rear suspension

[Ken]

was wondering if anybody had thers rear suspension(bushings, centric cams, airbags, complete brakes, air lines and valves, bags and brakes)replaced , i was just given a estimate of 7000.00 to do the complete rear unit , the reason for the complete is the coach had a major fire in the engine , i dont want to give up on it,it is to nice of a coach to use for parts,its a 1984 40, can anybody give me any advice , to much or ?

[TechTalk]

rear suspention When I hear the term "major fire", I always become concerned. I once owned a salvage auto business and found that high heat can do very interesting things to metal. IMHO you might consider having a structural engineer or really good welder/mechanic inspect it before putting a lot of money into non-structural components. I inspected a rear burned MCI 102 once and refused to appraise it due to numerous hairline cracks in the frame. Newell makes a fantastic coach and their frames are the best in the world, but I would still have the frame and major drive components inspected for structural integrity before investing big bucks in an older coach.

[express1]

Since I've had tires replaced (don't know if this is a connection) My coach seams to bounce severely with the contour of the road. WHATS UP? I55 in louisiana is bad but I was almost thrown from my seat! Air ride? shocks are new. My coach 437 does appear to travel high in the front. Help? New fix before Creede trip.

[encantotom]

from what i understand, when in travel mode (engine running) your should be 12" from the ground to the bottom of the coach when measured directly in back of the front wheels and directly in front of the rear.

that will tell you to start if you are too high or low anywhere. i dont know the tolerances for sure but i would say plus or minus 1/2" or so.

that is what i used on mine to adjust the travel height valves. mine is older, but i believe it is the same for all coaches of our vintage.

maybe richard can confirm.

mine has never done what you are saying.

did you put new koni shocks in? they are adjustable and i would probably start there(read michaels post below, i agree with him, the balance of the tires could be suspect). also, a statement of the obvious, but make sure you have the right air pressure in each tire. each tire does have a different stiffness or ride but i wouldnt think it would be enough to do what you are describing.

i am sure others will pipe in here too.

tom

[prairieschooner]

1st make sure that you BLOCK the Coach prior to getting under it!!!
2nd wait for some other replies to make sure that I haven't missed something I am new to this as well.

On my '82 there is a plate near the entrance door that has the coaches identifications. This plate states a dimension that the front of the coach should be from the ground and a dimension that the rear of the coach should be from the ground.
After reading that your coach had an engine fire, it would make the Air Ride Suspect. When the Ignition Switch is turned on the Air Ride is Actuated. If you were to turn on the Ignition Switch with no Air Pressure the Coach would lower itself. Now when you start the Coach it should go to the Ride Height. The Leveling System bypasses the Ride Height while the Coach is Stationary.
Remember that we have Air Brakes and Air Suspension, this makes me want to be extremely cautious that all is in working order before I head on down the road.

[encantotom]

steve, i believe the engine fire was on a different coach and not this one.

tom

[fulltiming]

Matt, sorry to hear that you are having handling issues with your new to you Newell. I doubt that you drove the coach much before you put the new tires on a few weeks ago to be able to confirm that the handling changed after the tire change out. I will tell you that 1) this is NOT a common issue with Newells, 2) tires that are out of round can cause that problem, 3) a broken shock can cause it on rough roads but they would have to be REALLY bad. I would start by looking at the shocks for broken mounts or fluid leaking down the side of them. If the shocks appear OK, I would then focus on the tires. If there is a good truck tire shop near you, let me take a look at the tires and see if they see any tire problems.

[Richard and Rhonda]

12 inches is the right number. Just inside the fender wells you will find square tubing at the bottom of the fender well. Use that as your reference point.

If the shocks are shot, that will cause you to porpoise. Or if the shocks are too hard in the front you porpoise. More on that in a minute.

You can remove the bottom nut on the shock mount pretty easy. If you can move the shock easily up and down by hand then you have a shock problem.

I have Koni adjustables on mine. When I first put them on I had them set too firm. The most noticeable symptom was popoising when I hit a dip. If your front height is too high, the air bags are pumped up too hard, and it could be causing the same thing. The height control valve is in the very center of the axle if you have a beam axle. I don't know it works if you have IFS. Get your ride height ride before you do anything else.

It is possible that the adjustment slipped when they jacked the coach up for the new tires.

[express1]

I did measure ride height and it is 12 1/4" from rear of front wheel well, and same in rear. After speaking to several people about I55 between New Orleans and Hammond, La. Everyone has the same issues. We returned a different route and all is well. I must remember my wife has now loaded our coach with everything including another kitchen sink. So maybe this add to the different ride. It is a pleasure to drive on smooth roads, but we will avoid any future use of I55 in Louisiana.

[encantotom]

glad it turned out well.

thanks for the report. gee we were going to have you doing all kinds of stuff.

tom

[express1]

Stuff is what I now do!

[folivier]

I think I-55 had some sections closed earlier this summer due to buckling from the heat. I do know the section around Kentwood is very bad. Used to travel up there to some property we had and always exited at Arcola to avoid that section. Glad to hear all is well!

[Richard and Rhonda]

Matt,

Glad to hear all is well.

When you get a chance, you might want to fill the fuel and water tanks, and take the coach to a truck stop and weigh each axle. Just to make sure you have the proper inflation for the tires.

[express1]

we did that. front 14600
rear 29500
full water and fuel...HOWEVER NOT FILLED WITH
CONNIES -GOT-TO-HAVE-STUFF.
that would be about 700lbs of art (paints and canvases)

[fulltiming]

Matt, check your GAWR on your front axle on the VIN plate next to the drivers left foot. If you have the 11R24.5 tires the coach is probably rated at 14,000 on the front. I am running 305/75R24.5 on the front which have a higher weight rating. The tires were the limiting factor on the front axle weight ratings for the 1990-1996 Newells. Some of the late 1996 coaches had the 315/80R22.5 Load Range J tires. Those were later replaced with 315.80R22.5 Load Range L Michelins. If you have those, your front axle weight ratings should be higher.