Forum Discussion
TomKat08
Apr 17, 2015Explorer
Again thanks a bunch for all of your input.
I picked up the RV (2001 31 foot Fleetwood Fiesta - Ford V10 F53 Chassis) from the dealer last Friday. They replaced the Ford shocks with Bilsteins and reduced the tire pressure from 95 to 80. Over the weekend I climbed under the rig to assess the complexity of performing the Quick Fix (McKinley Fix) and discovered the front passenger sway bar control arm was not attached to the frame. It appeared the bolt had sheared. The control arm bushing was damaged and the steel bushing insert was gone. (not sure how this was missed by the repair shop). I went to the Ford dealer and was told I could not purchase just a bushing and would need to buy a complete control arm and that the control arm had been reengineered and I would need to acquire a set. The new control arms were longer and the portion of rubber to metal in the bushing had been completely changed from a lot of rubber and a very slim metal sleeve for the bolt to very little rubber and a very beefy metal sleeve for the bolt. After installation I took the RV on both bumpy roads and drove it at 80 MPH on the freeway. For the first time since I acquired it in December of last year I could drive it with only one hand on the wheel. The sway (roll ?) has been reduced significantly. The ride, although still stiff, is no where near as bad as it was. I'll be taking it for a 300 mile weekend getaway over the coastal mountain pass and will post again should there be anything of note.
I picked up the RV (2001 31 foot Fleetwood Fiesta - Ford V10 F53 Chassis) from the dealer last Friday. They replaced the Ford shocks with Bilsteins and reduced the tire pressure from 95 to 80. Over the weekend I climbed under the rig to assess the complexity of performing the Quick Fix (McKinley Fix) and discovered the front passenger sway bar control arm was not attached to the frame. It appeared the bolt had sheared. The control arm bushing was damaged and the steel bushing insert was gone. (not sure how this was missed by the repair shop). I went to the Ford dealer and was told I could not purchase just a bushing and would need to buy a complete control arm and that the control arm had been reengineered and I would need to acquire a set. The new control arms were longer and the portion of rubber to metal in the bushing had been completely changed from a lot of rubber and a very slim metal sleeve for the bolt to very little rubber and a very beefy metal sleeve for the bolt. After installation I took the RV on both bumpy roads and drove it at 80 MPH on the freeway. For the first time since I acquired it in December of last year I could drive it with only one hand on the wheel. The sway (roll ?) has been reduced significantly. The ride, although still stiff, is no where near as bad as it was. I'll be taking it for a 300 mile weekend getaway over the coastal mountain pass and will post again should there be anything of note.
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