Steering Box Replacement

[MSN Member]

From: BonneauBago  (Original Message)
Sent: 11/22/2003 6:32 PM

I have tightened my steering box, replaced worn out Bias Plys with new Yokohama Radials and checked my front end alignment, king pins and bearings seem to be ok (no play), but I still have to chase my rig back and forth going down the road.  Its not terribly bad, just very annoying and after an hour or so, very tiring.  It seems as though once I get the rig going straight for awhile, it will start drifting left or right then I have to counter by going the other way and the rv starts swaying, sometimes bad enought that if the police were following they'd probably stop me and give me a sobriety test! LOL  How can I check to see if the steering box is the culprit?  And if it is, how hard is it to replace, I would think that a junkyard would be my best bet for a replacement, what type vehicle steering box is compatible with a Dodge M400 chassis?  Thanks in advance.

Mark
BonneauBago
Bonneau, SC



From: jughead5500
Sent: 11/23/2003 9:20 AM

TRY A STEERING STABALIZER. PUT ONE ON MINE HELPED ALOT !!!!! NUMBY



From: Beatty1950
Sent: 11/23/2003 11:32 AM

Which brand/model of steering stabalizer have you found that works well..

My D19 Brave rides much better with new Bilstien Shocks and matched set of Yokohama Radials ( had mix of Radials and Bias) running at 60 PSI... but would like to make safer and more stable.

Thanks

Dave Beatty



From: denison
Sent: 11/23/2003 1:46 PM

At least you are able to drive it far enough to be annoyed after an hour! I have sent you some thoughts, too long and -drifty- to post here. Good luck with it, and be sure to tell us what fixes the problem. denison



From: jughead5500
Sent: 11/23/2003 7:20 PM

hey dave. j c.whitney co lasalle il  www.jcwhitney.com  HECKETHORN PRODUCTS $49.99 +SHIPPING STILL A REASONABLE PRICE .COMPARED TO $450 AT THE RV DEALER. IAM ALSO MIXING BIAS PLY AND JAP RADIALS....NUMBY



Sent: 11/23/2003 7:24 PM

Mark,
    I hate to bring up the worst possible senario, but could your frame be bent?  Just a thought, and I hope I'm not right.  Just figured I should ask.



From: BonneauBago
Sent: 11/23/2003 7:43 PM

Thanks for all of the input guys, will try your suggestions this week.  Thanks esp to Denison for sending me the fully detailed procedure for checking everything.  Lowell:  I surely hope its not the frame, I'm pretty sure its not, but who knows . . .lol  Will let you all know if I find a fix.  Thanks again.

Mark
BonneauBago
Bonneau, SC



From: Enigma960080
Sent: 11/23/2003 8:05 PM

BonneauBago,  Let  me  know  what  you find  out.   My Chieftain  does a  fair share  of  wandering   down the  road too.  I  have  to be REAL careful if I am passing a semi  or being  passed  by a semi.  The  airflow coming off them  nearly  pushes me into the  next  lane



From: Liv42dayOK
Sent: 11/23/2003 9:39 PM

OK, everybody is going to want one now, Numby!  What brand and price?  The old 50's song "The Wanderer" is a great classic but, not a good theme song for a classic Winnebago! - Sob



From: Sea Hag
Sent: 11/24/2003 11:21 AM

My 76 chief had a worn bearing blocks inside the univeral on top of the stearing box . Denison may have included this in the info he sent you . they are still availible from dodge , Special Order ,as a unit  it's called a Pot Joint or lower shaft with universal . I also found indiviual parts in my parts catalog , but not sure if avialible that way . I was able to disasemble and repair mine . there is lengthy old post from Aug . or Sept. "Winne goes a driftin" with instructions . Email me if you can't find it and I'll send it to you or any one who would like the info. It's not hard to do , but you must remove the colum . The main problem with this universal is the rubber seal leaks and contaminates the grease . So with winter here it's a good time for any one to change the grease and inspect boot . --- Sea Hag



From: BonneauBago
Sent: 11/25/2003 5:13 PM

Okay, I did all of the adjustments that I could do (I think), and everything looks lined up like its supposed to.  But I'm unable to test drive today, I am leaving tomorrow around noon for a trip to Cheraw State Park in SC (about 2 1/2 hours one way), that will give me a good indication of how well she will handle! lol  I will let you all know Sunday night how things turned out.  I think I will still put a stablizer on in the coming months just for the extra stability in handling!  Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas and have a Happy Thanksgiving!  We're having ours in the outdoors . . . fried turkey!!!  mmmmm mmmmmmmmm

Mark
BonneauBago
Bonneau, SC



From: mightybooboo
Sent: 11/25/2003 6:12 PM

" j c.whitney co lasalle il  www.jcwhitney.com  HECKETHORN PRODUCTS $49.99 +SHIPPING STILL A REASONABLE PRICE .COMPARED TO $450 AT THE RV DEALER....NUMBY"

Numby,thanks for the tip.I sent off for mine.
Its part # 71ZX0030A  Heckethorn Heavy Duty Hydraulic Steering Stabilizer without boot for 69-99 Dodge M400 Motorhome Chassis.That was 36.95
Steering Stabilizer boot 85ZX7580b 3.99
Shipping 7.99
Total 48.93   
 
HEAVY-DUTY HYDRAULIC STEERING STABILIZER WITHOUT BOOT
For '54-99 pickups, vans, motor homes and Jeep® vehicles
Prevents steering wheel "kick" caused by ruts and potholes
Ensures safer, easier handling at all times, over all roads
Reduces wear on tires and front-end parts. Acts like a powerful shock absorber to protect steering systems against excessive side-to-side motion. Eliminates constant fighting with steering wheel. Driver has complete control when carrying an unbalanced load or when steering balance is upset after original tires are replaced by larger, wider ones. 1-3/4"OD with 1-3/16" bore and 1/2" chrome-plated induction hardened piston rod. Easy to install. No special tools, welding or modifications needed. Mounting brackets, hardware and instructions included. Polyurethane boot sold separately.


NOTE: The SKU number shown below will differ from the SKU number you see in our catalog. However, it is the appropriate Internet reference SKU for the item. See example

Year          Additional Info               Item Description Unit                                          SKU#                            Price Qty. Order
1969 - 999  Dodge M400             Heckethorn® Heavy-duty
                                         Hydraulic Steering Stabilizer without Boot for
                                        '69-99 Dodge M400 Motorhome Chassis Each                   71ZX0030A                        $36.95

<INPUT maxLength=3 size=3 value=1 name=quantity464057> <INPUT onclick="Add2ShopCart(document.OrderItemAddForm,209847,this.form.quantity464057.value,464057); return false;" type=image height=16 alt=Buy width=25 src="http://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jcwhitney/jcw/en_US/images/buy_25.gif" value=209847 border=0 name=AddToCart>



From: Liv42dayOK
Sent: 11/27/2003 10:29 AM

OK, BooBoo,

      I'm sold!  Everybody should get one now.  Next step, used car sales?  - Sob



From: BonneauBago
Sent: 11/30/2003 9:03 PM

Just got back from the weekend excursion and still have the drifting problem, guess I will try the steering stabilizer and rebuild the steering box next.  I've just about eliminated everything else so . . .  Arms are about worn out from 1.5 hours of driving chasing the rig left then right then left then  . . .  lol

Mark
BonneauBago
Bonneau, SC



From: Enigma960080
Sent: 12/1/2003 8:12 AM

I  had noticed  (while installing wheel simulators)  when  torquing the  lugs  down,  I  was  getting a  significant  amount of  movement  in the  steering linkage.  I  was  rapidly  losing  light  and heat  so I  did not  investigate  it  further.  I think I  will lock  down the steering wheel  and  jack  one wheel  off the  ground and  have someone  try to move the wheel back and forth while I  do a  visual before  tackling  a steering  box  rebuild.  My  drift  seems  to occur  at speeds above 50 MPH  and  does not  happen all the time and sometimes  not at all. When it does happen, I had better  be ready to deal with it!. 
Good Luck.



From: denison
Sent: 12/1/2003 3:00 PM

I would suggest you jack it up so both front wheels are off the ground together. Secure the steering wheel so it can not rotate at all, and try to turn each front wheel left-right. That will allow you to check the steering box, the joints in the drag link and the tie rod. I had my brother in law do the wheel wobbling, while I lay under and looked for relative motion where it shouldn't be. At this time, with the wheels in the air, you could check whether your kingpin/bushing wear is small or large. Pushing in on the top of the wheel, the bottom of the tire edge shouldn't move in and out more than 1/4 inch, the less the better. If its 3/8 inch or more I would recommend new kingpings and bushings. Lots of people would say that any movement is too much, but North Carolina permits 1/4 inch of movement on their school buses. Mine is 3/16th inch, and it steers very nicely. denison



From: chip
Sent: 12/1/2003 10:06 PM

are you familiar with Steer&Gear@ 800-253-4327? All he does is Saginaw steering boxes. He built a new one for me for $213.



From: Enigma960080
Sent: 12/1/2003 11:01 PM

Chip,  Where is  this guy located?   Does  he  have  and  website info?



From: chip
Sent: 12/2/2003 12:17 AM

i'll have to find my receipt but, i think he is in the chicago area. it was a one week turnaround. he also builds them for special applications like offf-road stuff or larger tires.. he also told me how to drill out the pump port for more flow and cooler operation. i think his name was tom. i don't recall a website but, it's a free phone call and he was very helpful.



From: denison
Sent: 12/4/2003 1:57 PM

Another two thoughts about poor steering:
1. Its rare, but if the front springs have sagged unevenly, or if the axle has been unbolted and put back incorrectly, the caster might be gone. This will result in poor lane-keeping. The caster is what causes the wheels to want to center to the straight ahead positon, it also causes the wheel to turn back to -center- when you let go of the steering wheel coming out of a turn. There are tapered shims put between the axle and the springs at the factory, to give a 2 to 5 degree tilt to the kingpins - so the bottom end of the kingpin is pointed ahead of the center of the tire contact area. Its is easy to miss that small taper, and either put the shims in backwards, or to leave them out. This would cause wandering, even if all else was like new. After turning a corner, a winnebago should willingly unwind its own steering wheel back toward the -ahead- position.
2. If there is crud in the power steering fluid, and bits of it get into the control valving in the steering box, it could cause poor response. denison