Bus pulling to both sides

Max Mini

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GOOD NEWS!!! The suspension shop worked on the bus today. The owner said something to me no one has EVER said: They're not done until I'm happy with how it drives. I'm going over there in the morning.

There were multiple issues, I will get the full story when I get there, but no wheel bearings OR tie rods involved. I-beam bushings, some other bushings I don't remember the name of, something else? And an alignment. He said they will take me under the bus and walk me through everything they did.

I'm feeling pretty hopeful.

Oh, and my next stop would have been a shop the guy whose truck caused the accident recommended but now I don't need to go.
 

Cubey

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I-beam bushings, some other bushings I don't remember the name of, something else?

Oh, king pin bushings maybe... being a 91. Older van chassis have that instead of ball joints.
 

Max Mini

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well,,, it's not completely taken care of.

Initially, they did the radial arm bushings and the kingpin bushings, and it was better, but still swerving.

Then they discovered there was quite a bit of play in the steering box (installed two weeks ago) so they fixed that. Wheel doesn't jiggle at all now - but it still swerves.

Owner took a ride with me, said he felt like the remaining issue was in the rear end. Replaced shocks, a LOT better but it STILL has a side to side sway.

The theory now is that the tires that were put on after the rock incident - cheap Terramaxes - don't have a strong enough sidewall for the weight of the vehicle.

Tomorrow I will swap my front tires to the rear to test that theory.
 

Cubey

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What about the leaf spring bushings? That might act similar to bad shocks on the rear.
 

Danielle

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There's a female owned shop in MA,(foxy auto) that is awesome that I talk to a and her shop has great reviews. She could be a back up. Mines in NJ so too far.

This forum is also the single greatest resource in any repairs you need for your bus!

I'm in the female mechanics alliance on FB which is a great resource for getting going on your own to begin doing the repairs yourself.

But they do not have a lot of women "into" IDI, which brings you back here for specifics.

As you've seen this forum is "bully free" and they keep it that way.

My truck had bad sway and after I did entire front end, it still wanders and I know I need to do my steering box next.

Once you get your truck back I can make you a video of how to check for more steering slop with no lifting, you just need a friend (I use my 8 year old for the helper part haha). If you still feel sway.

What can be frustrating is our trucks are so old and sometimes once you fix one thing, the next weakest link immediately can go. So I tend to do my repairs in big chunks.

Let us know
 

franklin2

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You know, those steering boxes are a lil funny, if you take too much slack out of them the steer funny

That's true. They are designed with a tight spot in the middle, and be loose on either side, to give a nice solid feel going down the road, but be easy to turn in the parking lot. That's why it's important to center the steering box with the tie rod ends. If you get the box too tight, you can feel that tight spot as you turn the wheel and it gets hard to turn.
 

77 F-250

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If you need to replace the steering box check out Redhead.
What ever you do don't get a rebuild one from parts geek! They took my core and never paid me. And they don't answer the phone.
I'm about an hour from you in NH.
 

david85

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Apologies for the long post, but here's my theory on what might be happening.

New tires will often feel a little loose at higher speed until they wear in. This was true for every new set I installed for the first few thousand miles. Your old tires would have had a nice flat wear profile, which gave them a wider contact patch on the pavement, so this could be part of the initial difference in driving feel.

Alright, now for the steering box:

Loose steering boxes of this type should almost NEVER (EVER!!!) be adjusted at the sector shaft. The majority of play you feel is usually going to be in other components that can't be adjusted unless you completely tear down and refurbish the steering box. And even then, most shops aren't equipped to do much more than replace seals. I learned this the hard way, and so are many others because U-tube is full of people showing you how to tighten these boxes, without realizing they're only tightening part of the system and potentially making things worse.

Read Head supposedly does a better rebuild job but they are very expensive compared to a typical NAPA exchange.

I mention the steering box because like others said, if you over-tighten the adjustment stud, the steering will have too much friction in the straight ahead position and the steering will not return to center when exiting a turn or completing a lane change. Combine this with slack that's still there (which could be from any component between the tires and your steering wheel), and it feels like the truck is always trying to swerve on way or another, forcing you to constantly over-correct from side to side.

I can't ride shotgun with you to be sure, but does this sound like the S-swerving you're experiencing?

The sensation can be disorienting because it will feel like some of over-steering is coming from the rear end of the vehicle. This might be why your mechanic suspects rear shocks/suspension. With practice, you can anticipate this effect and learn to drive in this condition but it's very tiring.

You can check for this condition on a straight stretch of road. If the truck is set in a straight line, it will hold that direction with no tendency to pull in either direction. Even on a slight curve or on roads with a moderate camber, it will rigidly hold that direction (because the steering box is stiff, even though the steering wheel feels loose). However, ruts or expansion joints on the road (or even a mis-balanced wheel) may bump hard enough to seemingly shock it partway back to center.
 

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