92 Ford E350 steering problems
I have purchased a 92 Ford E-350 with a Fleetwood 28' and I am having a lot of problems with the steering. It seems to want to wander all over the road and floats around to the point it's dangerous t...
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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.
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.
