Crooked Wheel and Pulsing when braking

MoonchaserTX · 07-30-2010, 06:34 PM

Need your help again!

I'm purchasing (I hope! We're very excited) our first motor home, a very clean 2007 Winnebago Sightseer 29' with Workhorse chassis...I confirmed today that (like DriVer said) it does NOT have Bosch brakes, it has Brembo, so we are good for that issue...the front wheels came off at the inspector's shop and with only 12,000 miles the brake wear is almost non existent...all looks great...our punch list is not bad at all...mostly little things in the coach...like windshield wiper blades, a bolt here a blown sensor in the water heater (fixed) ...nothing major

the only remaining two "big ticket" issues on the chassis are-----
=======================================

1) The steering wheel is about 20 degrees off from center when driving straight (dont remember which way)
--> The dealer said this is because the wheel was mounted wrong at the factory and it just needs to come off and be rotated a few teeth on the splines...huh ?? They dont want to take it off because the airbag may go off..they said perhaps adjust the steering arm instead? hmm??

2) There is a slight pulsing when braking.
--> The dealer said this is the ABS kicking in because the road was rough...it didnt apper rough to me plus the guy at the inspection shop test drove it today on both highway and surface streets and noticed the same thing. ABS kicking in just doesnt sound right to me...hmmm again?

--> Are these two issues related?

With the front wheels off we went over the front suspension...all looks fine but we did NOT align it...should I insist that be done?

Tire wear is VERY even, they look great-- no uneven wear at all

The right brake rotor has ZERO "lip" at the outside of the wear area almost like new..
The left brake rotor has a VERY small lip on the outside..barely enough to click it with your fingernail...so technically the left brake has ever so little more wear then the right one, but barely noticable...dont know if that is part of either item above

Oh and I want him to replace the brake fluid just to make sure.

I cant see tire balance as being involved in either issue above..at highway speeds it rides very smooth.

Anyone have suggestions or history in either of these areas?

Thanks very much for your help!

Moon (it's hot here this weekend in TX) chaserTX

max49 · 07-30-2010, 06:46 PM

Hmm, My '05 does'nt have an air bag, maybe they the later models have them. My steering wheel is the same way, I can't remember if it rides at 10 or 2 o'clock.
Souns like a nice Mh though. Pulsing in the brake pedal normally means you have a warped rotor pushing back at the pedal. I think that is caused by heat.
You would have to determine if these are dealbreakers or if you want them to attempt to fix them or just buy it before someone else does.

cannon man · 07-30-2010, 07:25 PM

this dealer sounds like a real bozzzzzzzzzo! if i got those kind of answers i'd run like h--l. should be lots of those models around. good luck.

TrekPR · 07-30-2010, 09:05 PM

We have a 2007 28' Trek built on a 2006 Workhorse chassis it has no air bag. What year is your chassis? I suggest you get the vin number and see what you are dealing with I don't see a 27' Winne built on a something that doesn't have Bosch brakes. This maybe your dream coach but I would keep my money in my pocket until I knew more about it.

DriVer · 07-31-2010, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrekPR

This maybe your dream coach but I would keep my money in my pocket until I knew more about it.

TrekPR, We have already been down this road and he is buying a W18 in which you are correct. It does not have air bags nor does it have Bosch calipers.

DriVer · 07-31-2010, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonchaserTX

1) The steering wheel is about 20 degrees off from center when driving straight (don't remember which way)
--> The dealer said this is because the wheel was mounted wrong at the factory and it just needs to come off and be rotated a few teeth on the splines...huh ?? They don't want to take it off because the airbag may go off..they said perhaps adjust the steering arm instead? hmm??

The dealer does not know what he is talking about. I have not seen where you could reset the splines on a Workhorse steering shaft, so please be careful with this guy. Go to a suspension alignment professional. Your drag link is adjustable and that's what's going to "Zero Out The Box." PS: That BIG pad you are looking at with he Workhorse logo is a horn button and not an air bag. You can pull the horn button off by hand.

Quote:

2) There is a slight pulsing when braking.
--> The dealer said this is the ABS kicking in because the road was rough...it didn't apper rough to me plus the guy at the inspection shop test drove it today on both highway and surface streets and noticed the same thing. ABS kicking in just doesn't sound right to me...hmmm again?

If the pulsing presents at very slow speeds when you are applying the brakes, less than 5 to 10 MPH & right before the vehicle comes to a full stop, you have bad ABS sensors. Once scanned and identified the sensor can be replaced.

Quote:

--> Are these two issues related?

No ....

Quote:

Oh and I want him to replace the brake fluid just to make sure.

Absolutely! Make sure that the brake booster's fluid is completely removed before they start and that the lines are flushed until the fluid runs clear.

MoonchaserTX · 07-31-2010, 02:44 PM

Thanks! I passed the request along to balance the front tires, do an alignment, and check for bad ABS sensors...I wonder if the dealer wonders how I come up with this stuff? I should tell him "Oh, I have people"

MoonchaserTX · 07-31-2010, 02:44 PM

OOPS, and flush the brake fluid...also asked him to do that

DriVer · 07-31-2010, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonchaserTX

OOPS, and flush the brake fluid...also asked him to do that

Let us know how eveything works out.

MoonchaserTX · 08-04-2010, 07:15 PM

Well it's sitting in our driveway! Driving home the steering wheel was straight and brake pulsing was not bad at all, if present...they did align the front end...so all is well. Thanks for your advice...it made a busy couple of days easier to navigate the issues correctly, so I appreciate it!

MoonchaserTX · 09-12-2010, 07:51 AM

Hi Folks...question again...We've been delighted with our motorhome, been camping a few times already and love it...the wheel is straight and there is no pulsing at slow speeds...but a new thing is happening now...when braking from freeway speeds the steering wheel shimmys in the 45-50 MPH range, then it stops shimmying once below those speeds. Before purchase we did have it aligned and the steering wheel zeroed out and straight so all seemed well, now this...any suggestions?

edgray · 09-12-2010, 08:11 AM

Please consider adding some coach and chassis specific info as your "signature" in your "user cp". That info will then show up at the bottom of your posts and help other members better answer your questions. Not everybody has a W-18..........
Ed

buck62 · 09-12-2010, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonchaserTX

Hi Folks...question again...We've been delighted with our motorhome, been camping a few times already and love it...the wheel is straight and there is no pulsing at slow speeds...but a new thing is happening now...when braking from freeway speeds the steering wheel shimmys in the 45-50 MPH range, then it stops shimmying once below those speeds. Before purchase we did have it aligned and the steering wheel zeroed out and straight so all seemed well, now this...any suggestions?

Could be warped disc brake rotors, if warped the rotor will shimmy. Easy check is to use a dial indicator on the disc surface and measure warpage. If you have a magnetic dial indicator you can do this yourself or take it to a service center for diagnosis. Also check the disc rotor to make sure there is no side to side play due to wheel bearings loose.