My bus has a serious pulling issue to the right. If I let go of the wheel it will go right so fast I would be off the interstate and riding in the ditch in 200 feet or less. Any ideas on what to check (other than air pressure which I checked.)? The bus sat since last fall until Tuesday and was fine last fall.
I took my bus to get serviced earlier this week and it seemed to steer fine then although most of my trip was at under 10 MPH due to rush hour and construction. I don't know that the shop did anything to cause this. I took the bus on a four hour shakedown drive this evening and noticed something didn't seem right. I first noticed that the right tire seemed noisy and I stopped to check things which is when I checked the air pressure. I thought the pull was from wind, but I realized it wasn't windy. I doubt it is brakes because I would smell dragging brakes.
If I have a bad tire is there a good reason to put Michelin tires up front, or just buy another set of Roadmaster tires like I have now?
I would jack it up and take a look at that right front tire assembly you mention. I would ask if you felt the pull in the steering wheel, or possibly from the bus rear.
Also how did it seem to act when brake Was applied. On a happier note the tire selection ? It doesnt matter, a bad tire is a bad tire : )
Floyd
It could be wheel alignment, a sticky brake, a poorly balanced tyre, a bad wheel bearing...
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Check all tire pressures. Drive short distance and check for uneven brake drum tmps.Jack up front and check for wheel drag. Power steering? Air in system or low fluid. Any steering system adjustments or pieces repaired since last driving? Tightness in a front end joint needing greasing? If nothing conclusive, you could try reversing front tires.
I had to constantly steer to the left to keep the bus going straight and I do have power steering. The shop I was at Tuesday put the bus on a lift and greased everything on the chassis.
Nothing has been done to the steering since the bus was last driven last fall and it worked fine for over 5,000 miles then. I'm going to call the shop as soon as they open to see what they have to say.
If your right front tire sounded noisy, that would be my first area to explore. I agree that switching the front tires might help isolate the problem. If the tire itself isn't problematic, my next check would be to see if the wheel/hub bearings are failing. They can be noisy and create drag.
Richard
Quote from: chessie4905 on September 14, 2017, 04:39:53 AMCheck all tire pressures. ...
That was what I thought should be the first place to start (Brian, you said you immediately checked pressures - what did you find?). Second, start the bus and drive to an open area and turn the wheel all the way to the stops in one direction as you pull up to a stop. If you hear clicking or a rattling noise, you've got air in your power steering -- if so, hold the steering over hard until the noise stops. Then repeat to the other way. That should prime the air out. Drive your bus and see if it goes straight; if not, go on to the jack up and check bearings and linkage stage, if so, find out why air got into your power steering system.
(I'm with Richard - if it's not obvious (like low pressure or air in the steering) and you had noise in the direction that it's pulling, there is a problem with something in that direction. Could be low pressure not showing on your gauge, a bad bearing, loose ball joints or other steering linkage, a tire that coming apart inside, etc. It is odd that it suddenly started showing up.)
Must be about time for your trip to NV!
Check tire pressure, brakes, bearings, in that order.
I'd put money on either of the first two.
Hi Brian, my tag axle seal leaked, didnt seem like an immediate problem, but it turns out that it leaked onto the brake pad, when it heated up it congealed, and froze the wheel, upon travel, but Gilbert here in LV figured it out replaced the seal and cleaned the brake pads. It pulled the bus to one side when that was happening, until it heated up so much the wheel dragged, frozen in place, lvmci...
is there a locking mechanism for the steering wheel? The only reason i ask is I got my truck serviced recently and they didn't lock the steering wheel correctly when they did the alignment and i had the same problem and had to take it back.
Lvmci: Thats a great observation and tip from you and that experienced tech. I would keep Gilbert on the top of the tech list. I know a great guy that taught me to look carefully and test that brake application in these situations. Both for them doing their job each! or not, and like yours in a cool time it very well can pull the otherway as its not doing its fair share. I found the after apply actions are very important also and really need attention when testing.
Its sometimes tough to imagine but the same guy explained it also as: like in the grader or the dozer ya feel the machines back actually pullin that front, so being in front of the steers one might feel kinda lite! Heck may have to use some steer braking : )
Floyd
Quote from: gumpy on September 14, 2017, 06:52:07 AM
Must be about time for your trip to NV!
Check tire pressure, brakes, bearings, in that order.
I'd put money on either of the first two.
Yes, it is. I tried to get my bus road ready several weeks ago, but the repair shop was too busy to do my service until this week. I didn't want to end up with a last minute problem, but it didn't work out I can change the oil myself (and I have), but I don't have a lift to make it easy to grease the chassis.
Yes, I checked the air pressure and it was within a PSI or two between the two tires.
You talk about a lift. Did they bend something when using the lift?
Wayne
If it drove good going to shop then something has happen because at 10 mph you should have noticed the pull also
Quote from: belfert on September 14, 2017, 10:35:55 AM
Yes, I checked the air pressure and it was within a PSI or two between the two tires.
Jack up each axle on the right side and make sure everything spins properly. It's probably either a sticking brake or a bad bearing.
We use our hand held laser temperature probe with great effect. Easy to shoot temperatures. Tire, brake drums, wheel bearings, etc.. On sale they go now for less than $50 bucks.
You better check if they bent the tie rod when they jacked it up. Sounds to me that that is the most likely problem nd I'd check that first. Are one of the front tires toed in when opposite side is straight?
It has been highly suggested that I take the bus out on the highway again for long enough to get everything up to operating temps and then check the temperatures of drums, tires, and hubs. I plan to do that tonight and check the temps and pressures with my infrared thermometer.
It was a year or two ago I last had the alignment done.
I use to smoke, but not to get that highly. ;D
Good day
Floyd
Quote from: belfert on September 14, 2017, 12:37:50 PM
It has been highly suggested that I take the bus out on the highway again for long enough to get everything up to operating temps and then check the temperatures of drums, tires, and hubs. I plan to do that tonight and check the temps and pressures with my infrared thermometer.
It was a year or two ago I last had the alignment done.
Who "highly" recommended that? And why are you listening to them?
You need to figure out what's pulling first. Something is very wrong and until you know what, you should not risk your life and other people's lives trying to assess it at highway speeds.
I won't publicly say who recommended a further test drive. I crawled underneath and don't see anything obviously bent. I mostly looked at the right tire last night, but I noticed this evening that the left tire is wearing funny.
I am taking the bus to a shop that specializes in suspension and alignment in the morning. I figure I will need to get the steer tires replaced too.
Move the current steers to the tag and let it scrub them out if you get new steers.
It's possibly you have a bad tie rod end, or maybe one got bent, which could pull the left tow in, causing the abnormal wear you see. Probably a good call to take it to an alignment specialist.
Sticking brake can?
The alignment shop said the alignment was off 5/32". They didn't find any other issues. They also said the front tires are junk and I am having the tires replaced 7 am Monday. (The tags are pretty old and should be replaced with the steers anyhow.)
The left front brake drum is just a little bit warmer than the right front. All of the rear brake drums are really close in temps side to side. Hubs are also good on temps.
When pulling happens, first thing to do is switch sides on front tires. That will tell you if you have a bad tire. At alignment, you want 1/16" to 1/8" toe in, 0 right camber-a bit of positive camber on left to combat crowned highways. Checking toe is the most important.
Good that you're replacing the front tires. Use good quality non Chinese tires. I just installed Hankook on the back of my truck and Freightliner uses Hankook as their standard tires. Course-I'm still a Michelin fan-just way more expensive. Good Luck, TomC
Nothing wrong with Chinese tires - they might wear a bit faster but with the miles we do, that shouldn't be a problem. It really doesn't matter whether your tires are Michelin or Golden Crack Dragon. What matter is that you change them when they age out and that you keep them at the right pressure as well as turning the wheels every month when you're parked.
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Double Coin are quite popular and Chinese made. Just sayin....
The guy at the alignment shop who did the work highly recommended either BF Goodrich or Michelin tires. He didn't recommend Dayton which was my initial plan. A local tire shop will have two BF ST230 tires ready for me at 7 am Monday. The BF Goodrich cost about $100 more per tire than Dayton.
The steer tires are not currently aged out or worn out. They have some sort of weird wear patterns that my last set of Firestone steer tires also had. Nobody can figure out what is going on with the steer tire wear. I replaced the front shocks and have had alignment done twice now. We'll see if things are better this time.
Is your tag axle misaligned? Couldn't that cause weird steering issues? Does your bus have IFS or a solid front axle?
John
Tag axle alignment was fixed a few years ago after I brushed the passenger tag wheel against something a few years ago. The tags are independent for sure. Not sure if IFS or solid front axle on the front of my Dina.
BF Goodrich is made by Michelin.
Tires are much more than big black rubber things that supports your bus. Chinese tires are me too tires-in that they make sure they look just about exactly the same as other tires we're familiar with. But who knows what the rubber compound is, tread design, belt strength, etc, etc. There is a real good reason Michelin makes 50 different tire models for trucks and buses. A carefully designed rubber compound, tread designed by testing, strong belts for every specific kind of driving from local pickup and delivery, transit bus start and stop, on/off road dump truck, on/off road logging truck, short haul, long haul, high speed highway, steering, traction, trailer, etc, etc. You couldn't give me a set of Chinese tires. Good Luck, TomC
Does it pull at low speeds? I suspect something happened at the shop when they were greasing it. Might be a worn part shifted when they lifted it - maybe something got bent . . .
More than 1 mechanic missed the bad front wheel bearing and the damage it had caused to the spindle on mine.
Symptoms were all occasional & random in presentation - slight pull, vibration, noise, & steering wheel wobble.
I found it by jacking up the front of the bus & giving each wheel a spin. One was silent, one had a slight noise - $$$ later, I had installed a new steering knuckle, wheel bearings, kingpin & bushings.
Hope they are able to determine the true cause.
Firestone makes good truck tires too. The FS560s that came on my coach are very smooth riding tires & have held up well inspite of my curb bashing. ;)
Well did tires and alignment fix it? (expiring minds would like to know!)
;D BK ;D
It's a real good tip, Kyle4501 mentioned in jacking. I think this is key and how I was instructed to do for any wheel components, and drilled in for any brake adjustment. I can see a same pattern though just as earlier with cars and the smaller likes of inspections. So smartly using these now more affordable jacks like 4 or 6 wheel jacks as a system lift. Anyway I could bore everyone going on but many components need to be free from load to inspect and adjust properly. It sure helps the lubrication of components having no load so the extremely small clearence can get greased.
Floyd