# van wanders



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

could a worn cv joint on the drive shaft of my fiat based hymer cause it to wander when driving on straight road.
i have replaced the track rod ends and bottom ball joints and on the recent MOT they failed the front near side bearing which they replaced but still no different.


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

No, not a CV. As you have done the other obvious things maybe it's wear in the rack or the bushes it's mounted on. Bushes are easily changed. A mechanic should be able to find the problem quite easily, Alan.


----------



## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

At the risk of stating the obvious; have you had the tracking and balancing checked?


----------



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

when you say wander, do you mean it goes from side to side or just pulls to one side.

cabby


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

*http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113152.html*

surely if it was wear on the rack it would have failed the mot or at least an advisory


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

*http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113146.html*

hi cabby, 
its like as though the wheel was loose,but its not and the steering has no play in it quite positive as soon as you move the s/wheel it responds and all the steering components are solid no movement under load.


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Is there obvious play in the steering?

If not, have you checked tyre inflations? and weight distribution between front and rear axles? For the latter to be a problem it would probably be noticeable from the differential in distances between wheel and arch, front and rear.

Just a penny-worth.

Geoff

P.S. (tongue-in cheek) does it only happen with 4 crates of beer at the rear?


----------



## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Hi,

Could be one or more worn shock absorbers or one or more tyres at the wrong pressure.


----------



## waggy3 (Jun 24, 2008)

are they leaf springsanywhere on the vehicle.
if so a broken centre bolt which holds the spring together.
roy


----------



## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

Had this on a Jag once and it turned out to be the tyres for some strange reason, wrong type and they tended to follow any slight deviations on the road surface.

Peter


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

*http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113146.html*

thought of that, had new tyres fitted.


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

It might not be at the front at all. It could be a rear wheel or even the rear axle moving about and steering the van, Alan.


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

*http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113146.html*

i origonally thought it was the back but couldn't find anything wrong


----------



## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Hi,

Where do you notice it? Motorways or all roads.

What pressure are you running your tyres at?


----------



## gramor (Oct 24, 2010)

Has this developed suddenly or just progressively become more noticeable?
Did it get any worse since changing only one wheel bearing?(not something I would recommend as the opposite bearing will have been part worn anyway)
Troubleshooting directional control problems has to be one of the most frustrating tasks as the fault producing the symptoms are hard to detect when the vehicle is not actually moving. Assuming you have not recently changed any suspension parts I would be looking closely at the steering idler arm, then the power steering control block for leaks and then have the castor angle checked.


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

*http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113146.html*

i run my tyres at 65 psi.i first noticed it a few months ago and called into a quick fit for a diagnosis. 
there tech guy used a pry bar and said it was the bottom ball joint but they couldn't' do it as the ramp was too small so took it to warrington fiat who said health and safety wouldn't allow them to do it but he could get the pat and a garage up the road could fit it.that was on wednesday come back friday for the part.took it to the garage as arranged with them but were too busy could i come back tuesday.had it done somewhere else,drove it to france and back still noticing the wander and also irregular tyre ware so had the track rod ends replaced and then the tyres had it Mot'd and failed on the wleel bearing so had that done and on the way home it still wandered have again been to france with the problem no visual tyre ware but a slight clunk when going into first and second gear hence my original question about the drive shaft cv joint but no further on and would like it fixed before i go off to portugal november and thanks for the replies so far.


----------



## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

*Re: http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113146.html*



dragabed said:


> i run my tyres at 65 psi.i first noticed it a few months ago and called into a quick fit for a diagnosis.
> there tech guy used a pry bar and said it was the bottom ball joint but they couldn't' do it as the ramp was too small so took it to warrington fiat who said health and safety wouldn't allow them to do it but he could get the pat and a garage up the road could fit it.that was on wednesday come back friday for the part.took it to the garage as arranged with them but were too busy could i come back tuesday.had it done somewhere else,drove it to france and back still noticing the wander and also irregular tyre ware so had the track rod ends replaced and then the tyres had it Mot'd and failed on the wleel bearing so had that done and on the way home it still wandered have again been to france with the problem no visual tyre ware but a slight clunk when going into first and second gear hence my original question about the drive shaft cv joint but no further on and would like it fixed before i go off to portugal november and thanks for the replies so far.


Hi,
I run my tyres at 65 psi with no problems and have tried 10 psi either side with the same results. Although it does wallow a bit at the softer end as you'd expect.

What make of tyre are they?

No sign of oil leaking from the dampers I suppose?


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

*http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-reply-113146.html*

i dont think its a tyre issue as the problem was there before the new tyres and have no leaks from the dampers


----------



## dragabed (May 24, 2008)

thanks everyone for the good replies and the information and checks. i think the problem is now solved,after new track rod ends,new tyres,new bottom balljoint,and new driveshaft,well although they may have been worn the problem was the bush on the end of the reaction strut which altered the caster angle and changed the geometry of the stearing which in turn altered the tracking.
it now drives like new.


----------

