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mclee47's avatar
mclee47
Explorer
Mar 14, 2014

Steering Pulling to Right on Allegro RED

We have an 36' Allegro RED purchased last September. The steering has been pulling to the right since we drove it off the lot, and I have to hold left pressure to keep it running straight ahead. I assumed the problem was a misaligned front end and, we took care of coach repair issues, which took two months, before taking it to the Freightliner service center for the steering problem. They said the alignment was "way off," and they had to rotate the steering wheel to keep it straight. In fact, they had a terrible time getting the steering wheel off. I left for home with the rig and discovered the steering wheel was not straight and took it back. I also noticed that it was still pulling to the right but wrote it off to the wind, although I did tell them about it. They adjusted the steering wheel, and I headed home again. The steering still pulls to the right. Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be causing this problem?
  • mclee47's avatar
    mclee47
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2014
    I decided to give the Bryan Freightliner Service Center one more chance before doing something drastic like heading for Gaffney. They found an airbag with a stripped bolt I think it was on the right side, and the chassis was not leveling properly. That is undoubtedly the problem. They should have checked that when I had it in last. They are going to recheck the alignment as well. Unfortunately they do not have the part in stock, and I have to leave the rig until next week.

    As I have told many people, the last step in the motor home manufacturing process is the buyer.
  • We_Cant_Wait's avatar
    We_Cant_Wait
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2014
    As little as being off 3-4lbs in the air pressure on the front tires will make a difference in steering. Also there will be a natural tendency for a little pull to the right from the crown in the road, but this should not require a lot of constant left pressure on the steering. What I've done to help reduce the road crown pull is add about 3-4lbs more to the right front, then the left, but still keeping it within the pressure requirements based on the weighing weight of the front tire.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Mar 14, 2014
    And I should add: A defective tire can cause a pull. Implausible as it sounds, they can and they do.
    You shouldn't have to be troubleshooting this for your RV dealer or chassis shop, but suggesting they just cross-rotate the front tires could at least eliminate one possibility.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Mar 14, 2014
    I used to repair school buses. When those dual-rear-wheel vehicles had a dragging REAR brake, they just "went" to that side. It was a different feel than when the front end tried to "pull" it to one side. Best way I can describe it is it felt more like an un-commanded lane change than a forced change.
    Is any one brake hotter than the rest?
    Is one front brake hotter than the other?
    Is one rear brake hotter than the other?
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Mar 14, 2014
    In a proper alignment it should not be necessary to pull the steering wheel, The adjustments are all UNDER the chassis.

    There are several things that can cause the symptoms you cite.

    Alignment is Suspect #1
    Tire inflation.. Get the rig weighed, 4 corner and make sure the tires, epically the FRONT tires are properly inflated for the load they are holding up. NOTE that the inflation may be different on each side.

    Brakes, if one is dragging...

    Steering stablizers: Improperly adjsuted.

    Damage to frame

    Rear suspension/alignment.

    Wind, road slope, and more.
  • Leewhiz's avatar
    Leewhiz
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2014
    Give the Tiffin Factory a call, and they will make sure you get the right place to look at it. If it doesn't get fixed then call Bob Tiffin. I can guarantee you that it will be taken care of.
  • lryrob9301's avatar
    lryrob9301
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2014
    8 degrees or 80 degrees, he didn't know what HE was talking about either!! Take it to a heavy truck alignment shop that knows how to check the coach ride height(very critical on a Freightliner chassis) and does a lot of bus type alignments. You may want to invest in a trip to the Freightliner FACTORY Service Center in Gaffney, SC.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Mar 14, 2014
    Exactly. At least if you have the numbers you will know for sure one way or another.
  • mclee47's avatar
    mclee47
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2014
    donn0128 wrote:
    It should be plainly obvious that whoever you took it to the first time had no clue what they were doing. But to be on the safe side go to the scales and get accurate weight at all four corners. Then take it to a qualified truck alignment shop and get it redone right.


    The service center was Bryan (Texas) Freightliner. I did not leave the shop with a great deal of confidence in them. It puzzles me why the alignment of a rig with only a bit over 2000 miles should be so far off. Would Freightliner let it leave the factory that that far out of alignment? I talked to the tech a bit, and he told me that the correct alignment number should be 8 degrees but that it was actually 80 degrees. I do not know enough about truck front end geometry to understand what that means but that sounds like a major difference.

    Anyway, when you suggest weight the four corners, are you suggesting that it might not be loaded properly?
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Mar 14, 2014
    It should be plainly obvious that whoever you took it to the first time had no clue what they were doing. But to be on the safe side go to the scales and get accurate weight at all four corners. Then take it to a qualified truck alignment shop and get it redone right.

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