Chris,
I had to pamper the TruCenter on my old MH but was always able to make it working and really loved it for the long rides cross wind.
When I bought this Dynasty I had to go three times at the alignment shop for a constant pull to the right. They are a well known truck shop and normally do a quality job but this tiem it was a bit harder to get satisfaction. They said they couldn't adjust the Caster. I had to show them how to do it! Anyway, now it's perfect and it tracks straight and true without any pulling. But I still wanted the possibility of recentering the steering on the fly and,of course, the tire blow-out protection.
I looked at the Safe-T-Plus & Trim kit but found it too expensive (for now).
So I bought a used (1 year old - $100) TruCenter and applied the same treatment I did before.
After using and playing with my TruCenter, I found that the main problems were:
- Water infiltration
- I removed the cover at one time and found the solenoid was completely immersed in water
- Poor connections and voltage
- They are using crimp connectors between the solenoid and the wiring harness. It's a no-no!
- Stroke of the solenoid
- The solenoid has no resting place. It could be a bit too far and would require more force to bring it back.
The TruCenter by itself is very simple in the design and operation and there is just a few parts.
I called Blue Ox last week to find if they had change their solenoid and the told me no and actually they said they are not manufacturing the TruCenter anymore. I asked how much would be a new solenoid and they said $175US. What a damn rip-off!
So here is what I did on my units
- Remove the box cover by unscrewing the 4 Philips screws
- Remove the actuator cotter pin
- Remove the 2 bolts holding the base and the actuator
- Remove the 2 bolts holding the small cover plate in the front of the TruCenter
Now for the fixes I did:
- Drill a 1/8" hole in the lower part of the top cover to evacuate any water that could enter
- Properly oil the actuator points
- Cut the crimped connectors between the solenoid and the wiring harness and weld the wires instead
- Put a bit of gasket silicone between the TruCenter body and the base + Remount the base with the two bolts
- Put a spring pin in the hole of the solenoid plunger and the actuator (Make sure the diameter is not too big since it will bind the plunger and actuator. I took a .100")
- Install an extension spring between the base of the solenoid and the Spring pin. Use a cutter pin inserted in the hole close to the base of the spring, measure the distance so the cover will prevent it to slip out (Make sure the spring is not too strong and that it just removes the free play between the actuator and the plunger)
- Test the system by applying 12 volts to the solenoid. You should hear a constant loud click!
- Seal the cover with silicone gasket
- Seal the front small cover
- When installing, I prefer to install with a direct connection to a chassis 12 volts and bypass the electronic board. Just remember to not hold the switch for more than 15 second.
- I'll install this one with a foot switch
I hope you'll get good results like I did. Mine was trouble free for more than 2 years!
P.s. Adjust the distance between the two bolts for 35" before installing on the tie rod
)
Linear Mode
