steering wheel shake
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Re: steering wheel shake
Great info, confirmed my tires were made in the 12th week of 2006. \n\nI am going to jack the tires up this evening and see if they give me any clues.
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Re: steering wheel shake
Took the plunge and put on all new Michelin tires. The tire shop suggested registering for the FMCA to get the Michelin discount. Great advice, saved me $70 per wheel on a $50 membership. \n\nWhile the vehicle is certainly drivable now there is still a mild/moderate intermittent steering wheel shimmy at freeway speeds. Now I will move to some of the tests suggested for diagnosing front end wear. With tires that old figured that would be the best place to start. \n\nGetting close. Definitely has the potential to be a great driving machine. The 72 model year 413 is not a powerhouse but does a admirable job of pulling this 14K pounds.\n\nKarl
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Re: steering wheel shake
Michelins are the best ... IMO for steering tires..high end tires with out a doubt...great choice.!!\nAs a last minute FWIW tip... measure the distance between the tires on the inside.. for toe in & toe out ... \nAt the center of the front and the rear... been a while but me thinks the difference should be half an inch or less...\nAnd other tips posted in this forum have to be considered to find your answer......\nBBB
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Re: steering wheel shake
Just FYI... I don't know if it's an issue with Michelins or all tires on RV's but...\nI have a set of Michelin XZE 225/70-19.5 tires on my coach that are date coded from early 2011. They are pretty weather cracked and I have heard of others saying the same about Michelins being prone to this. When I replace these soon with some 8R19.5 tires, I am also going to buy an RV tire cover set and shade my new tires from the elements in order to keep the weather cracking to a minimum.
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Re: steering wheel shake
I have gone through a set of Michelins as a result of sun . I now & for some time use tire covers with great results.
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Re: steering wheel shake
Pretty much what Billy said. Look for loose parts. king pins will do what you are describing. Kinda like a death wobble ?\nDoes yours still have the stabilizer springs on the tie rod ? A hydraulic steering stabilizer can help too but I have never needed one. Check the wheel bearing too. they may be loose.
1977 Travco 270 Elite\n1974 Travco 220 Parts unit
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Re: steering wheel shake
Got it in the air today. No side to side movement but up and down there is a small amount of play. No kingpin movement, looks like in the bearings. I have a receipt where prior owner did the kingpins so they should be good. I think I will tighten the bearings up a some. \n\nAlso, when I give the wheels a spin there is a slight "wander" of the tire tread when I stair and the tire while it spins. Neither rims spin perfectly straight, may be bent rims? \n\nWhen I got the vehile there was a setup that had two coil overs going from a bracket on the center of the axle to both sides of the centerlink. Looked old so I took it off and put on Steer safes. Didn't notice any other spring set up.
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Re: steering wheel shake
hmm. if the rims are suspect,,, hate to bring this up but.... you should have five more rims left for testing...\nHave the unit on blocks or jacks, pull the other tires and mount them on the front and give a spin... \nUsually slightly bent or OOR rims or slightly Out of balance tires will still work on the rear.. Sound like a deal that kingpins are done...\nand as a really long reaching shot... if some one had worked on the front end previously.. They "could" have put in the adjustment wedges in backwards under the spring perch's changing the.... (caster)...or even losing and or not replacing them.. FWIW... \nOnly suggested because I believe all tires on this unit are new and the same brand...\nBBB\nCorrected and ripped pics added for clarity. 04/28/15
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Last edited by badbillybiker on Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: steering wheel shake
That would be the caster if the shims are in backwards. The caster is what helps the steering to self center.
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Re: steering wheel shake
\nBe careful with that. Bearing should not be tight. check the TM for proper procedure.. Usually tighten snug and back off a bit. You want room for the bearing to expand when it heats up.highwaystar wrote:Got it in the air today. No side to side movement but up and down there is a small amount of play. No kingpin movement, looks like in the bearings. I have a receipt where prior owner did the kingpins so they should be good. I think I will tighten the bearings up a some. \n\nAlso, when I give the wheels a spin there is a slight "wander" of the tire tread when I stair and the tire while it spins. Neither rims spin perfectly straight, may be bent rims? \n\nWhen I got the vehile there was a setup that had two coil overs going from a bracket on the center of the axle to both sides of the centerlink. Looked old so I took it off and put on Steer safes. Didn't notice any other spring set up.
1977 Travco 270 Elite\n1974 Travco 220 Parts unit