looking for owners of 2004-2005 Pace Arrows

Jim Bakker wrote:
Subject: hard ride....bad springs?

The quality of the ride in our 2004 Pace Arrow has been deteriorating recently. For awhile we thought it was just California roads, but I knew it was time to replace the shocks after 4 years and 50K miles. But unfortunately new shocks didn't help at all. Now the ride is unbearable! Drawers and doors that haven't come open since the Alaska Highway are coming open, significant squeaks are coming from the living area, one (maybe both) the corner braces of the shower enclosure has broken, etc. We knew something serious was wrong when our 110-pound Golden Retriever climbed on the dash to escape the noise and bumps!

I took it back to the shop that installed the shocks, complaining about their overly stiff ride. They say it's not the shocks, but the springs. They showed me that the chassis is resting on the "bump stops". I had a mechanic friend come to look at it today and he verified that diagnosis. We found another Workhorse-based motorhome in the storage yard; it was at least 2 inches off the "bump stops".

I got the coach weighed this afternoon. It's well under the published load limits.

Has anyone else found their coach sitting on the bump stops?

What an experience this has been! Here's what I've done and learned since my previous posting.

• I took the coach to my dealer service center to have the springs checked out. After consulting with Workhorse they advised that the springs were OK.
  
• They provided a Workhorse document that explained the suspension system. What Camping World called a "bump stop" is actually an active part of the suspension system, what Workhorse calls an "auxiliary
  elastomer spring". This document also stated that Workhorse installs custom tuned shock absorbers (Monroe prior to late 2004, Bilstein since then). These custom tuned shocks are available from Workhorse, but apparently not from the shock manufacturer.
  
• My new shocks were Bilsteins, purchased from Camping World. I do not believe these were the custom tuned shocks that Workhorse uses.
  
• Research I did on the internet convinced me that Bilsteins give a much harsher ride than Monroes. The Workhorse representative agreed and advised installing Monroes because of their more gentle ride, and because that's what I had for the first 50K miles.
  
• Camping World agreed to remove the Bilsteins, install whatever shocks I bought elsewhere, and refund the purchase and installation price of the Bilsteins. No hassle; I was impressed!
  
• I purchased a set of Workhorse's specially tuned Monroes and had Camping World put them on in place of the Bilsteins.
  
• Workhorse also recommended checking with Michelin to be sure the tires weren't over-inflated. They were, so I reduced the pressure to the Michelin recommendations.
  
  

My ride is much better, probably as good as when the original shocks were brand-new. Drawers and doors are no longer opening, and the dog hasn't tried to climb on the dash! Most of the noise coming from the living area was being caused by the oven coming loose. It very nearly came completely off it's mountings, but we noticed before that happened. It's secure now and much quieter, but the door seems to have loosened and I can't find any way to tighten it. I'll try shims to see if they will keep it from squeaking.