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wb13798 · 05-21-2004, 08:26 AM

had alignment checked last week. i have centromatic balancers on the tires which should take care of the balance problem. the u joints are only $11 ea the carriers are tight so dont think they need replaced.
if i understand steves problem he has a bolt working lose causing his vibrations. i wanted to make sure i didnt have the same problem before i drop the drive line and replace the three u joints.

wb13798 · 05-24-2004, 08:50 PM

thnx Steve
i crawled under the silver weenie and dropped the drive line and inspected the u joints and they were as i thought ok.
my next effort was to check the bolt holding the brake drum to the transmission. i had my air ratchet under the coach and i was really surprised when it removed the bolt.
the bolt wasn't even close to being troked to 150 ft lbs maybe 50 max. i got my impact and reinstalled and checked the tork for 150 ft lbs. sounds easy but that was a job to check the tork. i also used locktite on the bolt.
i test drove the coach and about all of the vibration was gone. i have some vibration that i think is a tire balance problem. nothing to get excited about.
glad i saw this post. i would still be shaking and looking at the drive line u joints.
it has been two years and a bunch of miles since i r&r the transmission and tightened that bolt to who knows to what tork spec. it wasnt 150 ft lbs.

swebster · 06-01-2004, 06:02 PM

Al - mine was a vibration at about the same speed range. Lower sound between 35 - 45 and a high pitched whine in between when coasting at 65 - 70. I replaced all four u joints and both carrier bearings but the noise was still there. I found it when changing the rear tranny seal and emergency brake pads. When disassembling the driveshaft mounted parking brake I noticed that the trans yoke bolt was loose - very loose. When I reassembled everything and took it for a test drive the noise was gone. Still comes back every 2000 - 3000 miles or so but I know what it is.

George - thanks for the encouragement. Most of the time I thouroughly enjoy making repairs and improvements to the AS. Therapy for me. And my unit is getting nicer and more reliable by the week. BUT - it certainly does seem that one thing leads to another. I just completed a 2000 mile trip and now I think my front wheel bearings are screaming - replace me! New vibrations, all in the steering wheel and a clicking sound from the left front hub. Also noticed grease streaks on the wheels.

The good news is that most of my issues have been chassis related and parts are pretty darn cheap on the old P30's. I never mind heading to NAPA but I sure hate heading to Cummins/Onan or Camping World for real "RV" parts.

wb13798 · 06-01-2004, 09:03 PM

Steve
I'm told my centrimatics might be the source of the vibrations in getting now. it is so slight, most would not worry about it happens in two spots on the speed range. seems both front tires are saying hello.
got mine back to almost ready 100^%. gotta go say hello and bite the bullet for a roof ac. camping world is $100 with shipping more than campers choice. campers choice is a branch of allegro motor homes Red Bay Alabama. i torqued and lock titted my bolt . keep you posted on my luck with it.

swebster · 06-01-2004, 09:15 PM

Hmmm. I thought those centrimatics were supposed to eliminate vibrations in the wheels. I know Dennis (87MH) just added them to his MH so you might want to ask him about it.

You certainly have been making some big repairs on the Silver Wennie lately. I feel fortunate that most of my [frequent] repairs have been fairly small in time and money. While I have had more than my fair share of breakdowns, nothing major has failed yet. Even so, I've even taken to performing 3000 mile compression checks when I change the oil on the engine and the gennie - mostly just to make myself feel better about the motor.

Good luck with your AC. We had at least one and at many points in the afternoon both roof airs on last week. There's a camping work in Nashville is thats not too far to go for you. Might save you some shipping and make for a fun trip. We stopped there on Monday on our way back. Great city and there is a campground right next to CW.

87MH · 06-02-2004, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swebster@myrvadvanta

Hmmm. I thought those centrimatics were supposed to eliminate vibrations in the wheels. I know Dennis (87MH) just added them to his MH so you might want to ask him about it.

I added Centramatics all of the way around at the Centramatic factory last month on the trip up to St. Louis. There has always been a slight "bouncing" on the rear bed, too much for someone to nap back there while on the interstate. The Centramatics were added in an attempt to fix this "rear bed bounce". The Centramatics did not make any difference at all. I need to point out that the bed movement was a "bounce" (pavement joints magnified by the way long rear overhang?), and not a vibration.

No other comments pro or con about the centramatics at this time.....
see http://www.centramatic.com/

I had planned to do a thread on this installation. I will say that during the installation, the techs pulled out a real live torque wrench and actually looked up and dialed in the proper torque for lugs.

Now, last weekend I actually weighed all six axel contact points - what a shock. I'm only carrying a total of 1500 pounds on the tag.....but my rear airbags are running a bit high.....lots of things to check this summer while I wait for cooler weather.

wb13798 · 06-02-2004, 08:17 AM

i have centrimatics all around also. i installed then three years ago and they did eliminate a lot of vibration. we always had to reposition the pots and pans to stop the rattel. and now not.
if you have extension valve stems , you need to do some modifications to stop the rubbing on the centrimatics or you will eventually have a flat tires. road service is hard to get on sunday . took half a day for them to get there.