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Old 05-29-2015, 06:16 PM   #21
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I'd be looking at the vent before anything else. Tank should have no vacuum in it.

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Old 05-29-2015, 07:29 PM   #22
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Fishtail: Tire pressures? Radial tires mixed with bias?
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:16 PM   #23
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Its the small piece the arrow is pointing at.
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:21 PM   #24
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Old 05-29-2015, 11:42 PM   #25
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CHeck the tires- Sometimes tires get swapped, either miss matched or worn tires will cause terrible steering issues. With the International engines there is something called a ROCK CATCHER- its really a small filter that for years I had the Dealer maintain the truck and they NEVER cleaned the Rock filter- It was full of gunk. Simple clean with a pair of waterpump pliers to unscrew and remove the filter- BE attentive to how it comes out- The filter housing is plastic so be gentle.

Once you find the problem you will enjoy driving it again.
Jack

OH and if you put high traction tires- Heavy LUGs like snow tires or mud tires- the lugs will minimize the amount of actual tire comes in contact with the road- leaving it feel squirrly. Good Tires make all the difference in the world.
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Old 05-29-2015, 11:45 PM   #26
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Leave the fuel cap off when driving- Low fuel level only. If there is no venting then the cap off will be the vent. Filters are a wonderful thing when clean.
Jack
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Old 05-30-2015, 12:39 AM   #27
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I am really stumped as to what may be causing your squirrely feeling while you are going down the road.

The only thing I can think it might be is the panhard bars that keep the rear end tracking straight might have worn bushings. If the panhard bars don't keep the rear end tracking straight it would show up as a squirrely feeling in the rear end.

I have driven very few IHC or IC buses with rear suspension. All of them that I have driven always drove straight and true.

Our church has a shorter wheelbase Thomas Saf-T-Liner FE that has rear air suspension. It does tend to feel a little squirrely compared to our other buses.
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Old 05-30-2015, 09:09 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdwarf36 View Post

Its the small piece the arrow is pointing at.
yup thats the filter.
as for fish tailing , that one has me baffled. maybe have some one follow you as see if they can spot something loose, or moving around when your driving, maybe its the air bags causing the to much weight to be lifted off the suspension, making the body float.
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Old 05-30-2015, 09:07 PM   #29
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Sdwarf36, I gotta say, that is a thorough response! Included image with arrows and detailed description. Dang, this is a great group!
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Old 05-30-2015, 10:12 PM   #30
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Sdwarf36, I gotta say, that is a thorough response! Included image with arrows and detailed description. Dang, this is a great group!
Aww shucks. Actually just good 'google images' finds.
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Old 05-31-2015, 12:02 AM   #31
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When you say fishtailing, does it feel like the back or front is shifting back and forth. If the back, check track bars, axle shifting on springs, worn bushings. If the front, check for the normal loose stuff and also check to see if caster shims are missing. if the caster is not positive enough or too much, it will be squirrely
As for the losing power, the cam sensors are notoriously causing trouble.
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Old 05-31-2015, 01:22 PM   #32
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Wow! Thanks for the drawings. I am a picture kind of person. All things things don't seem that "bad" of an issue to fix. I can't tell if I have it fixed until I drive it a couple of hundred miles. So I am going to clean everything and make sure the gas cap vent is working.

The fishtailing- I have had someone drive behind and they say they see the whole bus move. The Tires are new Goodyear G661. The psi was 115 and I lowered it to 105 and that did not seem to do anything. Maybe down to 95? I have a feeling the fishtailing is connected to the air ride. The air ride was not original equipment on this bus I have been told it was added later. And I will have the caster checked as a mechanic told me if the caster is off that will make it not steer correctly. Even though I had it aligned when the new tires were put on.

Again thank you so much!
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Old 06-01-2015, 07:13 AM   #33
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I have made notes. Printed out the picture and photo. And I am off the visit with a recommended mechanic. They fix semi's, RV's and are a Ford powerstroke expert. They should be able to do everything except check the caster on the alignment. And that shop is a few blocks away from them.

Thanks!
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Old 06-01-2015, 07:44 AM   #34
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Where are you in FL? I know of one shop around Davenport but I haven't checked them out.
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Old 06-01-2015, 07:53 AM   #35
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I am in Pinellas Park. Near St. Pete-Clearwater area. Davenport is a couple of hours drive from me.
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Old 06-01-2015, 10:47 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lbranin View Post
The air ride was not original equipment on this bus I have been told it was added later. And I will have the caster checked as a mechanic told me if the caster is off that will make it not steer correctly. Even though I had it aligned when the new tires were put on.
Have someone competent check the rear axle setup. If whoever did your alignment is honest, they would have checked/corrected any caster issue. Caster will cause the front end to be unstable and the steering wheel not to return straight after a turn, but it won't cause the rear end to fishtail. That has to be in the rear suspension.

I'd set the bag heights/pressures back to normal, and then check all of the bushings in the rear suspension for looseness. Something back there is amiss.
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Old 06-01-2015, 06:14 PM   #37
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Try a simple free check. Measure your wheelbase side to side.
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Old 06-02-2015, 12:29 AM   #38
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I just swapped the fuel tank on my Excursion today. Here are some pics of what I found inside. Definitely check your filters and screens.
Attached Thumbnails
DSCN1052.JPG   DSCN1053.JPG   DSCN1056.JPG   DSCN1058.JPG  
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Old 06-02-2015, 05:34 AM   #39
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Yuck! How much does a new fuel tank cost?
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Old 06-02-2015, 08:57 AM   #40
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You don't need a new tank. I just go one to speed up the swap and mods I made to the tank. I wanted you see what was in the screens. I got mine from craigslist for $100. New about $2500.
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