I had a rattle in my front suspension for a few years now. This year it had gotten worse. Yesterday while putting my rig away for the season, I decided to take a serious look at what might be the issue. It turned out that my front heavy duty Roadmaster stabilizer bar two end-links had become loose. There is a U-shaped bracket used like a washer, on the bottom of the end-links that was rattling against the lower connecting bracket. Tightening the top and bottom end-link nuts, tightened the bushings snug again and I consider the problem solved. I did not test drive our rig afterward. I'll find out next year if that eliminated the rattle noise, but I am confident it did. Rattling or not, there should never be any play in the end links. I consider the process a stabilizer tune-up because loose end links render the bar less effective. In the spring, I'll be checking my rear bar for the same.
This picture shows the end links. They are the vertical bars with a curvature to them with blue bushings top and bottom. You can see the black U-shape bracket working like a washer, on the bottom of the end links that made the noise. That black metal bracket/washer was loose and rattling against the shinny bottom metal bracket. Both top and bottom nuts needed tightening for proper adjustment. While tightening, I made sure the curvature of the end link curves away from the adjacent steering linkage. Because my end links were loose, the vertical bars spun freely leaving me to wonder if they occasionally made contact with the steering linkage.
Here you can see the U-shape washer at nearly 90 degrees from the previous picture
You can inspect your Roadmaster front stabilizer bar in just a few seconds. Get under the front of your RV and make sure the end links curve away from the steering linkage, curving rearward. Also grab the black U-shaped bracket washer and see if it moves freely. If either are not right, you have some simple work to do.
