Front end is all over the road

[Kirk W]

The Fiesta Brochure is for the 2006 Fleetwood Fiesta. Would that make a difference. Mine is a 2007,

I just found one for the 2007, which I had missed previously. It lists the following:

GVWR ~ ~ ~ ~ 16000#

Front Axle~ ~ ~ 6500#

Rear Axle~ ~ ~ 10500#

 

[Al F]

I will get the RV weighed next and then proceed with caution. I was really thinking I would only have to figure out where to put the stuff in the RV and not have to deal with the mechanics. No such luck. Thanks again for your help. I cannot drive this RV any distance until I get the play out of the front. It's very scary to be wandering down the road and not feel like I have control of the RV. That's without the toad so I cannot imagine what it would be like towing my car. P.S. CW is still stalling on fixing the wiring.... Making promises but not walking their talk...

At this point, don't assume that weight is the problem.

 

I was really thinking I would only have to figure out where to put the stuff in the RV and not have to deal with the mechanics

It sounds like you have NOT loaded all you stuff. If so the weights on each axle or even each corner should not be the problem at this point.

 

Keep in mind we are all giving suggestions and recommendations when we don't have any real diagnostic info. Some of the suggestions may be off the mark.

 

It is best to take things one step at a time.

1st get the RV weighed. Hopefully that will show that weight inbalance is not the problem.

2nd, get an honest repair shop to go over your suspension, steering and wheels. That may find a problem which will hopefully resolve most of the steering problem.

3rd, If in step 2 found a problem, is repair is made and then you still have a problem, then the aftermarket stuff may help or fix the problem.

 

Additionally, these RV's don't drive like a car, or even a large pickup truck. I does take some driving time to get used to driving these rigs.

[Kirk W]

Additionally, these RV's don't drive like a car, or even a large pickup truck. I does take some driving time to get used to driving these rigs.

This is a very important thing to keep in mind. It is impossible for us to know for sure what you are experiencing so we are really guessing. If your weights are all within specs, then you may want to see if an experienced RV owner would be willing to test drive for/with you for a second opinion.

[maggie blair]

At this point, don't assume that weight is the problem.

It sounds like you have NOT loaded all you stuff. If so the weights on each axle or even each corner should not be the problem at this point.

 

Keep in mind we are all giving suggestions and recommendations when we don't have any real diagnostic info. Some of the suggestions may be off the mark.

 

It is best to take things one step at a time.

1st get the RV weighed. Hopefully that will show that weight inbalance is not the problem.

2nd, get an honest repair shop to go over your suspension, steering and wheels. That may find a problem which will hopefully resolve most of the steering problem.

3rd, If in step 2 found a problem, is repair is made and then you still have a problem, then the aftermarket stuff may help or fix the problem.

 

Additionally, these RV's don't drive like a car, or even a large pickup truck. I does take some driving time to get used to driving these rigs.

Thanks Al. Excellent points and I will follow those steps.

[Sehc]

I will repeat myself, and then I shut up. First thing have any mechanic check that the tie rods, drag links, ball joints, and other steering components are not ready to break and cause complete loss of control. Stay off the road until you know this.

[maggie blair]

I will repeat myself, and then I shut up. First thing have any mechanic check that the tie rods, drag links, ball joints, and other steering components are not ready to break and cause complete loss of control. Stay off the road until you know this.

I will get a good/honest mechanic (once I find one) to check all of those things out. I won't be hitting the road until July 1st so I have some time. Right now I am living in the RV in a park and the only time I drive it is to get something checked out. Thanks for your input. I appreciate everyone on this site.

[maggie blair]

I just found one for the 2007, which I had missed previously. It lists the following:

GVWR ~ ~ ~ ~ 16000#

Front Axle~ ~ ~ 6500#

Rear Axle~ ~ ~ 10500#

 

I found this on a recall page..... I called Workhouse and they verified my RV had a recall but it ran out on 9/30/2009. I made an appointment with a Workhouse Repair shop for this Friday. I will have to pay the price for my lack of research before purchasing.

2008-08-29 (Published by NHTSA on 2008-08-29) Recall Summary: WORKHORSE IS RECALLING 5,606 MY 2006-2008 W42 COMMERCIAL CHASSIS AND W18 RECREATIONAL VEHICLE CHASSIS. THE CASTLE NUT THAT RETAINS THE STEERING DRAG LINK TO THE PITMAN ARM MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY TORQUED DURING ASSEMBLY. THE IMPROPER TORQUE MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE CASTLE NUT AND COMPROMISED THE INTEGRITY OF THE CONNECTION. Hazard: IF THE DRAG LINK WERE TO SEPARATE FROM THE PITMAN ARM, THE DRIVER WOULD NOT HAVE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE POSSIBLY CAUSING A CRASH. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE AND PROPERLY TIGHTEN THE CASTLE NUT THAT RETAINS THE STEERING DRAG LINK TO THE PITMAN ARM. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT WORKHORSE AT 1-877-946-7731 OR AT HTTP://WWW.NAVISTAR.COM. Additional Info: WORKHORSE RECALL NO. 20801-C.CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV. NHTSA Source: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallresults.cfm?start=1&SearchType=QuickSearch&rcl_ID=08V442000

[maggie blair]

 

I found this on a recall page..... I called Workhouse and they verified my RV had a recall but it ran out on 9/30/2009. I made an appointment with a Workhouse Repair shop for this Friday. I will have to pay the price for my lack of research before purchasing.

2008-08-29 (Published by NHTSA on 2008-08-29) Recall Summary: WORKHORSE IS RECALLING 5,606 MY 2006-2008 W42 COMMERCIAL CHASSIS AND W18 RECREATIONAL VEHICLE CHASSIS. THE CASTLE NUT THAT RETAINS THE STEERING DRAG LINK TO THE PITMAN ARM MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY TORQUED DURING ASSEMBLY. THE IMPROPER TORQUE MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE CASTLE NUT AND COMPROMISED THE INTEGRITY OF THE CONNECTION. Hazard: IF THE DRAG LINK WERE TO SEPARATE FROM THE PITMAN ARM, THE DRIVER WOULD NOT HAVE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE POSSIBLY CAUSING A CRASH. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE AND PROPERLY TIGHTEN THE CASTLE NUT THAT RETAINS THE STEERING DRAG LINK TO THE PITMAN ARM. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT WORKHORSE AT 1-877-946-7731 OR AT HTTP://WWW.NAVISTAR.COM. Additional Info: WORKHORSE RECALL NO. 20801-C.CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV. NHTSA Source: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallresults.cfm?start=1&SearchType=QuickSearch&rcl_ID=08V442000

 

Further research and more phone calls and now Workhorse says that repair was made on my vehicle...

[Onthego]

How long have you been driving a motorhome? If you are new to motorhomes it is very easy to over steer which can be just like what you are describing. My suggestion is to lower your steering wheel as far as possible, plant your elbows on your thighs and grip the wheel at a low to middle point. This locks your elbows and limits your wheel turing abilities thus reducing over steer.

 

As the others have mentioned, get your motorhome weighed and tires inflated properly as well.

 

Many times drivers that aren't use to driving something as big as an RV have a tendency to squeeze the steering wheel. They will "white knuckle" the steering wheel and over correct themselves. The rig has only 8000 miles so there shouldn't be any front end wear unless it's been jumping curbs or used as an off-road vehicle. Sometimes we make a mountain out of a mole hill. Relax.

 

Jeff

[Al F]

Maggie,

 

As is sort of normal with forums, we have jumped from talking about what could be wrong with the suspension, steering mechanism, or weight distribution to, this may be some steering or handling quirks you just need to get used to.

 

It all gets confusing. Especially in this forum, the advice is given with good intent.

 

The hard part is trying to determine, when you have limited or no experience with the RV you own, which of all of the above advice/suggestions really pertain to your situation.

 

You stated your are staying in an RV Park. I would think you have a number of RV'ers coming in and staying for a few days and then moving on. When you have the time, you might watch for some of the RV'ers in Class C RV's about 26'-31' long, or if you are lucky a Class A RV about your length, and start up a conversation with them. Find out how long they have had their rig, the longer the better. If you feel comfortable with them and their experience, see if they would be willing to drive your RV and tell you what they think.

[maggie blair]

 

Many times drivers that aren't use to driving something as big as an RV have a tendency to squeeze the steering wheel. They will "white knuckle" the steering wheel and over correct themselves. The rig has only 8000 miles so there shouldn't be any front end wear unless it's been jumping curbs or used as an off-road vehicle. Sometimes we make a mountain out of a mole hill. Relax.

 

Jeff

You might be correct. I will let you know after Friday. I am having it checked out thoroughly. Better safe than sorry.....

[coachmac9]

Reading back through all the pages and I still can't imagine the steering/suspension parts being worn out to the point of causing severe drifting after only 8,000 miles...I've driven lots of vehicles of all sizes with a lot more miles and never had one that handled as bad as you describe. The first thing that popped into my mind was someone misled you about the mileage or there has to be something drastically wrong like weight distribution or broken or damaged front end parts. Please keep us informed as to what the shop finds and I hope it isn't to expensive.

[maggie blair]

Maggie,

 

As is sort of normal with forums, we have jumped from talking about what could be wrong with the suspension, steering mechanism, or weight distribution to, this may be some steering or handling quirks you just need to get used to.

 

It all gets confusing. Especially in this forum, the advice is given with good intent.

 

The hard part is trying to determine, when you have limited or no experience with the RV you own, which of all of the above advice/suggestions really pertain to your situation.

 

You stated your are staying in an RV Park. I would think you have a number of RV'ers coming in and staying for a few days and then moving on. When you have the time, you might watch for some of the RV'ers in Class C RV's about 26'-31' long, or if you are lucky a Class A RV about your length, and start up a conversation with them. Find out how long they have had their rig, the longer the better. If you feel comfortable with them and their experience, see if they would be willing to drive your RV and tell you what they think.

Thanks so much. That is great advice and I have been chatting with other Class A owners but unfortunately most of the RVs that have been in the park this last month are the BIG beautiful RVs with all of the magic buttons.... 200,000-500,000. I see a ton of 5th wheels come and go. I will be taking the RV in on Friday for an alignment check and they are suggesting the Safety Plus Steering for 850.00. I have been reading online and see references to the Davis-Tru Track. Do you know about these?

Thanks again.

[maggie blair]

Reading back through all the pages and I still can't imagine the steering/suspension parts being worn out to the point of causing severe drifting after only 8,000 miles...I've driven lots of vehicles of all sizes with a lot more miles and never had one that handled as bad as you describe. The first thing that popped into my mind was someone misled you about the mileage or there has to be something drastically wrong like weight distribution or broken or damaged front end parts. Please keep us informed as to what the shop finds and I hope it isn't to expensive.

I will post on this site what the results are. The reason I bought this RV is because of the low mileage, it was garaged, owned by an older retired couple.... it all looked good. I will know more after Friday. It may be just the driver but I am hoping it's something that can be adjusted as I do not like the feeling of going 50 miles an hour and swaying around.

[maggie blair]

Get your weights and set your tire pressures to match, if that helps maybe go a bit higher on the fronts.

 

Alignment for sure but also check for worn components in the steering.

 

Shocks if things are seeming a bit bouncy.

I am getting my RV weighed tomorrow. What do you mean when you say set the tire pressures to match? Alignment is scheduled for Friday.

[maggie blair]

Stop at any closed scale in Oregon. They leave them on. Stop and write down the weight as each axle moves onto scale. Back up and do it again but with only one side going into scale. This will give you each wheel weight. Great starting place.

What do I do with the weight information? I am getting the RV weighed tomorrow. Then what???

[maggie blair]

While I agree that a trip to Henderson's is likely in order, I also think that you should start with a trip to the local scale ASAP so that you know if you are severely over loaded. Any truck stop can at least give you axle weights and that is a good first step since you don't yet know where you are on weight. First you need to check total weight to GVWR, then compare the axle weights to those ratings for the RV. Once you know where you stand there it is time to move to the next step. That much you can do before you travel a long distance.

I am getting the RV weighed tomorrow. I am not certain what to do after I get the weights. Do I move stuff around or do I need to dump stuff if I am to heavy?

[Kirk W]

I am getting the RV weighed tomorrow. I am not certain what to do after I get the weights. Do I move stuff around or do I need to dump stuff if I am to heavy?

Lets see how you compare between the ratings and the actual and then figure things out. I suspect that you will probably need to do some moving of things, but let's don't borrow trouble.

[Sehc]

Get the alignment and tire inspection, Have the shop repair / replace any original parts as needed. Take a test drive and then decide on the after market add on.

[Al F]

When you get the alignment have them give you the date code for all 6 of the tires. Here is a link to how to determine the date code and find what week and year the tires were made.

 

Note that the part of the tire that starts with "DOT" and the numbers that follow are on both sides of the tire, but the date code is only on one side. So you may have to crawl around on the ground to see the date code. Especially hard to do if the date codes are on the sides of the tire in between the rear dually's.

 

Let us know what the date codes are. If the tires are more than about 5-6 years old, they probably should be replaced.

 

I think you said this is a 2007 model and only has 8000 miles on it. The tires probably have date codes of 2006 or maybe late 2005.

[Al F]

What to do with the weights??? Once you have the weight, you need to air up your tires to proper pressure for the weight on them. Most tire mfg's have a weight chart on their website stating how much air should be in each tire for the amount of weight on the tire.

 

BTW, it would be helpful to post the numbers on the side of the tire. They will be something like LT245/75R16 108/104S. Write down all the numbers including the last part that looks something like 108/104S.

 

Also give us what the max tire pressure is for your tires. Somewhere on the sidewall there will be a max inflation pressure.

 

As Kirk suggested, once you have the weights come back and we'll go from there.

 

Well, others will go from there. We just got into British Columbia, Canada yesterday and are moving into an area w/o internet or cell for several days.

 

Good luck.

[LindaH]

I am getting my RV weighed tomorrow. What do you mean when you say set the tire pressures to match?

All tire manufacturers have inflation tables that you should be able to find online. Once you have the tire pressures for each tire position, set your tire pressures for each axle based on the heaviest tire position for that axle...you can add 5# or so if you wish.

[Al F]

Thanks so much. That is great advice and I have been chatting with other Class A owners but unfortunately most of the RVs that have been in the park this last month are the BIG beautiful RVs with all of the magic buttons.... 200,000-500,000. I see a ton of 5th wheels come and go. I will be taking the RV in on Friday for an alignment check and they are suggesting the Safety Plus Steering for 850.00. I have been reading online and see references to the Davis-Tru Track. Do you know about these?

Thanks again.

I had Henderson's install the Safety Plus on my 29' class A. The Safety Plus, in my opinion, helps keep the front tires centered, especially in a blow out. I didn't see an improvement in handling though.

 

Also for what it is worth, my rig handles pretty good on good smooth straight highways w/o cross winds. When there is a fluctuating cross wind, I have to do a lot of moving the steering wheel back and forth to keep the rig straight. Sometimes I am moving the steering wheel once every second or two. I have driven this rig about 24,000 miles in the last 2 years, so the steering correction has just become a habit. I don't have to move the steering wheel far, two to 3 degrees maybe.

[Onthego]

Here is a thread on another forum you may enjoy. I didn't read it all but it sure sounded familiar what I read. Driving a class a will be different than your car or truck. Because you are sitting over the steering tires instead of them being out in front of you.

 

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28853795.cfm

 

Jeff

[maggie blair]

You might be correct. I will let you know after Friday. I am having it checked out thoroughly. Better safe than sorry.....

Here's the scoop.... The front end was out of line and the RV center recommends Safe-t-plus and a trac bar in the front. There is already a trac bar in the rear.