Cheap Handling Fix at Ford Dealer

[MetalGator]

One of the local Ford dealers in our area claim to be one of the biggest F53/Motorhome service centers in the country (Gator Ford east of Tampa Florida). They have a 60,000lb lift and run specials for RV service. I am going to make an appointment soon to get an alignment on our new motorhome. I was wondering if anyone had ever had a Ford dealer do the cheap handling fix. I really enjoy driving the new motorhome but it does have a lot of body roll when taking corners. Before I spend any money on suspension mods I'd like to try the CHF first as long as it doesn't affect the Ford warranty.

Burch

[MR_MAC]

I did my front with good results, but a few times the sway bar hit the springs when I hit a pot hole, also a few times when using leveling jacks the bars were laying on the springs as the font tires were off the ground. I getting ???? about this, thinking of going back. A track bar I installed on the rear was the best result of my handling fix.

[PastorCharlie]

Why would anyone drive off-road in such a rugged road condition that the motor home bounce would lift the wheels off the roar surface?

[Rustybird]

Our motorhome is a 32ft 2004 Fleetwood Fiesta on a Ford F53 chassis. I diid the CHF on the front and was hopeing to see good results. Just drove it 120 miles when we would stop or do a turn the springs would hit the sway bar making a very disturbing metal clunking sound. It improved the sway some, but not worth the mechanical problem. I have changed back to the forward position holes on the sway bar. Kudos to this site for its great information from members.

[jyrostng]

DryCreek wrote:
Did you take the longer front (stock) sway bar end links and use them on the rear? It helps as they are an inch longer than the stock rear links.

No, not yet, I just moved the rear with the stock links, If I get ambitious in this Texas heat, I will. I kept them.

[DryCreek]

jyrostng wrote:
"I replaced the links with longer ones and that fixed that problem."

Did you take the longer front (stock) sway bar end links and use them on the rear? It helps as they are an inch longer than the stock rear links.

[stvdman]

MetalGator wrote:

stvdman wrote:
I just had it done (front only) at White Marsh Ford in Baltimore..drove from MD to Orlando and back, nice improvement. Going to do the rear ones next time I have it in for service.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the Ford dealer charge you for the adjustment?

1 Hour of labor and $5 shop supplies, total was like $120.

[jyrostng]

CHF for front

CHF on rear, bottoming out on rearend without extenders

[hohenwald48]

jyrostng wrote:
I'm also curious what they say. The CHF changes the geometry on both ends of the sway bar. It limits the suspension travel by the swaybar bottoming out and becoming a mechanical limit it was never designed for.

This is a true statement but is easily resolved with longer sway bar links. I welded up longer link for mine that puts the at rest position of the sway bar end in the same location as the stock links. No bottoming out on mine.

On the rear, some sway bars will bang the differential housing if longer links are not used.

[hohenwald48]

PursuitInsight wrote:
the extra hole is not for the cheap fix. it is to reinforce the link attachment
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/9497faq/tsb/tsb...

I doubt that's true. The extra holes were there many years before the "Z" brackets were installed. They just used the existing sway bar holes to patch the popping link problem with the installation of "Z" brackets.

[jyrostng]

"I replaced the links with longer ones and that fixed that problem."

Exactly what I also did, you can see the difference in this picture
See the difference in length required to do the chf correctly.

[TNGW1500SE]

jyrostng wrote:
I'm also curious what they say. The CHF changes the geometry on both ends of the sway bar. It limits the suspension travel by the swaybar bottoming out and becoming a mechanical limit it was never designed for............

I replaced the links with longer ones and that fixed that problem.

[MetalGator]

stvdman wrote:
I just had it done (front only) at White Marsh Ford in Baltimore..drove from MD to Orlando and back, nice improvement. Going to do the rear ones next time I have it in for service.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the Ford dealer charge you for the adjustment?

[jyrostng]

I put mine on today, the bolts and bushings that come with it are Std size. the bolts in my 2000 f53 are metric, there's about a .060 difference, the std. being smaller. Maybe that's why some get clunking. The steel sleeves in the stock setup fit in the new adjustable links and are one piece machined and those are the ones I used since they fit the stock bolts. The urethrae inserts are wider than the stock pieces and using the stock steel sleeves, I had go grind about 1/8" off each side of the rubber so it was flat with the metal sleeve. A couple of notes I remembered: these are 9/16x18 thread. very large, I didn't have to run the threads, they weren't powdercoated on the threads. I ground down the sides to prevent binding because the stock insert sleeves were shorter and the rubber was making the assembly wider than stock. I had Z brackets top and bottom. it took 15mm socket and wrench and a 18mm socket and wrench. I'm posting pictures. click the links.

stock versus adjustable extended Hellwig HWG-7962 links for the front of a f-53
http://imgur.com/a/yWMeU

ground down ends to stock width
http://imgur.com/a/V2ssK

Slack in bushing with hellwig supplied bolts
http://imgur.com/a/nBbb2

[stvdman]

I just had it done (front only) at White Marsh Ford in Baltimore..drove from MD to Orlando and back, nice improvement. Going to do the rear ones next time I have it in for service.