Steering Issues

[Roger&Patti]

I have an 2004 Monaco Dip 40ft. It has a Sheppard M100 steering box. There's always been alot of play in the steering. Has anyone experienced a problem like this? I recently added Koni shocks and a Safe-T-Plus. I've also had the tire pressure checked, ride height checked, and front end alignment done.
Thanks Roger

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger&Patti I have an 2004 Monaco Dip 40ft. It has a Sheppard M100 steering box. There's always been alot of play in the steering. Has anyone experienced a problem like this? I recently added Koni shocks and a Safe-T-Plus. I've also had the tire pressure checked, ride height checked, and front end alignment done. Thanks Roger

Sounds like you have covered most of the bases. If it truely has excessive play in the steering then you should take it to a shop that works on large vehicles such as trucks and buses. One thing you did not mention was the front wheel bearing jam nut adjustment. You may need to have the front wheels packed and the jam nut torqued to the proper setting. When I had this done to mine it stopped the wander we were experiencing at interstate speeds.

Bob

[Rex]

You might also want to have the front end aligned. That sure helped my coach. If you are near enough, take it to Josam in Orlando.

Josam Truck Frame & Alignment
8849 Exchange Dr
Orlando, FL 32809
407-438-7020
Josam - Truck Frame and Alignment Specialist Worldwide

Make an appointment first. They are fast. The cost was much less than I thought it would be.

[DEG503]

I was going to say the same thing as rex. I talked with Barry at JOSAM just this month and described to him my "loose steering". We did a front end allignment and now I track like on rails. I cannot emphasize the difference I have experienced.

I hate to say this, but there are allignments and there are ALLIGNMENTS!

JOSAM is all comercial equipment, the company actually manufactures allignment equipment that is sold world wide. . . . I could go on on and about their credentials.

Maybe you could give Barry Hamton a call there, since you probably don't live in Florida he might be able to tell you about a shop in your neck that uses their's, or similar equipment.

Did your shop give you the computer print out of the before and after numbers on your front end?

Somebody smart like happycarz might have an opinion on where your specs were set.

IF this is an allignment issue I hope this helps.

David

[Diplomat Don]

Roger...Are you new to driving this type of coach? Not to insult you, but if you're new to a large DP, some people have a tendency to oversteer as they drive and find thenselves constantly steering to stay in their lane. If this is the case, try looking/steering farther down the road. Correct for 100'-150' away instead of right in front of you.

If this is not the case, some of the GoodYear tires after several thousand miles will wear oddly and can cause some of your issues. It's called "rivering" and can cause some minor issues.

I also had mine recently inspected when I had two front tires replaced. This was the first time I had the coach aligned since I purchased new. I watched the alignment guy for awhile and saw that he knew what he was doing and was using his equipment properly (I used to do alignments years ago). He did a four wheel alignment where they calibrate everything with the rear wheels and then make the front adjustments. Mine was sitting at 0 degrees on the toe and would actually spread outward under driving pressure. He set both fronts with some inward toe and it drove better than new when he was done.

[DEG503]

Don is monster right! At JOSAM they did a 4 wheel for me. I actually had 1 degree out toe! They toed it in 1.2 and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

David

[airwayfrank]

We also have a wandering problem and a lot of play in our steering with our 40' 2005 Monaco Diplomat. We've had 3 alignments, 1 full 4 wheel with computer printout, at which time they shimmed the front axel. They checked the ride height, had the torque on the front wheel bearings checked and the front tires rotated. We called the steering box manufacturer to say there is too much play in the in the steering, and they said there is no adjustment on it and they've never had one go bad. We had the power steering pump replaced by Monaco and the pressures checked. None of the above helped. We've had two previous motorhomes that drove straight down the road.
Finally we had an anti sway bar installed in the rear. This helped somewhat, but it still continuously wanders. Someone recently told us that they had the same problem with their '05 Monaco Diplomat and they put new Michelin RV tires on the front and that helped them. We hear this same complaint a lot at RV Rallys and campgrounds. I wish there was a fix for this. Frank

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by airwayfrank We also have a wandering problem and a lot of play in our steering with our 40' 2005 Monaco Diplomat. We've had 3 alignments, 1 full 4 wheel with computer printout, at which time they shimmed the front axel. They checked the ride height, had the torque on the front wheel bearings checked and the front tires rotated. We called the steering box manufacturer to say there is too much play in the in the steering, and they said there is no adjustment on it and they've never had one go bad. We had the power steering pump replaced by Monaco and the pressures checked. None of the above helped. We've had two previous motorhomes that drove straight down the road. Finally we had an anti sway bar installed in the rear. This helped somewhat, but it still continuously wanders. Someone recently told us that they had the same problem with their '05 Monaco Diplomat and they put new Michelin RV tires on the front and that helped them. We hear this same complaint a lot at RV Rallys and campgrounds. I wish there was a fix for this. Frank

Yes, the Michelin Steer tires helped ours, mostly because they balanced. The Goodyear's were impossible to get a good balance on. Each of the things we did to our coach helped, Koni shocks, ride height adjustment, alignment, front bearings torqued, Blue OX TruCenter and Michelin Steer tires on the front. The Koni shocks and the TruCenter were the most noticeable. Our Diplomat is now a pleasure to drive.

Bob

[Mike Canter]

I had a wondering problem and the MH was very sensitive to wind and trucks passing. I added +3* of caster to put it at the positive end of the specs and it steered like a dream and stopped wondering. Just having it aligned may not fix the problem unless you add positive caster. It is the caster that makes a vehicle track straight.

[motojavaphil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger&Patti I have an 2004 Monaco Dip 40ft. It has a Sheppard M100 steering box. There's always been alot of play in the steering. Has anyone experienced a problem like this? I recently added Koni shocks and a Safe-T-Plus. I've also had the tire pressure checked, ride height checked, and front end alignment done. Thanks Roger

Roger.
I feel for you. We had handling problems on the 2000 Beaver, our first coach! Our first trip I thought we were going to die as wind, passing trucks and road irregularities would put us in one lane or another despite our Howard Power Steering. I toyed with air pressures first but to no avail. I finally had Koni's installed, ride height tinkered with, alignment and things improved but we were still out there. The Bilsteins had dried seals from sitting for over two years. I thought it was as good as it gets having no experience with MH's! We test drove a new 2008 Diplomat and what a difference. I was impressed. We ended up going to Redlands, in Redlands CA, Redlands Truck & RV Performance Center. They weighed the rig, aligned it and installed motion control air valves on the airbags. They even centered the steering wheel and found a few other smaller issues, correcting them. The Beaver now handles as well as new. I'd recommend checking out the mechanical stuff first and then determine if you need to upgrade the suspension. I had blamed myself for the handling, being a novice, but that just was not the case. Basically handling was improved by all or part of these:
1-Steering Assist like our Howard Steering
2-Koni Shocks
3-Alignment
4-Air Motion Control Valves
5-Weighing the Rig and distributing weight/adjusting tire pressures accordingly

I hope this helps. I am no expert but this made the difference for us.
Moto

[Roger&Patti]

For some reason I still beleive that I have a steering box problem. I called Sheppard and of course they said nothing is wrong with the steering box. Then I called Red-Head Steering Gears in Seattle and he said he was sure that the problem was in the steering box being that it was a Sheppard. For $600 they will rebuild the box and tighten it up so there is no play in it. I liked what he said and my give it a try. Will post after done with results. Roger

[Dick L]

Roger, If you have had you coach aligned, weighed and air pressure adjust correctly, greased the front suspension and king pins correctly, the next thing I would do is have Red Head steering gear blueprint the gear and remove all of the pay. I have a customer with a 02 Holiday Rambler who had the same issues and even after replacing the Sheppard gear with a brand new gear was dissatisfied with the play in the steering. We sent the gear to Red Head and after reinstalling it, the coach now feels like it has rack and pinion steering. He can control the coach in a 30 MPH crosswind with 2 fingers on the wheel.

I was so impressed with the improvement that this winter I sent my Ross gear to Red Head for the same service. Even though I had adjusted the gears cross shaft play, the coach still had a delayed steering reaction while driving. After I got the gear blueprinted, I drove to Brooksville and back and the steering was incredible. Absolutely the best improvement for the money I have done to my coach. As I use my coach as a test guinea pig and also as a sample driver for my customers, I can't wait for others to be able to test drive this coach and see for themselves, how much of an improvement this made to the drivablilty of my coach.

Spend the money and rework your steering gear, you will not be disappointed.

Roger, If you have had you coach aligned, weighed and air pressure adjust correctly, greased the front suspension and king pins correctly, the next thing I would do is have Red Head steering gear blueprint the gear and remove all of the pay. I have a customer with a 02 Holiday Rambler who had the same issues and even after replacing the Sheppard gear with a brand new gear was dissatisfied with the play in the steering. We sent the gear to Red Head and after reinstalling it, the coach now feels like it has rack and pinion steering. He can control the coach in a 30 MPH crosswind with 2 fingers on the wheel.

I was so impressed with the improvement that this winter I sent my Ross gear to Red Head for the same service. Even though I had adjusted the gears cross shaft play, the coach still had a delayed steering reaction while driving. After I got the gear blueprinted, I drove to Brooksville and back and the steering was incredible. Absolutely the best improvement for the money I have done to my coach. As I use my coach as a test guinea pig and also as a sample driver for my customers, I can't wait for others to be able to test drive this coach and see for themselves, how much of an improvement this made to the drivablilty of my coach.

Spend the money and rework your steering gear, you will not be disappointed.

[Roger&Patti]

I just had Red Head rebuild my gear box. All the play is now gone. I still have to do alittle steering but way better than it was. Thanks for all the help. Roger
2004 Monaco Dip