     

What bus do you have?  MCI?

[jjrbus]

 After years on this board you would think I would know enough to give all the details.  It is an MCI5C 1979 Saudi model rumored to be Osamas personal ride. It has been converted to integeral power steering. The brakes have lots of shoe left and were adjusted less than 3000 miles ago.
  Dallas, I went and looked at the nuts, you must have confused me with another bus, all the nuts look the same. Not the Bus nuts, the lug nuts on my bus. Besides Jerry Jenkinson would never have let me leave Arcadia with a mongrol setup!!!!!
  Ace, Jack has a 600lb wrench, I torqued the nuts to about 475, the service manual says 450 to 500 lbs. Did the Mango plant survive the trip home?
I cannot belive the noise was caused by something shifting in a bay. I'll check the clevis tomorrow.
OK Gumpy and the ansewer is???
Thanks for all the responses I really appreciate it!!!!  I'm currently in Manatee springs state park in Fl. I was driving on route?? in Old town FL and saw a converted bus is it anybody on this board??

[jjrbus]

The last bit of info.
   I have had the bus 6 years and have braked this hard about once/twice a year, never with this noise.

[kyle4501]

OOOOOPS, I was thinking Wilmington Dave's bus. I'll bet Dallas was too. My Bad

Jim, that is one awesome bus you have built!

[DavidInWilmNC]

OOOOOPS, I was thinking Wilmington Dave's bus. I'll bet Dallas was too. My Bad

Jim, that is one awesome bus you have built!

I was kinda wondering...     I was beginning to think that I wasn't the only one who drives around with half my tag axle lug nuts loose!  I actually feel really stupid about it.  I can't imagine when they were loosened, except that when I was replacing the air bag, leveling valve, and inversion valve, I removed the left drive wheels.  I was showing a friend the huge 1" impact wrench I used and he played with it some.  I guess that's what happened, 'cause the haven't been loose all along. 

David