92 Ford E350 steering problems

This is the Thread I mentioned above where DaHose (Jose) refers to a "plate kit" to adjust Caster/Camber on the King Pin version of the Swing (Twin-I-Beam) axles.

1992 and later E350 (and the "E-Super Duty" and successor E450) are entirely different animals from the 1991 and prior E350. We had a 1983 E350 under a 24-ft Class C. When we first got it, with 90,000 miles, the thing was simply terrifying. I drove with both hands on the wheel and both elbows braced against my legs. Here's what we did:

1. Added "repair leaves" to the sagging rear springs. This got rid of a lot of sway. When a "Swing Axle" (known to most of us as Ford Twin-I-Beam) vehicle sways in the rear, it causes unwanted steering in front. Improvement was MAJOR

2. Replaced steering gearbox. It had play that I adjusted. After adjustment it leaked. Improvement was MINOR

3. Replaced front sway bar end link kit (flabby worn out rubber) with hard neoprene bushing kit. Never replaced center bar bushings. Improvement was MAJOR

4. Adjusted Toe from Far Out to Slightly IN. There are a couple DIY ways to do this. Improvement was MAJOR

5. Replaced Axle to Frame and Radius Rod to Frame bushings and front shocks. Improvement was MINOR

BUT... Assisted neighbor repairing E350 cargo van with excessively loose steering and wander. On this van, it turned out that the Axle to Frame Bushings were shot, most of the rubber gone. They planned to replace King Pins, but those were OK. Steered well again with just the Axle Bushings.

If memory serves, an OP DaHose (Jose) has one of these chassis and found an alignment kit that made it possible to adjust Caster/Camber.

I have a 24 foot MH on a 1997 E350, and when I purchased it I had new tires all around. The place where I bought the tires set all the pressures at 72 psi, and it wandered all over the road. After some research and input from people on this forum, I weighed my camper (fully loaded) and adjusted my tire pressures to 62 psi, and the handling improved dramatically. I also tried to move as much weight as possible as far forward as possible, since the rear axle was close to maximum weight while the front was not. I was going to go to new shocks and alignment next, but there was no need. It is very comfortable to drive now, has little reaction to passing semis, and is much more stable in crosswinds.

About the tire pressure there is a tag on the drivers side that specs 58lb all the way around with 225/85/16 spec for the tires. I just finished putting a new set of Goodyear tires all the way around because I thought that might be the problem, but it wasn't. It needed the tires anyway.

You guys are correct because I looked at the title and it does say it's a 91. It has 69K on it and the alignment shop did correct a little off in the camber by bending the rod, but said the kingpin had no adjustment. I'm also looking at getting a steering stabilizer. Has anyone installed one of these on an older RV?
As soon as I get it back here I will test the shocks, but I know it has Bilstein shocks on it now but I don't know how old they are.

There is a post around here that goes into great detail on how to best set the camber and toe-in for an RV. Evidently it is not the typical setting for E-350 vans which is why most traditional alignment places screw it up.

I've got a 1990 E350 van RV and I've just gotten used to how it "floats" down the road. :)

My 28' E350 is June 91. I found that the combo of upgrading shocks and front end alignment (no special shim package) changed it from wandering nightmare to comfortable to drive. Most rigs come with crappy OEM shocks and if your rig has the original shocks then that's the first thing I would look at. At any rate .. something to consider.

Is your chassis a 1991? A 1992 chassis would be the first year with ball joints. There is a kit to change alignment in kingpin front ends 1991 and earlier. That said I think something else is wrong if front end is kingpin. How many miles on it?

I can not directly comment on the shim kit .

I will tell ypu that my E450 was like driving on ice until
I lowered the tire pressures. The RV dealer said to use 10% above the
80lbs rating on the tires.

They were way off. My local independent trucking center conferment that to me.
I have learned to read the tire pressure tables and found more information.

Using Michelin's chart:
225/75/16E

65 PSI Single (Front) equates to the GAWR of the 4600# front axle E450 used through 2007 (chassis year)
and
75PSI works out to GAWR of the 5000# axle used from 2008 up.

65 PSI should be your front tires max pressure.
The back could be up to 80 psi depending on load.
Duel = axle lbs
70 PSI for Duels = 4440 lbs
75 PSI for Duels = 4660 lbs
80 PSI for Duels = 4940 lbs

Hope this helps.

I have found that local independent commercial truck shops understand
the E650-450 more than other shops that work on mainly cars and P/U trucks.