Alignment

[HarborBus]

My coach was last aligned in Oct 2005. The steering wheel sits at 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Tires are fine and wear evenly. Does anyone know how often alignment should be preformed? Or what other reason the steering wheel would not be straight.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If you had an alignment problem running your hands across and around the tires would allow you to feel evidence of mis-alignment assuming you do not feel it already in the steering wheel.

If all is OK with the tires and how it feels the steering wheel can be brought straight by an alignment shop or you can remove it (not how they would do it) center it and re-secure it in place.

[HarborBus]

If you had an alignment problem running your hands across and around the tires would allow you to feel evidence of mis-alignment assuming you do not feel it already in the steering wheel.

If all is OK with the tires and how it feels the steering wheel can be brought straight by an alignment shop or you can remove it (not how they would do it) center it and re-secure it in place.

Jon, the tires feel fine and there is no vibration at all in the steering wheel. What do you mean "not how they would do it"?

So from the info I have given would you have the bus realigned?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The normal way is to thread the tie rod end adjustments in and out to center the wheel while retaining the proper toe in on the coach. That involves getting the coach up on the alignment machine.

[tdelorme]

Elliott, my guess is that when someone installed a new steering wheel the tires were off center. If the coach is steering properly and the tires wearing evenly I wouldn't worry about it. If it bothers you enough, you can remove the steering wheel and replace it in the position you prefer with the tires straight. I installed a new fancy steering wheel on our old coach a couple of years ago. When I drove the bus the first time I found that I had missed getting the wheel in the perfect position. After a couple of trips with it off center, I pulled the wheel and got it where it should have been in the first place.

[BrianE]

An easier and much more accurate way to align the steering wheel is to lengthen or shorten the drag link which is the rod that connects the pitman arm to the steering linkage. This is an approved procedure and will not change the alignment on an IFS bus. Need input from a solid axle guy as to whether this is an okay procedure for straight axle steering.

[HarborBus]

Jon, thanks for the clarification, Ted I don't think a new steering wheel has been installed but it's good to know that it isn't a huge job to replace the steering wheel, what wheel did you install? Brian great information and I would like it done correctly, thanks. Thanks to you all for responding.

I double checked the tires and after closer inspection I can feel a little cupping on the second tread in on the right front. So I think I'll have them align it. I have no idea what is reasonable, Prevost has quoted $650.00, do you think that is in line????

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Elliot, that is probably about right for alighment price.

Loc and I had our bus's aligned here in Houston and that was what the dealer charged me. I only needed a normal alignment.

Loc I believe paid way much more than this, but we all know they saw Loc coming .

Gary S.

[BrianE]

Elliot, We had our bus aligned at Western Bus Sales in Portland, OR last month. They did a good job and it took less than 2 hours. $350.00. Another good resource is Kaiser Brake and Alignment in Eugene, OR. Any reputable alignment company that does trucks and buses should be able to do the job for a lot less than your Prevost quote.

[HarborBus]

Brian, I totally forgot about Kaiser, a friend has used them for years and I know several other people that swear by them, thanks for the reminder it's on my way home so we'll do that. Again thanks to all that took to time to post. It this a great forum or what.