LXi Owners, steering, ball joints

[David Brady]

Fellow LXi Owners,

I discovered something on my bus that I'd like you to
be aware of. When I dump the suspension, there's a
portion of the frame that comes into contact with the
steering tie rod, deflecting the tie rod by about a quarter
inch.

The frame component at the front of the bus is the
diagonal bracing that's close to the centerline of the
bus, starts high up at the base of the c-channel frame
rails and diagonally slopes down to a mounting point
at the bottom of the basement. I'm fairly certain that this
diagonal bracing is peculiar only to the LXi. This bracing
attaches to a heavy steel bulkhead at the front end of
the basement ultimately attaching to a framework of
2 x 6 box section frame rails that run under the basement
and the length of the basement.

As I dump the suspension the weight of the front of the
coach just starts to hit the bump stops in the front air bags,
but then the diagonals conflict with the tie rod cross bar
deflecting it about a quarter inch.

The ultimate problem here is that if your driving and you
experience a loss of air pressure in a front air bag, the front
will dump and the frame component conflicting with the steering
tie rod may make steering difficult. Of course, the idea of having
upwards of 14,000lbs bearing down on tie rod end ball joints
doesn't sit very well with me either.

I called Ridewell and Dana Corporation and found a solution for
my front axle. The solution is to use a drop socket tie rod end ball
joint to drop the tie rod cross bar an inch. This provides the room
for the suspension to lower and sit firmly on the air bag bump
stops and it allows the coach to be steered in the event of air loss
at the front air bags.

My front axle is Dana part number: I160WIDE TR and 161BN208-1
My original tie rod ball joints are: 220TR115 (left) and 220TR116 (right)

The new drop socket tie rod ball joints require a new tie rod cross bar.
The new cross bar is part number: 161TR117-1
And the drop socket ball joints are: 161TR115 (left) and 161TR116 (right)

Check your LXi to make sure that your frame is not resting on your
tie rod cross bar.

David Brady
'02 LXi, Smokey
NC