91 E-350 28' Fleetwood Floating/Hard to handle

[Jerry_Amerson]

I've had the Motor Home for 2 yrs and it has had a new gear box installed, assist rear leaf spring added, Safe-T-Plus steering shock installed, and I still am having problems with it floating on the open road. It has Kingpin suspension in the front which I understand can be shimmed or I've heard of a replacement that will allow easy caster/camber adjustments. Can anyone tell me what the best caster/camber degree is to keep it on the road and yet not wear out tires to quickly, and also if there is a mod that can be added.
Thanks,
Jerry

[CharlesinGA]

Energy Suspension will have polyurethane bushings for almost all the needs of the chassis. I assume you have a '90 chassis if it is a '91 motorhome, if it is different, just re-do the search.

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/products/ford_e350_econoline_1990

Charles

[Sam_Spade]

donn0128 wrote:
Take it to a good alignment shop, explain the situation to them. They are the experts and will know what to do.

But call first to be sure that they have a bay and rack big enough to actually DO a motorhome. Not all of them do.

THEN.....if they come back with some really bad news, like you need $2000 worth of work just replacing worn parts......get a second opinion. While that is possible, it probably is unlikely if the symptoms have not gotten worse over the years.

P.S. The guy I bought mine from said it handled really good. I don't think he was dishonest, some people just can't TELL the difference.

[eHoefler]

Sounds like it is light on the sterr axle. Too much weight behind the rear axle. Get it weighed, that will tell you a lot more than you think.

[j-d]

I don't know if I still have the four-corner weights from our 1984 24-ft Holiday Rambler, 158" wheelbase.

What's the wheelbase on this 28-footer? That's about as far as they could go on an E350 unless it has a tag axle. Does it?

Getting axle weights is easy, CAT Scale at any Travel Center. Probably good enough to start with. Four-Corner is harder to find. Starting to wonder if the wheelbase is too short to put enough weight on the front axle.

A 1991 chassis will have 16" wheels. Are the tires Load Range D, or the more common E? D can only go to 65-PSI. If the front tires are inflated higher than actual load calls for, tracking can get flaky. Another reason to go weigh it. Weigh it as loaded and occupied for travel. If you tow, have the toad or trailer hitched up. You'll get Steer (front axle), Drive (rear axle) and Trailer (such as toad) on your report.

[theoldwizard1]

Find a small old time shop where the guys who work there have actually SEEN a kingpin setup !

I would start with replacing ALL THE BUSHINGS ! They are 26 years old !!

The typical solution is to add more caster, but I do not know how to do that on a kingpin.

[Bordercollie]

Try 65 PSI in front tires and 75 PSI in rear. No big flat-sided tall vehicle handles well in gusty cross-winds or when big rigs pass you. Don't believe those who say their Class C handles and rides like an SUV after throwing a lot of money and parts at it. It helps to stop every 100 miles or so and walk around on solid ground to relax and get ready for the next 100 miles. Harsh ride can sometimes be helped with removing a leaf from too-stiff rear springs. Beat up concrete interstates can loosen your fillings. Secondary asphalt roads can be a lot smoother with better scenery.

[LifeInsideJack]

Always start simple. Get out your tire pressure gauge.

[Tyler0215]

GET THE WEIGHT. Then adjust the air pressure in the tires. Stop throwing parts at it till you know the weight and pressure.

[Jerry_Amerson]

Thanks Guys for the input, especially from Sunny Florida. The weight issue I know is a little touchy because of how far the chassis extends beyond the rear axle. That being said, this rig could not have driven this way when new, and I'm the second owner, the first drove his family all over the country and put 60K on it, and he wouldn't have done that fighting it like I am.

I'm going with the bushings next then, and will have a test run down to Galveston in May before going to the races in Ft. Worth in June.

I've already had the toe in adjusted with 1/4" when I had the gear box replaced which has helped, but I suspect replacing all the bushings will bring it back close to new condition.

[enblethen]

Start by weighing the rig. best to get front, rear and hopefully each corner.
Check air pressure level with tire manufactuer specification for your weight.

[j-d]

The Kingpin chassis had better handling than the ball joint setup that replaced it. We had a 1983 E350, kingpin axle, and like you, I replaced the steering box and shored up the rear springs.

I did several other things.

1. Replaced the Axle-to-Frame Bushings. I've seen them really shot, ours weren't too bad but I'm sure new ones helped. I was able to press them in/out with a borrowed Ball Joint Press kit.

2. Replaced the Radius-Rod-to-Frame Bushings. Easy job, and bad ones all allow the front end to toe OUT, which you don't want.

3. Replaced Front Sway Bar End Link Bushings. They were OEM rubber, and softened. I installed a poly bushing kit from NAPA and the change was amazing. This was really a big hitter in the improvement lineup.

4. Adjusted Toe to slightly IN. There are various DIY ways to check and change Front End Alignment, and TOE is the simplest. With some Toe IN, about 1/4" the way I measured it, the driving really became great. WAY better than the E450 in my signature, and the E450 has Sway Bars, Air Bags, Track Bar, and offset bushings to increase Caster.

[donn0128]

Take it to a good alignment shop, explain the situation to them. They are the experts and will know what to do. Before you go, get accurate weights both front and rear axle, plus side to side. Its quite possible your light on front end weight. If thats the case, there is not much an alignment shop can do for you.