Community Forums

Wayneey · 07-13-2007, 01:59 PM

Hello everyone,

About a week ago I picked my my 2008 Allegro Bay 35TSB on the W24 chassis. Having just completed by first trip, I have some questions about my impressions driving the coach as it relates to the W24 chassis.

I'd like to see if these are just the nature of the beast or issues I need to have addressed by a Workhorse Service Center. As background, my frame of reference driving RV's has been a 22' Lazy Daze Class C on a Chevrolet G30 chassis with the 454 Vortec motor.

My current plans are to leave on 07/22 for a 6 week trip from Boulder, CO, to Los Angeles, CA, Portland, OR, and back to Boulder. My concern is determining if any of these need to be resolved prior to leaving on 7/22.

1. There's what I consider a fair amount of play in the steering wheel, maybe 8-10 degrees (a rough estimate on my part). The coach tracks well and has good stability. It just takes a lot of movement of the steering wheel to make a correction.

2. I hear creaks, squeaks, groans, and clanging coming from the front end of the chassis. It occurs, or I can at least hear it, accelerating from a dead stop, driving straight, turning, and coming to a stop. It sounds as if anything that should have a bushing around it doesn't.

3. The shift points of the transmission seem to be high between 1st and 5th gears:

1 to 2: ~12 MPH, 2200 RPM
2 to 3: ~ 26 MPH, 2200 RPM
3 to 4: ~ 38 MPH, 2600 RPM
4 to 5: ~ 44 MPH, 2800 RPM

I searched this discussion group and from what I read this seems to be within the norm but wanted to double check.

4. There is a very noticeable vibration in 2nd and 3rd gears while both accelerating and decelerating. It occurs at the high end of 2nd gear before it shifts to 3rd and while accelerating to the top end of 3rd, and the same while decelerating.

4. On rough roads (e.g., I-25 between Ft. Collins, CO and Longmont,CO) the coach rides just as rough. This could well be the combination of tires/shocks/suspension.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated ... thanks in advance!!!

Wayne

Wayneey · 07-13-2007, 01:59 PM

Hello everyone,

About a week ago I picked my my 2008 Allegro Bay 35TSB on the W24 chassis. Having just completed by first trip, I have some questions about my impressions driving the coach as it relates to the W24 chassis.

I'd like to see if these are just the nature of the beast or issues I need to have addressed by a Workhorse Service Center. As background, my frame of reference driving RV's has been a 22' Lazy Daze Class C on a Chevrolet G30 chassis with the 454 Vortec motor.

My current plans are to leave on 07/22 for a 6 week trip from Boulder, CO, to Los Angeles, CA, Portland, OR, and back to Boulder. My concern is determining if any of these need to be resolved prior to leaving on 7/22.

1. There's what I consider a fair amount of play in the steering wheel, maybe 8-10 degrees (a rough estimate on my part). The coach tracks well and has good stability. It just takes a lot of movement of the steering wheel to make a correction.

2. I hear creaks, squeaks, groans, and clanging coming from the front end of the chassis. It occurs, or I can at least hear it, accelerating from a dead stop, driving straight, turning, and coming to a stop. It sounds as if anything that should have a bushing around it doesn't.

3. The shift points of the transmission seem to be high between 1st and 5th gears:

1 to 2: ~12 MPH, 2200 RPM
2 to 3: ~ 26 MPH, 2200 RPM
3 to 4: ~ 38 MPH, 2600 RPM
4 to 5: ~ 44 MPH, 2800 RPM

I searched this discussion group and from what I read this seems to be within the norm but wanted to double check.

4. There is a very noticeable vibration in 2nd and 3rd gears while both accelerating and decelerating. It occurs at the high end of 2nd gear before it shifts to 3rd and while accelerating to the top end of 3rd, and the same while decelerating.

4. On rough roads (e.g., I-25 between Ft. Collins, CO and Longmont,CO) the coach rides just as rough. This could well be the combination of tires/shocks/suspension.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated ... thanks in advance!!!

Wayne

Redlands Truck and RV · 07-13-2007, 02:27 PM

Wayne,

I have an 06 W24 under a 35' Winnebago Adventurer and it made all kinds of noise for the first 3500 miles.

Your salesman didn't tell you but you need to get the coach ready for travel and then have it weighed and aligned. The weights will be used to recommend the correct tire pressure.

My ride was rough and I solved that with KONI Shocks.

My transmission has never shifted smoother since I did the Ultrapower upgrade.

By the time you get here to CA you will have some miles on it. Call me and we can schedule weighing, alignment, shocks and any warranty items that come up like steering.

Thanks,

FreshAir · 07-13-2007, 02:30 PM

This is what little I can contribute. My 05 W24 seemed a little loose on the steering play when I received it. I don't notice it anymore. Maybe I just got used to it or the front Trac Bar or caster change helped. As to rough ride the 1st thing is to get your tire pressure set to your true axel weight. Just play with it and do the basics befor you start throwing $$$ at it.

rondi · 07-14-2007, 07:09 AM

I too have a 2008 Allegro Bay 35TSB (Wayne and i ordered ours about the same time). On our shakedown trip, we also noticed the fairly severe vibration from 22 to 34mph or so. This does not feel like tires, it's frequency is too high for going 25-30mph. You can feel it through the whole coach. Once past 35mph it is smooth past 65mph. As Wayne mentioned, it happens while coasting to a stop also. Maybe next time i coast down, i'll put the tranny in Neutral, just to isolate the tranny. Any other things to try would be appreciated. Getting into my RV dealer is next to impossible this time of year, so if i can do a little elimination testing, it'll get things fixed sooner. Maybe i'll grease the U joints, just to see if that helps.

One important thing, this rig is on a 254" wheelbase. According to the WH site, they only build to 242", which means Tiffin has stretched the chassis and driveshaft. This could end up being a Tiffin problem and not a WH problem...

It sure is nice with this long WB (58% overall length to WB ratio) to not be moved when an 18 wheeler passes you, or when one is coming the other direction.

I don't think i have the steering issues Wayne has. I do think the steering is too sensitive though. I'm coming from a 35' pusher (FL XC chassis) on a 208" WB which needed constant correction. And i'm used to driving Ford Explorer/Ranger, which has more "road feel".

We also have a "whistle", which could be metal vibrating (like the flat, upward sloping grill "fins"), beginning at about 55mph and still there at 65mph. It's coming from the engine/up front area. I haven't tried taking the grill out yet. We have nothing in front of the radiator, so i assume we have the "new" 2007 style chassis. The doghouse stays cool in outside temps of 94 also. Any ideas?

Other than "new coach" problems, this is a nice coach. I think it has enough power--i could always use more power for passing those 18 wheelers on Lookout Pass on I90. 60mph would be much better than 52mph!!

With less than 2700 miles (2400 from the factory to my dealer) i hope to get a bit of performance improvement as things get broken in. Otherwise, Mike or Keith---i'll be seeing you!

And for those considering a 35TSB (Ed-pm me if you want more info/pix), this is 36'4" long, regardless what Tiffin has published!!

ron

KayLarGo · 07-14-2007, 08:14 AM

It would be interesting to see your W-24 "build sheet" and see your rear end ratio and other specs to compare apples to apples. A workhorse warranty dealer can print that for you. I got mine yesterday and found out our 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire is on the 2004 chassis and the Allison 2000 transmission. I will say our Ultra power upgrade made the transmission shift wonderful. I never thought I had a problem but sure noticed the difference after the upgrade. As far as handling issues went away after 1. I learned how to drive it and 2. I did load management better. Ours has the fresh water tank, house batteries, gen set, refer, grey water tank and kitchen slide all on the riders side. I also used those bays for tools etc because it was easy to get to. Once I changed my ways it handles great. I also checked the Michelin web site for tire pressure rules and adjusted to those standards as far as weight per axle.

FrankO · 07-14-2007, 10:37 AM

Wayne,
I wee you too are from the Boulder, CO area and I am familiar with the rough part of I25 that you rode through North of Longmont. I have a 2006 Itasca Sunrise on a W22 chassis that I purchased used 2 months ago. It has F/R Sway Bar upgrades and F/R TracBars added. I put on new Konis to improve the harshness that the Bilsteins seem to have and am very happy with the handling and ride. It is not a sports car ride and is not as quiet as a Luxury car but it is very enjoyable to drive. I have similar moans and groans in the front end and am going through the learning experience of packing it such that the items won't shift and bang during turns or sudden stops. Each trip is a new set of sounds for us.
Maybe we will run into each other in RMNP or some other park.
Frank O.

Wayneey · 07-16-2007, 12:39 PM

Thanks to everyone who responded and shared their experiences. I made an appointment with Keith at Redlands Truck & RV Service to evaluate my impressions and figure out the next steps.

I will post an update after that time.

Thanks again everyone!

Wayne
Boulder, CO
2008 AB 35TSB W24

Max Hubrich · 07-16-2007, 04:44 PM

Rondi--
I chased a roaring, howling, whistling noise on my 37' Newmar Mountaire (2002 gas)W-22 for a year and threw about $2000 at it. Finally solved the problem. Workhorse and Newmar didn't help at all. I removed the grill,test drove it -- the noise was gone. I welded 3/16", round, "stiffeners" to the grill (about 26), sanded and repainted it. Problem solved. Workhorse folks put new front wheel bearings in it, both of which would have failed if I hadn't watch them closely because of leaks or improper installation. The tranny --(Allison 1000) was removed to check the pump-- it was good.
I suggest you either remove the grill and test drive it or wrap the fins, tight with bungies, enough to alter the resonate frequency of the grill fins-- and test it. I later found out some Bounders had similiar problems. They used rubber spacers to solve their problem---

Good Luck, Max

rondi · 07-16-2007, 05:38 PM

Max thanks for the post--You beat me to it.
--- I found the same thing yesterday. I have not had a chance to post it till now. I did kinda the same thing--removed the grill, no whistle, i tie wrapped 2 horiz fins together, 5 tie wraps on each side of the center, put the grill back in, and no whistle, then i removed the bottom 2 on each side, the whistle came back, but not as loud, then i removed the last 3, and whistle was louder. I now have a thin bungy, one of the worthless ones you get in the WalMart bungy tube. I'll see tomorrow if that eliminates the vibration. My next step is to put a bead of black (my grill is painted black) Silicone Rubber on the underside of the fins and see if that will eliminate the vibration enough so we won't hear it. I don't have a welder--if i did, i might do what you did. Thanks for the hints.

Tomorrow i take the rig to the WH shop 65miles away. They want to check the alignment first, and have made arrangements on Wed for that. They too believe it is a drive shaft problem.

ron

rondi · 07-22-2007, 01:35 PM

Just a follow up on my rig. i took it to Washington Auto Carriage in Spokane, a Workhorse Warranty shop. They work on a lot of WH rigs. The Tech and i took it for a drive. When we returned, he crawled under the rig and found one of the 3 shafts was "out of time"--this is where the U Joint yoke is not in line with the one on the other end. guaranteed to vibrate. They removed the 3 drive shafts and took them to a driveline shop to be fixed and balanced. Our golden retreiver now lays on the floor while i'm going 60. We can't even feel any vibration. Great Job!!

And i put a bead of black silicon rubber on the underside of each fin of the grill, and no more whistle. 2 very annoying problems fixed.

ron