Think I fix the GM wondering blues (at least on my bus)

[tucsontattoo]

  Spent the day under the front of my 4106. Started out looking for the slack in all that steerage that seems to find it's way up to the  wheel.  Had a friend wiggle the wheel back and forth from the top while I tried to see how many times I could get the snot pinched outta my finger from the bottom!! After about 4 or 5 don't move it nows being mistaken for turn it real hard, and turning the air a little blue under the coach I noticed what the book calls the ball stud on my power assist ram moving all over the place with not much else happening. A quick look at the illustrations in figure 6 and I knew what had to be done. tighten ball stud end plug. After pulling the drag link I found that tightening the plug didn't help that much because the stud floats in the housing. Thinking this can't be right a quick to the experts and I was told your suppose to check that point with the power steering pump running. Oh, I answered. well , more reading and this is where the gold was buried! Right behind the Ball stud is the adjustment for the control valve spool that keeps the rams internal pressures in balance. started the engine and watched the ram slowly pull its self shut. Readjusted the booster cylinder control valve  figure 7) until the ram centered it's self and stop creeping, buttoned it all back and took her for a spin. Man, what a difference!!I can now run down the road at 40 with my hands off the wheel. Would have been in the ditch in about a hundred yards before the adjustment.
   Any way thought I would share the source of my new found driving pleasure with all you other GM owners given the bad rep. I've been getting for unannounced lane changes. Can't believe the difference this made. Took up about half the slack I've been looking for also. If your GM is wondering this might be something to look at.   Hope this helps someone

                                              Tucson

[tucsontattoo]

Easy now guys!! lets not all try to talk at once! Know I was a little excited when I wrote this, maybe got a little flowery.  but lets take it a little slower with the attaboys and congratulatory good to hear its, OK. you'll give me the big head.

                                      Tucson

[FloridaCliff]

WOW!!!!

GREAT JOB!!! [/color]

All kidding aside, thats ones going in my steering troubleshooting file.

Thanks for the update

Cliff

[tucsontattoo]

Thanks Cliff.  Needed that!

               Tucson

[DrivingMissLazy]

Easy now guys!! lets not all try to talk at once! Know I was a little excited when I wrote this, maybe got a little flowery.  but lets take it a little slower with the attaboys and congratulatory good to hear its, OK. you'll give me the big head.

                                      Tucson

Isn't it a great feeling to fight a problem for so long, and then finally figure out how to fix it by yourself. Now you know how I felt when I designed my misting system before I had ever heard of such a thing. And it worked.

[gus]

tt,

I've posted some fixes a couple of times and found that the responses are few. However, I've managed to get over it!

I have the exact same problem on my 4104 and appreciate the info since I am lazy and you have saved me a lot of troubleshooting.

Cheers,

Gus

[wvanative]

Easy now guys!! lets not all try to talk at once! Know I was a little excited when I wrote this, maybe got a little flowery.  but lets take it a little slower with the attaboys and congratulatory good to hear its, OK. you'll give me the big head.

                                      Tucson

Isn't it a great feeling to fight a problem for so long, and then finally figure out how to fix it by yourself. Now you know how I felt when I designed my misting system before I had ever heard of such a thing. And it worked.

Driving MissLazy you are so right it does feel good to figure something out for yourself. I remember 45yrs ago when I stumbled onto the misting system but I didn't use it on a bus like you did. Uh--- well I didn't use it on a car ether I used it on myself. You see it was a very hot day and I accidently spray some water into a fan and it got me. I thought WOW that's great so I set the fan up next to a chair and started spraying. It worked great I had to make an ajustment on the nozzle to get the right misting action but it provided great cooling with little effort untill my dad got home and beat the hell out of me for getting his chair all wet. Then I had to set it up in my room to cool the hotspot on the bottom of my @$#. That took a lot longer to cool off that any 8v92 would LOL.

But I will say this you were guy who took misting to a new level and for that you get 10 attaboys from me.
Wvanative 

[DrivingMissLazy]

Easy now guys!! lets not all try to talk at once! Know I was a little excited when I wrote this, maybe got a little flowery.  but lets take it a little slower with the attaboys and congratulatory good to hear its, OK. you'll give me the big head.

                                      Tucson

Isn't it a great feeling to fight a problem for so long, and then finally figure out how to fix it by yourself. Now you know how I felt when I designed my misting system before I had ever heard of such a thing. And it worked.

Driving MissLazy you are so right it does feel good to figure something out for yourself. I remember 45yrs ago when I stumbled onto the misting system but I didn't use it on a bus like you did. Uh--- well I didn't use it on a car ether I used it on myself. You see it was a very hot day and I accidently spray some water into a fan and it got me. I thought WOW that's great so I set the fan up next to a chair and started spraying. It worked great I had to make an ajustment on the nozzle to get the right misting action but it provided great cooling with little effort untill my dad got home and beat the hell out of me for getting his chair all wet. Then I had to set it up in my room to cool the hotspot on the bottom of my @$#. That took a lot longer to cool off that any 8v92 would LOL.

But I will say this you were guy who took misting to a new level and for that you get 10 attaboys from me.
Wvanative 

First of all welcome aboard wvanative and thanks. . Wherebouts you from?

The misting craze has really taken off in the past few years for people comfort. Places like the LA County fair where pavilions are misted for people comfort and many other large venues. Wish I would have thought of that instead of just cooling my radiator. LOL
Richard

[tucsontattoo]

Yea, I'm over it now, Cliff cheered me up with the streaming smileys and stuff. I will add this though for Gus and Cliff. The book shows the technician casually turning the adjustment screw with thumb and index finger poised lightly on the screwdriver. believe me it ain't that way. Takes two screwdrivers and some acrobatics to hold the spool with one and turn the adjustment screw with the other. be careful , start by turning the screw clockwise, that way if you turn too far the ram will just pull closed real fast. Counter clockwise and it will shoot all the way out and pin you to the right front wheel. ha, won't be doin' that again! 
    Hard to remember everybody isn't as excited about your pile-o-parts as you are sometimes, Fun though when you manage to fix something that makes that big a difference without spending the price of a used car.
                            Later guys, gonna go drive with no hands for awhile. Tucson
                               


                                                                   

[pvcces]

We have the Sheppard steering on our coach, so I don't imagine what you found will help us much. We have some clearance, too, but I think that ours is wear in the worm drive on the spool.

If it is, I doubt if much improvement can be had without rebuilding the gear. I understand that this will be kind of expensive to have it done. If that's the case, I might try to see if I can buy into a good used gear for less money.

Good going on your power assist.

Tom Caffrey
Suncatcher
Ketchikan, Alaska

[gus]

Tom C,

I used to feel the same way but I dont have Sheppard steering, mine is the original hyd boost like his. As I understand it Sheppard steering is a completely different setup, I don't think it even has the boost cylinders like the GM steering.

After reading about his success I'm sure going to try it, nothing to loose and a lot to gain

[tucsontattoo]

  Just did about 7 or 8 hunderd miles sence this fix. Happy to anounce allot of the wandering is gone, however  now she will run stright until the road camber changes. when it does she darts one way or the other depending on the change and you have to pull her back on line.
I'm thinking this feels like alignment now, like maybe not enough tow in.Will be checking that out this week.

[kingfa39]

my 06 wandered all over the place, put in sheppard, rebuilt everything in the front end, replaced radius bushing front and back, had it aligned, after all that it still wandered, i was looking at it one day and did some measureing found the front was towed out insted of in, we corrected this and you will go straight now, never assume anything these shops sometimes do nothing and charge big money. , check the tow in yourself. easy to do
Frank allen
4106

[OneLapper]

A shops alignment machine is only as good as the last time it was calibrated.  I always ask when it was last calibrated, most of the time they get offended.  There's your answer in the response.  Find another shop.

Mark

[tucsontattoo]

  Yep!  can't trust'um anymore, seems like the last generation that knew how to do things is fading away.. What ever happened to "  well, you get what you pay for". You don't even get that now.....   Will be throwing a tape on her this week


                   Tucson