When I had my coach serviced last fall, I was informed that either an idler arm or pitman arm needed replacement due to wear. At the time there was no easy way for me to view the failing part or its location. I am, at this point, totally unfamiliar with the steering system as it has performed flawlessly.
I contacted Foretravel today to get an illustrated parts explosion, with item numbers and parts numbers.
Apparently, nothing exists at Foretravel for my purposes and I was informed that I should crawl under the coach with my camera, take some pictures and they would see what they could do regarding part numbers and descriptive locations based on my emailed pictures.
At my age, 76 in August, I am not looking forward to crawling around under there and wondered if someone else has encountered a need for knowledge of steering parts on my year of coach and already has the information that I need to get ready to replace the failing part?
I would imagine that the needed part is the one that connects from the steering box to the steering components but, I suppose there could also be an idler arm in the mix. Everything else seems in excellent condition.
Hoping some of you have some drawings or other related info.
Thanks,
Regards,
@Jon Instead of you crawling around under the coach I'd take it to a "good" truck/motorhome alignment center and have them crawl around under there. They will "usually" provide a free assessment (ask ahead of time). Almost all of the parts are standard truck front end items.
see ya
ken
Would this help?
Here is parts list I think,
Drag link
Drag link parts list
How many miles are on your rig?
I find it VERRRY hard understanding having to replace anything unless you have (more than) a lot of miles.
Even missing regular service for extended periods of time/miles, front ends last a very long time. pc
Love to have a copy of that parts book. Even better if someone had one for my 97 u320?
Jon,
Having the same year and model as you, I have always read your notices, especially the airbag change adventure. It helped when it came time for me to do the same.
I have dealt with the Pitman Arm when I replaced a couple of seals in the steering box. (In the wilds of southern Missouri while hosting at an ATV park. Borrowed a 5-pound hammer and a three foot hefty iron bar from the local FS Ranger to drive the shaft out, after removing the Pitman Arm. These drawings so far do not show the Pitman Arm or the bearing at the end of it.
As stated before, difficult to believe that the steering assembly needs replacement. But seems to me, any truck repair shop could do this instead of you getting dirty. Stay safe.
andy1
Hi to all.
The coach has 254,000 miles on it and every thing seems fine when driving.
Where I had work done last fall (pre-trip inspection and fluid changes) check the steering and mentioned that I should replace the Pittman arm (as I recall) and he is the top mechanic at a tour bus fleet garage. I have another suspension shop about 100 miles south of my location and so maybe I will take it there for another examination.
Maybe when I go into dump in a couple of weeks I will raise the chassis all the way up and see what is under there and take a few pictures, for the benefit of those at Foretravel who apparently do NOT know what is under there.
Thanks for all the comments.
Regards,
The drag link has the replaceable parts on it. The Pittman arm is the part coming down from the steering boxes output shaft.
Hmmmm,
What I find interesting about this thread ::) and confusing is that the "mother ship" is unaware they produced the needed drawings Jon needed and Lewis has a proprietary set of drawings.
Just shows the continuing care and depth of knowledge of this Forum! Great Job ^.^d
Jon,
Pitman arm replacement is an easy job with the right tools. Just take it to a good truck repair shop who has a GOOD alignment guy. Make sure that they check every suspension/steering component before they align the coach.
Here is a vid of what it looks like and how it's done. Not a Foretravel but will give you an idea.
How to Change a Pitman Arm.(steering Linkage) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VNwKZQ5P4#)
Keith
In 2014, people tend to play dumb a lot more and aren't as forthcoming with information....
The steering box in the video is a "toy" compared to the Sheppard M100 box in the Foretravel.
If you need to remove the Pitman arm you WILL need a BIG puller!
I bought a Sheppard Pitman Arm puller and offer to LOAN it to any Forum member that needs it.
With a 3/4" air impact it removed the arm with ease.
To reduce having to service any steering box, it's a good idea to point the steering away from center (parked.)
Leaking seals are the main issue after being parked for extended periods. pc
Proprietary info. Income producing info.....
All of our coaches have the parts breakdown I assume. Seen the early 90's in a thick printed out book.
Too easy for you to fix it with the book or PDF file. Foretravel wanted/needed control over the parts and labor on used products....
Do any here have a paper parts breakdown of their coach like Irwin's PDF copy?
I would crawl under, get name, model & contact them, ask for he parts list for the axle your wanting for, different models can be interchanged but take different parts.
Nothing like getting all the wrong parts, then trying to return as needed after you have disassembled, oops, wrong parts.
Well, a parts list would be magical! However, most heavy equipment manufacturers would SELL a parts book for their equipment. I have an old allis chalmers grader and downloaded a PDF of the parts list off the internet for my year 196x and the numbers are all valid!
Cummins gives a parts list of their engine.
The truth is, few people are actually going to work on their own coach anyway. A professional shop will buy the part through FT if that's the faster way to get the customer back on the road.