Start Topic 2005 Dolphin 5342 (W-22 Chassis) Steers Poorly

[ralphl]

I bought a used 2005 5342 Dolphin on a Workhorse W-22 chassis. It is 34 feet long. It has always been difficult to keep on the road. If there is any unevenness to the pavement it will swerve and wander. I can't take my eyes off the road for a second. I have had the front wheels aligned 3 times. Two of the alignments actually made it steer worse, and the third alignment improved it only marginally. On the third alignment the caster was increased resulting in some improvement.

Recently I jacked the motorhome up and shook the front wheels from side to side. There was a lot of slop--about a half inch at the outer edge of the tires. All the tie rod ends and other steering connections were tight. I traced the slop to the pitman arm on the steering gear box. With the steering wheel held rigidly in one spot, the end of the pitman arm will move back and forth about a half inch--about the same amount the tires move. It seems to me that this is obviously the cause of my bad steering.

I bought the Workhorse repair manual (8,ooo pages on a disk). It describes 2 different steering gear boxes (both made by Saginaw) with adjustments to tighten up the steering. However, my steering box is neither. It is a zflenksysteme. I can't find any adjustment screws on the outside of the box, but it is difficult to get to so I may have missed them. Also, it is conceivable that they could be under the pitman arm, necessitating removal of the pitman arm to do the adjustment.

I have a friend who has the same Dolphin motorhome I have, also on a W-22 chassis. We jacked it up, shook the wheels side to side, and discovered that the steering gear box on his motorhome had the same amount of slop as mine.

I had a Blue Ox steering stablizer with a push button setting control. However, it locked up in a campground and I had to remove it. I am afraid to put it back on for fear of a lockup while driving. However, it made only marginal improvement in the steering anyway so its not important for this discussion

1. I tried to contact Workhorse. I can't find a tech support number, but
they have a web site that allows submitting a question. I have done this, but they don't reply. Does anybody know how to get tech support from Workhorse?

2. Does anybody know how to get tech support from zflenksysteme?

3. Has anybody else had similar problems with a Workhorse zflenksysteme chassis and found a solution?

4. Does anybody know if the zflenksysteme steering gear box can be adjusted at all?

Thanks

Ralph

[bdpreece]

Just some things to check. Fill the coach with your normal fluids and gear and then take it somewhere and have it weighed. make sure you are not so heavy in the rear that you are light in the front. I don't know how much rear overhang you have but loading heavy in the rear will cause handling problems. Next if your manual give the specs check the height of the coach front and rear I once owned a 30 ft coach on a P30 (pre Workhorse) chassis that had sagging springs in the rear and drove horrible until I had the rear springs re arched.

[DriVer]

We have read a thread here where an owner had their steering box blueprinted. Doing this fine tunes the box and removes all the excess play in the steering box. See if you can search for those key words or perhaps someone might be able to find that thread for you.

[speed racer]

When checking the steering box the engine has to be running. Have someone move the steering wheel back and forth and see if the steering wheel moves before the pitman arm does. The amount the steering wheel moves(if any)before the pitman arm moves is the amount of play in the sterring box.

[dieselclacker]

Ralph,
I don't know your wheelbase length or amount of rear overhang past the axle, but assuming your tire pressures are correct for the amount of weight you are carrying, and your wheel alignment is correct, you might consider installing a rear track bar on your coach. Sometimes with a lot of overhang past the rear axle, the leverage will tend to steer the coach from the rear.

Dieselclacker

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselclacker Sometimes with a lot of overhang past the rear axle, the leverage will tend to steer the coach from the rear.

Dieselclacker, I feel sometimes that I'm the poster child for long rear overhang and "YES" a rear track bar did make all the difference in the world.

[two2go]

I have a '05 model 5342, and I can attest that this unit is well balanced, does not have particularly excessive rear overhang, and handles fine without suspension add-ons (other than the pendulum side-to-side bobbing). I have driven it with tanks full, empty, water tank in rear full, etc.--all OK. I believe ralphl has an anomaly that needs to be corrected. Tires? Something loose or out of spec in the suspension?

[FrankO]

I have the W22 with front and rear Track Bars, larger front and rear anti sway bars and Koni shocks. I have no steering issues except for strong side winds. I hardly feel 18 wheelers passing and/or road ruts. The new shocks made a big difference in the smoothness of the ride. I think the track bars are the key chassis upgrade to correct steering issues.
JMHO -- Frank O.

[wa7hra]

My '03 Dolphin 5342 has very satifactory steering with absolutely no changes from the factory design. It steers as good or better than any of the rigs I have owned.

There are a couple of things I would look at. They are tire pressure and weight distribution. If the tires are overinflated, it will not track well. If it is light in the front end, it will not track well.

Mine weighs 7,350 lbs in the front and 14,500 in the rear. In accordance with Michelin's recommendations, I carry 75 psi in the front and 85 psi in the rear.

Bob............wa7hra

[RV 4 2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer Dieselclacker, I feel sometimes that I'm the poster child for long rear overhang and "YES" a rear track bar did make all the difference in the world.

DriVer, I am right there with you. Sometimes I feel my coach has more ba-donk-a-donk in the trunk than most I have seen. And like you, the rear track bar did make a lot of difference. Unfortunately, my front end is light per Workhorse so I have to concentrate more than I would like while driving. Next up will be a front track bar to see how much that helps.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV 4 2 Next up will be a front track bar to see how much that helps.

RV 4 2, When I was coming down off the plateau on the I-40 in TN westbound, I felt as if I had to see saw the steering wheel down off the grade and it was challenging however the back of the rig was not trying to wrap around the front. Subsequently I installed a Tru-Track and a Safe-T-Plus. Currently that condition no longer exists.

[two2go]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa7hra My '03 Dolphin 5342 has very satifactory steering with absolutely no changes from the factory design. It steers as good or better than any of the rigs I have owned. There are a couple of things I would look at. They are tire pressure and weight distribution. If the tires are overinflated, it will not track well. If it is light in the front end, it will not track well. Mine weighs 7,350 lbs in the front and 14,500 in the rear. In accordance with Michelin's recommendations, I carry 75 psi in the front and 85 psi in the rear. Bob............wa7hra

Not sure about your psi's. W/H and National both specify 95 front and 90 rear for 235/80-22.5 size on my coach. That's what I run, and handling is fine.

[wa7hra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by two2go Not sure about your psi's. W/H and National both specify 95 front and 90 rear for 235/80-22.5 size on my coach. That's what I run, and handling is fine.

Neither WH nor National manufactured tires. I go with what Michelin says. Their recommendations are based on the actual weights the tire is carrying which may vary based on what the owner has collected in his coach. WH and National had no idea what you were going to carry.

Bob, wa7hra

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa7hra WH and National had no idea what you were going to carry.

Bob, By law the final assembler of the vehicle must provide the inflation pressures they require to satisfy the weights and loading requirements of their vehicle. This is why the air pressures are listed on your VIN# placard on your vehicle. These numbers are not just pulled out of a hat and are part of the certification process that all motor vehicle builder have to comply with.

The tire builder does indeed provide us with timely and useful information about our immediate needs in regard to air pressure weights & loading and that is indeed valid data as well.

That said, an owner should not go very far of the path "if" they choose to stick with the OEM recommendation however we all learn that the proper process is to weigh 4 corners and inflate the tires on the same axle to the higher pressure.