Community Forums

jay317 · 04-15-2011, 05:30 PM

First of all thanks for having me on this wonderful sight

I recently purchased a 1992 Cobra Phoenix 34ft motorhome and the problem is it leans on the drivers side and it bothers me just looking at it. What could cause this could it be airbags,springs or shocks.

And what life expectancy could I expect out of this RV which has 36,000 original miles,and thanks guys/gals for having me

bigdale · 04-15-2011, 05:52 PM

my 91 did that on rear, blown airbag after exhaust pipe somehow became loose. $265.00 later its ok. On my rig each airbag has its own line, or valve. Lotsa luck and welcome to the forum.

ga traveler · 04-15-2011, 07:34 PM

Being built in the 90's, This coach has steel framing. So you wan't have to worry about wood framing rotting. The drive train will last at least 200,000 miles if you take care of it. I was a service mgr. and I have had a couple of motorhomes of my own with over 100,000 miles on them. You must change the eng. water hoses at least every 10 yrs. 8 yrs is even better. Most of the time if you bust a water hose it goes under the MH and you don't even know it until you start to lose power. By then it is too late. the eng. and probably the trans. are gone. When you are driving in the mountains, If you are below forty mph drive in second gear. If you are under 40 and in drive, the waterpump is turning slowly. The water has to go through the radiator to keep the engine cool. This is the two main things I always told my customers.

jay317 · 04-15-2011, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ga traveler

Being built in the 90's, This coach has steel framing. So you wan't have to worry about wood framing rotting. The drive train will last at least 200,000 miles if you take care of it. I was a service mgr. and I have had a couple of motorhomes of my own with over 100,000 miles on them. You must change the eng. water hoses at least every 10 yrs. 8 yrs is even better. Most of the time if you bust a water hose it goes under the MH and you don't even know it until you start to lose power. By then it is too late. the eng. and probably the trans. are gone. When you are driving in the mountains, If you are below forty mph drive in second gear. If you are under 40 and in drive, the waterpump is turning slowly. The water has to go through the radiator to keep the engine cool. This is the two main things I always told my customers.

So FS traveler what do you think about the RV leaning on driver side

dons2346 · 04-15-2011, 08:28 PM

A number of things could cause it. Bad load distribution, broken spring, heavy driver. If it has air bags, either one is over inflated or the other one could be under inflated.

You need to get under it and look at the suspension and take some measurements. I have seen a National product that the house portion was built crooked and was very visible as a lean of the coach.

Robert T · 04-16-2011, 08:35 AM

Is this coach spring or air ride? Assuming it is spring coach.

I am an instructor and instruct techs on how to repair any vehicle. One of the class I instruct is on suspenision repairs.

First rule is not to assume that the end that is sagging is the area of of the cause.
If you have auxiliary air bags, let all the air out.

Find a level area, measure height of veh at all four corners and record each measurement.

Lift the front of the veh off the ground from the front crossmember so both wheels in the front,, the suspenisions are NOT loaded. Another words do not lift under controls arms. Possiable level jacks will lift the veh.

Take height measurements on the rear and record each side.

Lower the front of the coach, lift the rear of the coach,please be sure suspenision is not loaded. Take the measurements on the front height.

Each right and left measurement on the front should be the same, rear right and left should be the same.

If one is lower than the other this will tell you which spring is weak.

I have seen vehicle sag on one side only to find that the cause is one front and one rear spring on opposite sides of the veh. This test will tell you where you have the problem.

With that said you may find one spring weak ,replace the one spring only to re-do this test after the repairs and find you need to replace the other side .
Keeps us informed as to cause and repair.

johnandcaren · 04-27-2011, 10:24 AM

Tks for post. I would like to follow this thread as my MH is also low by 0.25 inches on the drivers side. Clearly weight distribution (fridge, gen, hydraulics, sofa, etc).

I posted similar question last year but never learned if the quarter inch is common, minor, poor or a real problem.

Ours is a Workhorse W24 with a 23,100 lb loaded weight. Only 3 yrs old with 6k miles.

Robert T · 04-28-2011, 07:13 AM

You are ok, shift some load around. If you had an inch or more then I would be concern.

az bound · 04-28-2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay317

First of all thanks for having me on this wonderful sight

I recently purchased a 1992 Cobra Phoenix 34ft motorhome and the problem is it leans on the drivers side and it bothers me just looking at it. What could cause this could it be airbags,springs or shocks.

And what life expectancy could I expect out of this RV which has 36,000 original miles,and thanks guys/gals for having me

You didn't state which chassis you have but if it's a GM P30 or P32 it probably has airbags inside the front springs. Could be the drivers side has failed or is low on pressure. Both should have the same psi.