Community Forums

Crankarm · 08-24-2009, 08:43 AM

Our MH is built on an 07 F53
The steering wheel has never been perfectly centered...to go straight the wheel is turned a bit to the right. We have had the front end alligned, and the MH tracks great going down the road...tire wear is normal and even...it is just that the steering wheel is off. Does anyone know how diffficult it is to center the steering wheel. I had asked the shop that did our allignment about it and they must have forgotten to look at it,

mfolsom · 08-24-2009, 09:17 AM

On my 99 Vision I set the steering straigh and pulled the steering wheel and put it back the way I wanted it. There are some screws in from the back side that hold the center cover with the horn button and cruise control switches on. The electrical was connected with a plug so it was easy to get that out of the way. I used a wheel puller to get it off then repositioned the wheel and put it all back together.

John Mo · 08-24-2009, 12:21 PM

Was the caster checked as part of the alignment job? I have learned that sometimes only the toe is checked. My caster split was off so that my steering wheel had to be held in the 10 or 11 o'clock position to go straight.

Richard S. · 08-24-2009, 02:03 PM

Most all F53 steering wheels will be 1 to 2 splines off to the right, needs to go left to center. Just a Ford thing. All you need is a puller and a little time.

Hikerdogs · 08-24-2009, 03:52 PM

There is a Ford Bulletin on this very subject. QVM Bulletin No. Q-59 Date: September 18, 1998.
F53 MOTOR HOME CHASSIS CLEAR VISION AND ALIGNMENT POLICY CHANGE

Essentially this bulletin says Ford will no longer cover the cost of wheel alignmnent and centering the steering wheel after the alignment has been completed.

The last page of the bulletin explains the process for removing and recentering the wheel. It's a very simple process and can be done in a matter of minutes.

Ford has only a single adjustment for setting the toe so it's likely the steering wheel will need to be recentered after an alignment. Be sure to mark the original position before removing the steering wheel. There is no master spline so the wheel can be reinstalled in any position. You'll probably only need to move it 1 spline or possibly 2 at the most. The splines are on 4.5 degree centers so if your wheel is off less than that amount it will be off center slightly in the opposite direction when you reposition it.

John Mo · 08-24-2009, 04:09 PM

I don't believe that the later model F53 steering wheel can be repositioned by removing and setting onto a different spline. This was not an option with my '08 chassis.

RJEV · 08-25-2009, 02:44 PM

Crankarm,

For the last year we have been trying to get the steering wheel on our 2008 Allegro 32LA, (Ford) centered. Took it to the Ford dealer who said they couldn't do an alignment and the steering wheel couldn't be pulled and centered. Had it aligned at a truck shop and the wheel was then off to the right instead of the left. Took it back and they said they removed a shim which made it a little better but still off center. Took it to another truck/tire shop who I think knew what they were doing. They did another alignment and very easily pulled the steering wheel. Now it tracks great, less wandering and the wheel is about 95% centered. Think this is about as good as it's going to get.

Good luck
Rj
Fort Worth, TX

John Mo · 08-28-2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJEV

For the last year we have been trying to get the steering wheel on our 2008 Allegro 32LA, (Ford) centered. Took it to the Ford dealer who said they couldn't do an alignment and the steering wheel couldn't be pulled and centered. Had it aligned at a truck shop and the wheel was then off to the right instead of the left. Took it back and they said they removed a shim which made it a little better but still off center. Took it to another truck/tire shop who I think knew what they were doing. They did another alignment and very easily pulled the steering wheel. Now it tracks great, less wandering and the wheel is about 95% centered. Think this is about as good as it's going to get.

I took mine to a Ford dealer with a truck shop. They were unable to correct the caster on mine and had to sub it out to another shop that could make the adjustment. A lot of Ford dealers can't handle large RVs. Even those that can don't appear to be able to adjust anything other than toe. Persistance on this issue does pay off. Mine is much better after having caster corrected.

Hikerdogs · 08-28-2009, 04:01 PM

I found out the hard way this week that our local Ford truck dealer can no longer do alignments on the F53 chassis. Since Ford sold it's heavy duty truck line to Sterling the only vehicle left in the Ford fleet with an axle that needs to be bent to correct camber is the F53 motorhome chassis. (All other chassis in the Ford medium duty lineup use a series of shims to correct camber angle.) All the HD alignment equipment was replaced with more modern but lighter duty stuff.

I had to take the coach to a local truck repair shop (Badger Utility) to get a complete alignment. It was a bit more expensive @ $175.00 but I was able to watch the entire process from the pit as it was performed. I would expect if we stay out of Alaska and the Canadian Maritime provinces the front end will remain in proper alignment for several thousand more miles.