1977 Winnebago Elandan 29' Sway Bar/Shocks/Air bags

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
B

bainer1290

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Posts
61
Just upgraded our Class C to a Class A, had a full inspection done on the unit, did a few things to bring it up to par, valve cover gaskets, plugs, filters, replaced the steering coupler and did an alignment. During the alignment they had to add some shims to the front axle as there was excessive caster. The alignment did make it handle better but I still think I can do more.

The coach is well maintained, the previous owner put new tires on it about 5 years ago so they are still very new 90% tread. I had the shop check the front end out and the steering box and everything is tight.

I find that in windy conditions the coach tends to have lots of body roll and wanders on the road. Now I know its a 29' vehicle and its not going to handle like my truck. I was looking at the front & rear sway bars and some of the bushings look worn, take a look at the pics and let me know what you think. Both sway bars appear to be about 1-1/4, didn't measure them yet. The shocks look old, one had a partial sticker on it and I think it says Monroe. Also the bushings where the leaf springs attach to the frame look cracked but would they make a difference? I am wondering if my money would be better spent on new sway bar bushings, Bilstein's, air bags or ???

The chassis is a Dodge M500 if that helps.

Thank you,
Rob
 

Attachments

  • rear.jpg
    rear.jpg
    146.2 KB · Views: 37
  • rear1.jpg
    rear1.jpg
    115.7 KB · Views: 35
  • rear2.jpg
    rear2.jpg
    240.2 KB · Views: 26
  • rear3.jpg
    rear3.jpg
    244.7 KB · Views: 25
  • rear4.jpg
    rear4.jpg
    241.5 KB · Views: 25
  • front.jpg
    front.jpg
    218.4 KB · Views: 38
  • front1.jpg
    front1.jpg
    171.7 KB · Views: 25
  • front2.jpg
    front2.jpg
    224.8 KB · Views: 29
Just got under the rv and measured both the front and rear sway bars with my caliper they are both 1-3/16. Also took measurements of the bushings to try to match them up, came across a website Energy Suspension, lots of different sizes but nothing that would work as a direct replacement.

Any other places to look for replacement bushings?
 
Automotive spring shops are located in most places. Look to see if you can find one in the phone book and have them take a look at the spring bushings and let you know if they should be replaced or not. If so, they can do it rather cheaply. They can also check the sway bar bushings. If your shocks are old I'd say that's where 90% of your body roll problem is at. Invest in a good set of Bilstein gas shocks and you'll notice a world of improvement. Stay away from the cheaper brands and oil filled shocks.

P.S.: it's common for the rubber to crack around the bushings where the leaf springs attach. It takes moving a crow bar up and down between the frame and the spring attachment to see if there's slop in the bushings. It's best to do this with weight off the wheels. Also, in the one pictures showing the leaf springs...is the top one cracked? Or is there just something on the spring making it look that way.
 
I looked over all the leafs closely and none appear to be cracked, but just to see what you mean which picture are you referring to?

 
bainer1290 said:
I looked over all the leafs closely and none appear to be cracked, but just to see what you mean which picture are you referring to?
Click to expand...
Third one up from the bottom...the second spring down just below the bottom of the shock.
 
30yrnavy said:
Third one up from the bottom...the second spring down just below the bottom of the shock.
Click to expand...

Just went outside and took a look, was just some mud... Good eye though it does look like a crack in that picture.
 
If I were you I wouldn't be concerned about the bushings causing the rolling problem. I'd just put on a new set of Bilsteins and let it go at that, especially after having an alignment and the rest of the steering checked out. Keep it simple. BTW, even though there's lots of tread left on the tires they should be changed every seven years due to age. Most motorhome tires will age out before they wear out. You can get more info on the subject of tires by using the 'search.'
 
Good that's similar to what I was thinking as the bushings still look good, none are cracked or missing pieces. The shocks do looks old and well if they are Monroe's then they are definitely not a good HD shock like a Bilstein.

Thanks for the feedback.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 642 (members: 15, guests: 627)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,954
Posts
1,388,153
Members
137,708
Latest member
7mark7
Back
Top Bottom