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Topic: Dog tracking (Read 2347 times) previous topic - next topic

Dog tracking

Have any of you ever experienced dog tracking. When Im driving down the road, the rear end of the coach is 10-12 inches closer to the centerline than the front

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #1 –
Assuming your shocks,tires and pressure,alignment,front bearings are in good order,may be your torque rod bushings.Others will soon chime in.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #2 –
For one reason or another your rear axle isn't parallel to your front axle.  You sir, have a problem.  It's repairable but it needs to be addressed.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #3 –
Check bushings, and also bulkhead. Could be serious so don't wait.

Pierce

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #4 –
2-6 in  is pretty common. 6-10 is too much. Should be easy to find . Measure the tire gap to fenders and go from there.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #5 –
You must have some spectacular tire wear issues, no?

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #7 –
Mike,

Can you give us some more details like:
did this happen all at once (like something broke)
has it been getting worse slowly (like something wearing out)
did you just get the coach and that is how it drove on the way home

Can you post some pics of the suspension parts that hold the axles in place (trailing arms/torque tubes and panhard bar) and the bulkhead area.  If you have to get under the coach for even pics. use your safety blocks. If you can post pics. some of us may be able to see something amiss.

Mike

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #8 –
mikeshort09
I can't help but wonder, where did you measure this discrepancy?
Was it in the rear view mirror? If so, its an optical illusion. Perhaps, I am just naive but your distance off just seems to be very unrealistic.
OR, are you all putting me on?

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #9 –
Need more feedback from Mr. Mike.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #10 –
Not to make fun of his problem but has anyone heard that term before?

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #11 –
Just to underscore the seriousness of this problem, here are two quick tests.

1) at about 30 MPH take your feet off the pedals and pull the parking brake.  If the rear axle doesn't come adrift you're good to go.

2) Find a grade crossing on a down hill stretch of road, up hill works as well but see #1 above.  Anyway drive downhill across the grade crossing at 30 MPH.  If the front suspension doesn't come adrift, you're good to go. 

We helped weld the front suspension into a friend's Corvair twice, same grade crossing, before we moved him into a 1953 Cranbrook.  Pretty hard to kill a Chrysler product.

I inadvertently performed the grade crossing trick with the previous RV, I lost 2-glass pie dishes when the tires met the road again.

Taking well lit video or still images and posting it to the forum is good insurance against future problems.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #12 –
Quote from: John44 –
Not to make fun of his problem but has anyone heard that term before?

In the days before 4-wheel alignment machinery, dog tracking was a symptom of a bad collision repair.  Slight dog tracking can be caused by a single failed suspension bushing.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #13 –
Quote from: John44 –
Not to make fun of his problem but has anyone heard that term before?

YES.

Dog-tracking is the correct term and generally caused by one side of an axle (generally rear) being forward/behind the other side.

Checking for wear on bushings locating the axles is where I would start.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #15 –
Will pass on the #12 "trick".

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #16 –
Quote from: John44 –
Will pass on the #2 "trick".

Where's your sense of adventure?

I only wanted to point out that on an 18 year old vehicle with semi-monocoque construction, finding the cause of the dog tracking is not to be taken lightly.  At the same time we should remind mikeshort09 that the truss frame construction makes repair simple if time consuming.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #17 –
Here in So. Cal. the truckers call it crab crawling. On the early rear leaf spring suspensions it was the dowel in one of the leaf springs was sheared and the spring shifted.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #18 –
Quote from: Old Toolmaker –
Where's your sense of adventure?

I only wanted to point out that on an 18 year old vehicle with semi-monocoque construction, finding the cause of the dog tracking is not to be taken lightly.  At the same time we should remind mikeshort09 that the truss frame construction makes repair simple if time consuming.


Agreed-- it may be something complex/difficult.

But, I always start by checking the easy/cheap things first.  Bushings, bushings, bushings.  If play in them the axle is no longer located where it should be.

Re: Dog tracking

Reply #19 –
Quote from: wolfe10 –
Agreed-- it may be something complex/difficult.

But, I always start by checking the easy/cheap things first.  Bushings, bushings, bushings.  If play in them the axle is no longer located where it should be.

RE bushings...  Our previous coach, a 1998 Monaco, had bushing issues.  Most were bad, some were completely gone.  That allowed a slight shift in the steering to adjust suspension components almost 1.5 inches.

If you want to know about replacing bushings, I did all of them.  Not too technical, but brutal, nasty, greasy work.