Play in steering wheel = nerve wracking!
We took our MH out into the desert with our Liberty in tow last weekend. It is only the 2nd time I have driven it any distance, but it seems to have an excess amount of play in the wheel. I am const...
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^^^ Most alignment shops prefer to use "fixed" bushings. A good shop has an assortment on hand, and I'm sure that "high caster" bushings are available. There's a kernel of truth in that the adjustable bushings don't lock into place like fixed ones do. In fact, some of the bushing vendors omit them from E450 applications even though they fit. I think the issues with E-series alignment are:
1. A shop likes to maintain a "mystique" of what they do
2. They believe that the center of the spec range is what they should be shooting for
3. Some shops, like the one Harvard first encountered, only set the Toe on Twin-I-Beam Ford vehicles
My investigation shows that some manufacturers consciously omit Dual Wheel and Cutaway E-Series because of complaints that the adjustable bushings work loose.
In recent research, E450 (all of which are dual wheel cutaway or chassis-cab) IS on some listings. Also, sometimes the listings aren't updated for the most recent models.
I take my cues on this from the members here who have been successful with Ingalls and ACDelco bushings. Also from the folks at Hendersons Line Up who have used Ingalls and SPC (Specialty) bushings successfully for decades. The caution they gave me was to get the torque spec for the Pinch Bolt and torque to that value. I think he said 65-ft-lb. That's normally a lot for a bolt that size, but if done they say the bushings'll stay put. If I was doing the job, I'd make sure the parts were free of oil/grease/rust and maybe add some Loctite.
1. A shop likes to maintain a "mystique" of what they do
2. They believe that the center of the spec range is what they should be shooting for
3. Some shops, like the one Harvard first encountered, only set the Toe on Twin-I-Beam Ford vehicles
My investigation shows that some manufacturers consciously omit Dual Wheel and Cutaway E-Series because of complaints that the adjustable bushings work loose.
In recent research, E450 (all of which are dual wheel cutaway or chassis-cab) IS on some listings. Also, sometimes the listings aren't updated for the most recent models.
I take my cues on this from the members here who have been successful with Ingalls and ACDelco bushings. Also from the folks at Hendersons Line Up who have used Ingalls and SPC (Specialty) bushings successfully for decades. The caution they gave me was to get the torque spec for the Pinch Bolt and torque to that value. I think he said 65-ft-lb. That's normally a lot for a bolt that size, but if done they say the bushings'll stay put. If I was doing the job, I'd make sure the parts were free of oil/grease/rust and maybe add some Loctite.
