too much play in steering wheel

[healeyt]

Hi. We bought a 1991 President last summer. It is in pretty nice condition.
Had only 39,000 miles on it. We have made some necessary repairs and are continuing to upgrade. One of my major concerns is that there is so much play in the steering wheel that I have to constantly keep moving my hands to keep her going straight. It is far different from the steering wheel in my car. Is this usual or unusal for an RV? And is there anything that I can do about it?

Theresa

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

Hi. We bought a 1991 President last summer. It is in pretty nice condition.
Had only 39,000 miles on it. We have made some necessary repairs and are continuing to upgrade. One of my major concerns is that there is so much play in the steering wheel that I have to constantly keep moving my hands to keep her going straight. It is far different from the steering wheel in my car. Is this usual or unusal for an RV? And is there anything that I can do about it?

Theresa

Yes, typically there is an adjustment on the steering box. As the gears wear, regular maintenance should be performed to keep the wheel tight. If the wear has been allowed to get too far without correcting, the steering box will have to be replaced.

Mike

[DennisM]

As we test drove various Born Frees before we purchased our 2003 RSB, I noticed what I would call excessive play in the steering in two different units. My hypothesis is that in both cases the air pressure in the inflatable shocks was the main issue.

Not sure that I am correct, but if you are experiencing steering play, double check the shock pressure.

Hope that helps.

Dennis Belcher

[healeyt]

Thanks to both of you. We have had the box adjusted and that didn't help. Before we try to get the box replaced we will be sure about the air shocks. I know I read about that in the literature. If you know the correct pressure it would save me a search before we go away on Thursday. But if not I will look it up again. I think it might be 55 lbs. Maybe. No more than 90 and no less than 10. We will go to get that checked on Wednesday. If it is at 55 should we go up or down a little?

Thanks, Theresa.

[whemme]

The Born Free factory's recommended inflation pressure for the two rear air bags (not shocks) is 55 psi. On the two BF's that I have owned up to the present time, both had a red decal near the inflation fittings on the side of the fiberglass motorhome body indicating that recommended pressure. But some run pressures either lower or higher than 55 psi and they have their reasons.

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

I should have asked a couple of questions before suggesting fixes. When someone says "play in the steering wheel" I take that to mean excess movement in the steering wheel between the points where the front wheels are actually being steered left or right. You can test this in your driveway without moving. While standing next to the driver's door reach in thru the window and with your thumb and forefinger turn the wheel left until you meet resistance or notice the left wheel moving. Note the steering wheel position. Now turn to the right until you meet approximately the same amount resistance or the left wheel begins turning right. Again, note the steering wheel's position. The distance traveled between these two points is the "steering wheel play". In general it should be less than 3/4". More than an inch of lash will have you going down the road swinging the wheel continously between the left and right contact points trying to keep the RV between the lines.

Once you've determined the steering linkage (pitman arm, tie rods, ball joints, etc. are in good condition and tight (not contributing to excess play) then the steering box gears can be tightened to remove the excess gear lash. By your response, I assume your mechanic has determined that your steering components meet specs. OK, time to move on.

The Ford trucks seem to have a tendency to be steered by the road. They are easily turned by chassis sway, wind and surface irregularities. An upgraded steering damper such as the Safe-T-Plus is widely reported to correct the problem. Steer Safe is another device designed to help return the wheel to the center position is also reported to help. Both claim to help hold the wheel steady against forces trying to turn it but they take two different approachs to correcting the problem. The Safe-T-Plus seems to me to be the simpler approach. I've noticed in my 26' RSB that it can sometimes get into a left-right-left-right oscillation (or tug of war with the driver) and it sometimes takes bit of conscious effort to finesse out of the pattern. However, it's not so bad that its unsafe or fatiguing to the point I'd spend money on it and Jean doesn't find the BF hard to drive either.

Its currious how many times you see discussions on the net between people who have RVs of the same mfr arguing about this. One side will describe driving their RV as a white knuckle terrifying experience while another claims their RV handles just like their Porsche. I do suspect that rigs which are light in the front and heavy in the rear coupled with a high length over wheel base ratio exacerbate inherent chassis problems. BF's are known for their good handling qualities largely due to their length/wheelbase nos. However, the BF floor plans that tend to be heavier in the rear might suffer a little more from Ford's inherent tendencies and could benefit from some add-on corrections.

Also, anti-sway bars can stabilize the rear end and help keep it from "steering" the front in crosswinds and turns. Boosting tire pressure can help stabilize sway as can tires with stiffer sidewalls. Upgraded shocks can also help to eliminate sway and stabilize steering. Increasing pressure in the air bags can help reduce sway as well.

Before making any large investments check the things that can influence your steering.

1. Front end alignment. A bad alignment would consistently pull in the same direction. Over time your tires will wear unevenly. With the rig loaded for travel go to a reputable alignment shop with truck experience. (You could use dumb bells or sand bags for the copilot. However this could be an area of extreme sensitivity. Don't make a big deal out of how many and choose your stand-in wisely. I used a few books (a selection of light classics) )

2. Loading. Know the approximate weight of each of your 4 corners. Try and distribute your load evely over each axle and keep the load on the front and rear axles at the same percentage of axle capacity. In other words, if the rear axle is at 85% the front axle should also be at 85%. I learned 1st hand that varying the size of load and CG on my pick-up could have a big affect on steering characteristics. (I've never towed with a MH maybe others will weigh in if this is an issue.)

3. Tires. Make sure your tires are rated for the load you are carrying and consult your inflation charts for the correct minimum pressure. Are they a quality tire by a reputable mfr?

If these checks don't provide adequate correction then I'd start thinking add-ons. My choices in no particular order: Bilsteins (all four corners), Safe-T-Plus, Rear anti-sway bar.

I hope this hoelps you come to a balanced perspective on the issues affecting steering.

Mike