Harvey the RV Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 1990 Dolphin has a front end shimmy that has grown over the years. Not violent yet and I have tried many fixes. New shocks and alignment New stabilizer shock New tires but that was 8 yrs ago Moved tires, one set of rears put on the front and moved fronts back, this helped a little Found 2 out of three ujoints bad, replaced, this also helped a little. I had the same shop who did the ujoints inspect the tie rod ends and ball joints, they thought they were fine, that's why they did the ujoints I'm going to replace tires again, mostly due to age, so I might have them look at the front end stuff again. Any other thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Rotors - I don't remember if the rotors on my Toyhouse can be removed without removing the axle (like a car. One common problem (with older cars); when a tire (wheel) is removed, the rotor can flop around and knock rust and debris loose. This stuff can get caught between the rotor and the axle, when the tire is mounted back on the rotor (and wheel) are now slightly out of alignment (wobble) because a piece of crap is stuck between the axle and the rotor. Remove the rotors and use a wire brush to clean any loose stuff off both the axle and the rotor where they mate. Also look at the wheel to make sure there is no little chunks of rust or debris stuck on it where it touches the axle/rotor. JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acudoc Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 When I purchased my latest it had a very bad shimmey . Thought it had only 41k on it it had been aligned 5 times. I took it to the shop and he said first have the wheels balanced. ie two new front tires. Still shaking. When the mechanic aligned the wheels it took him a full hour. Said that he had to adjust it from the top and the bottom and that most mechanics only do the bottom. This was an alignment shop. Rides perfect now. 4,000 miles more and going smooth. Henry Rotors - I don't remember if the rotors on my Toyhouse can be removed without removing the axle (like a car. One common problem (with older cars); when a tire (wheel) is removed, the rotor can flop around and knock rust and debris loose. This stuff can get caught between the rotor and the axle, when the tire is mounted back on the rotor (and wheel) are now slightly out of alignment (wobble) because a piece of crap is stuck between the axle and the rotor. Remove the rotors and use a wire brush to clean any loose stuff off both the axle and the rotor where they mate. Also look at the wheel to make sure there is no little chunks of rust or debris stuck on it where it touches the axle/rotor. JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey the RV Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 Hmm these both sound like good ideas. I'm going to replace the front tires any way, so I'll be able to check the rotors. After the new tires I'll try another alignment, seeing about top and bottom alignment. I'm guessing that he meant a camber adjustment? Thanks guys When I purchased my latest it had a very bad shimmey . Thought it had only 41k on it it had been aligned 5 times. I took it to the shop and he said first have the wheels balanced. ie two new front tires. Still shaking. When the mechanic aligned the wheels it took him a full hour. Said that he had to adjust it from the top and the bottom and that most mechanics only do the bottom. This was an alignment shop. Rides perfect now. 4,000 miles more and going smooth. Henry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey the RV Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 So while in the process of cleaning and painting the wheels, I inspected the front rotor mounts. I wire brushed them and then washed with eastwoods metal prep wash which puts a light coat of rust preventive on. It's just a chemical wash not a coat of paint. Still trying to get my local les swab tire guys to come down on the price for a set of tires. i'll talk to them about the front end alignment at the same time. they want to sell me the Thunderer tire for $135 while I would like to get the hankook ra 08 for $87 at the local discount tire shop. I feel some loyalty to Les Shwab because they have done me some favors over the years. I'll try to convince them they should meet discounts price. Hmm these both sound like good ideas. I'm going to replace the front tires any way, so I'll be able to check the rotors. After the new tires I'll try another alignment, seeing about top and bottom alignment. I'm guessing that he meant a camber adjustment? Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey the RV Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 So while in the process of cleaning and painting the wheels, I inspected the front rotor mounts. I wire brushed them and then washed with eastwoods metal prep wash which puts a light coat of rust preventive on. It's just a chemical wash not a coat of paint. Still trying to get my local les swab tire guys to come down on the price for a set of tires. i'll talk to them about the front end alignment at the same time. they want to sell me the Thunderer tire for $135 while I would like to get the hankook ra 08 for $87 at the local discount tire shop. I feel some loyalty to Les Shwab because they have done me some favors over the years. I'll try to convince them they should meet discounts price. Hmm these both sound like good ideas. I'm going to replace the front tires any way, so I'll be able to check the rotors. After the new tires I'll try another alignment, seeing about top and bottom alignment. I'm guessing that he meant a camber adjustment? Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Les Schwab has a low price guarantee - Show them the ads for Bus Depot and On Line Tire. Don't let thenm charge you for shipping, They have them in stock at their warehouse and will need to ship them regardless if you buy them from them or Bus Depot. look at this link. Tire Purchase JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Did you check the steering damper to see if its any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I have over the years lost a tire weight that can make them shime check tie rod and ball joint bad brake disc warped but those usely on shake when you brake uper and lower control arm bushings that stering stabliser makes differance put a new one on my 1988 toyota4wd pickup like i had a new stering box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 The tires are hard to balance the wheel centers are large and require a tapered adapter and it's hard to get them centered I just went through it with a friends Toy home I had to tighten the wheel up on the balancer and give it a good whack on the side and retighten it again. She hadjust had the tires balanced else where and they were shaking pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.