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ghsebldr's avatar
ghsebldr
Explorer
Jun 12, 2013

Violent shaking in the steering wheel

Well I now know why my new to me 2004 winnie32g was such a steal. Spent a couple of days going over the Class C at the dealer and drove it for a while but never on the freeway. Paid for it and picked it up today and headed for I-5 in the middle of Portland, over the bridges and rivers between 35 and 45 mph due to traffic. I thought I would lose my grip on the steering wheel it was shaking so bad. I figured I would head for my local tire and align place 75 miles above Portland. The shaking started to improve as my speed picked up. At 55 it was all but gone and at 60-65 it was like floating, a slight pull to the right but a really pleasant drive otherwise.

The front tires are mismatched one a factory installed Michelen installed 10 years ago the other a Toyo that is newer but I haven't gotten under to look at the date stamp which is on the inside surface. I had already planned new tires all the way around and now I'm hoping new tires will fix the bounce. Any other suggestions that I might have them look for when they have it on the rack? I'm sure there are lots of things it could be so if you have had the experience please shout it out.

Kind of a lousy way to start out with your first Class C but I know if I can get past this minor (I hope) setback it will be just a hunk of heaven the rest of the way. Everything else seems to work great.
Luckily we don't need steering to try our first outing in our driveway.
for any ideas.
Class C
  • ghsebldr's avatar
    ghsebldr
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2013
    Awesome amount of information in only a couple of hours. You guys are a great asset, hope I can be of help someday too. I will repost after I get it figured out. I do plan to get my weights at the truck tire place Thanks to you all.
  • TyroneandGladys's avatar
    TyroneandGladys
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2013
    I agree with carringb full front end inspection with brakes. Also check all tires not just fronts. Then after that go get it weighed total weight and weight on front and rear axles. Best to get it weighed loaded for a trip but that can be done later. IMHO class C motor homes are prone to under loaded front axles and the longer the motor home the more prone it is to this problem. Any weight on the front axle that is less than 75% of it's rated capacity is under loaded. One classic sign of under loaded front axles is a floating feeling and is extremely hazardous. If you are under loaded then you need to move weight forward. There is an effect called the see saw effect and what that means is any weight behind the rear axle takes weight off of the front axle the farther back the higher the effect.
    Alignment is in order I am sure but it needs to be loaded for trips before alignment.
    Please keep us posted on what you find and what you do it can and will help the next person
  • Bordercollie's avatar
    Bordercollie
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2013
    Our 2004 Tioga 26Q, Ford E-450, only had around 8000 miles on it when it went into a shimmy after driving over some rough pavement. I stopped to inspect for a problem, nothing apparent. Drove some distance with no more shimmy to an RV service center. The mechanic crawled under the rig and checked everything over carefully and said that he could not see anything wrong, also said that the shimmy thing happens when you hit rough pavement sometimes with nothing wrong. We continued on our trip up the Coast to Oregon and back to Socal with no further shimmy problems. Your shimmy problem might be the same thing.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Jun 12, 2013
    Failing tire(s), Worn steering and/or suspension part(s). Are you able to check the front end parts for wear? If not, I think it needs to go to a TRUCK alignment shop. Inspect components, replace as needed, and align. Alignment should be done with coach loaded as if for an outing, and will probably involve installation of offset upper ball joint bushings. CASTER should be set toward the high end of the positive range, not midrange as most shops'll do.

    These chassis have lots of front end wear, seemingly more when the wheelbase has been stretched. It could have 20,000 miles on it and need ball joints, or tie rod ends, or both.
  • carringb's avatar
    carringb
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2013
    Do a full front-end inspection, including brakes. One of the common problems with rigs that sit a long time is sticking brake calipers.

    If it turns out you end up needing any major front end work (brakes, ball joints, or even bushings) I recommend a new front axle. The '08+ axles have much larger brakes, larger ball-joints, better sway-bar design, and a better radius arm design. You can pick-up an almost new take-off front axle from QuadVan (Front street north of downtown P-town) for $400. Even with a new dealer sway-bar, and installation labor, you won't be much more into that than a brake or ball-joint job in the current axle.

    I did the upgrade on my van to address my problem with short rotor life on my original axle. I wish I had found out about it before paying for balljoints.

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