Adjusting front ride height

[mmorgan]

Thanks for all the replies and help guys……the job is done!!!!!
I actually thought the ride height was a little bit too low and that’s why I was having the issue with the bottom bolt for the shock, but turns out I’m only an 1/8 inch low and that would not be enough to make a difference on that bolt.

For anyone with the Spartan IFS1200….. The front shocks can be changed without disconnecting any steering/drag links. What I did was put more wood under the leveling jacks and lifted the entire front end off my wooden ramps…..I then put a 20 ton hydraulic jack in the center of the coach for my safety backup….if both jacks had failed I still had my 6” wooden ramps so I would have only been partially smashed, Lol

I was then able to turn the wheels each direction fully to the stops, I had previously tried this just using the steering wheel with a little weight still on the tires but it did not allow enough clearance.

With the wheels turned to the stops there is barely and I mean barely enough clearance to get that bottom bolt out but it worked.

It takes a 1 1/8” wrench with a 4 foot cheater pipe to break those bolts loose because I think the spec was 190 foot pounds so they are very tight.

The test drive with the new Koni shocks front and back, new coolant, new coolant hoses, new serpentine belt was all OK!!!!

There was a definite improvement in the ride and I purposely took some rough roads.

[wolfe10]

Originally Posted by 426smartin

It listed as Outer Tie Rod Assembly #11 in drawing page 3, and they are tapered.

Thanks for the correction.

Have never worked on one of the IFS's. Looks a LOT more complex than solid front axle.

[Dutch Star Don]

Glad you got it fixed. I think after you take it on a long drive, you'll find those Koni's are quite an improvement. One thing they eliminate is the chatter of the front shades.

[alank]

Tie rods tie the two front wheels together. It may be a single piece, or multiple pieces.
Drag links extend from the arm on the steering gear box to the left front spindle. It also may be a single piece, or multiple pieces. The reason for multiple pieces here is usually to help cut down on "bump steer" that can be experienced when traveling on uneven roads.