Community Forums

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 02:01 PM

First of all, phase 3 was completed today with the addition of the 2.5" WH anti-sway bar. It does make a nice difference in the ride when cornering or going over uneven surfaces. Much less back and forth rocking seems to occur now. Overall, between the new tires, Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, 2.5" bar, and a front end alignment, the coach drives MUCH better. I am very pleased and have NO REGRETS.

I have one question about alignments and such... I don't recall from before the alignment, but my steering wheel is not centered now. I think it was always like that, but I'm not positive.

Also, the coach seems to pull a TINY bit to the left as well. It's not major, but it's there. I'm not having to fight the coach to stay centered, so at least it's not a major problem yet. The alignment was done with the coach NOT fully loaded. We depart on Sunday and could not get everything in before the coach had to go in. In addition, the water tank is empty because it's so darn cold here in Chicago.

SO... Did I waste my money on an alignment? Should the steering wheel be centered? The alignment was WAY off before all this work was done. The tires were wearing quite unevenly. Ironically I didn't feel any pull before the alignment - yet it was clearly in need of one. Since the alignment and the other mods, the vibrations at higher speeds have really calmed down and the coach seems to drive the best ever. Maybe it's all due to the road itself - uneven surfaces???

Thakns for any suggestions or comments.

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 02:01 PM

First of all, phase 3 was completed today with the addition of the 2.5" WH anti-sway bar. It does make a nice difference in the ride when cornering or going over uneven surfaces. Much less back and forth rocking seems to occur now. Overall, between the new tires, Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, 2.5" bar, and a front end alignment, the coach drives MUCH better. I am very pleased and have NO REGRETS.

I have one question about alignments and such... I don't recall from before the alignment, but my steering wheel is not centered now. I think it was always like that, but I'm not positive.

Also, the coach seems to pull a TINY bit to the left as well. It's not major, but it's there. I'm not having to fight the coach to stay centered, so at least it's not a major problem yet. The alignment was done with the coach NOT fully loaded. We depart on Sunday and could not get everything in before the coach had to go in. In addition, the water tank is empty because it's so darn cold here in Chicago.

SO... Did I waste my money on an alignment? Should the steering wheel be centered? The alignment was WAY off before all this work was done. The tires were wearing quite unevenly. Ironically I didn't feel any pull before the alignment - yet it was clearly in need of one. Since the alignment and the other mods, the vibrations at higher speeds have really calmed down and the coach seems to drive the best ever. Maybe it's all due to the road itself - uneven surfaces???

Thakns for any suggestions or comments.

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

DriVer · 12-15-2005, 03:00 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rvguy02:
I have one question about alignments and such... I don't recall from before the alignment, but my steering wheel is not centered now. I think it was always like that, but I'm not positive. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>If you're on the way to Florida on Sunday I would say just deal with the steering the way it is. IF you're in the Ocala area look for Turning Wheel RV Center. They are an authorized WCC Service Center and they have a front end alignment machine. They also hold Workhorse tech training sessions in their facilities where techs from all around come to get certified.

They aligned my motorhome for me last April and it's just about perfect. They also straightened the steering wheel for me at that time. It's called "zeroing out the box" by some of the techs at Workhorse.

It's an easy procedure basically you need to shorten or lengthen the drag link. The drag link goes from the steering box to the steering knuckle. Once they loosen the clamps you can actually see the steering wheel move when they turn the drag link.

Sometimes it's a trial and error thing, the tech may take it out a couple of times if that to make sure the wheel is centered. It's hard to do on a machine however driving the MH gives real-world feedback on the position of the steering wheel.

When you do have your alignment checked, no need to have a full tank of water because you should already have enough stuff with you for the winter. Fill w/ gas and LP put about 20 gallons of water in the tank. That should be enough.

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 03:31 PM

Hi DriVer,

Thanks for the response. Can you clarify a bit? If the steering wheel is not centered, is it more of an appearance/ergonomic issue - or is it an indication of alignment or steering column problems? I still think the alignment is much better than it was, but I also don't want to spend for another complete inspection/alignment if they made mistakes at the service center here. As I mentioned, I think the steering wheel was always a bit off center from the day I got the coach 4.5 years ago...

Thanks!

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

Gary RVRoamer · 12-15-2005, 03:49 PM

The wheel should be centered after an alighnment. If it's not, the tech did a sloppy/incomplete job and I would worry about what else he didn't do.

As to whether it is cosmetic or not, it depends on why it is off center. It can be cosmetic and may just be that he did not check and re-center the wheel after making other changes. And you should feel no pull sensation at all, so get back to that shop and have them get it right.

Any decent alignment shop should take it for a drive after coming off the machine and check the wheel and handling.

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 03:56 PM

That's frustrating to hear - especially after spending a lot of money on this. The shop is a tire place that does 95% of the work for a major RV dealer in the NW Chicago burbs (Crystal Valley RV). BTW - I did not buy my coach there. The dealer is way out in Rockford - and they don't do alignments! I'll have to call them and see if I can get it back in there ASAP. If not, any opinions on driving it R/T of 3000 miles? As I said, it's driving well and not pulling hard at all. BUT, I don't want to start a problem with brand-new tires either! Why can't shops do it right the first time???

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

TXiceman · 12-15-2005, 04:06 PM

The tires were wearing unevenly? Now that you have it aligned, if you did not rotate the worn tires from the front, they may cause a properly aligned front end to pull.

As for the steering wheel being centered, it could be cosmetic or it could be an indication of why it is pulling to one side. If the tech did not properly center the wheel befoer he set the toe, it could be of center. I would take it back and have him center the steering wheel and rotate the worn tires from the front.

Ken

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 04:14 PM

Hi Ken,

I replaced all 6 tires with new ones due to the wear - especially on the front tires. They were really unevenly worn after about 25,000 miles and 4.5 years. The coach was aligned about 2.5 years ago. It was LONG overdue - no ones fault but mine for waiting that long.

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 04:43 PM

I found this about centering the wheel...

http://irv2.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/862601254.../797106394#797106394

I'm sure it would work, but it's a shame to have to do it after the shop worked on it!

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

Full-Timers · 12-15-2005, 05:12 PM

Question is, Is the pull in the opposite direction of the steering wheel off center? If it is, the off center is due to trying to correct the pull. At any rate, I would take it back to the shop and have it corrected for both reasons. Don't let the shop give you a line that the pull is due to the crown of the road. If that were true all vehicles would pull.

DriVer · 12-15-2005, 05:24 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rvguy02:
I'm sure it would work, but it's a shame to have to do it after the shop worked on it! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't know how your MH is handling right now. If it's not pulling one way or another the alignment should be OK to run to Florida. Centering the wheel is something that should have been done however don't feel as if you're alone in the neglect department. It's happened to me as well.

Strictly cosmetic the wheel was a few degrees off to the left and until it was zeroed out by Turning Wheel I never felt comfortable driving because the orientation of the wheel. My son drove my motorhome and he's a CDL holder and drives a 16 wheel block flat bed. He told me that the wheel in his truck was a lot worse but that it didn't bother him so my little problem didn't amount to much in his opinion.

Once the wheel was straight all was well with the world again in my opinion. I like a straight wheel it just feels right.

rvguy02 · 12-15-2005, 06:28 PM

The coach seems to pull SLIGHTLY left - the wheel has always been slightly rotated clockwise (or right). I'll call them tomorrow and tell them they need to check it again. It's a 20 mile run up there - what a pain!

The invoice says they did the following:

Front end align. set up and toe
R&R tie tube for camber adj.
camber correction (2)
caster correction (2)
caster shim

I think it's time to learn more about what this all means...

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar

Gary RVRoamer · 12-16-2005, 03:48 AM

There is plenty of info on the internet about caster and camber, so I'll leave it to you to research rather than me doing it here. I don't tink either caster or camber adjustment would change the steering wheel position, but anything is possible. Correcting toe in could do it, though.

It may be the problem was already there, which means the previous alignment was a mediocre job. Still, [in my opinion] a competent shop would have noted the steering wheel offset and corrected it as a one of the routine actions in a "wheel alignment".

rvguy02 · 12-16-2005, 04:03 AM

Thanks Gary for your input. Do you think the technique for correcting the steering wheel position is easy enough to do on my own? It will be 40+ miles RT to take it back to the shop for them to do it. The technique sounds like it's mostly trial and error.

Stuart
2001 Dolphin 5355 (W-22 with 19.5" wheels)
Koni shocks, Henderson track bar, WH 2.5" sway bar