1973 Blue Bird

[Rudy]

Pittman arms(usually the first thing I look at)
Tie rod ends
Drag link
Ball joints
Control arms
Any steering U-joints
Splines in the steering shaft


Alex, I will go under the bus and take lots of photos of the front end.

I still don't know which piece is the drag link. Furthermore, I am not sure how to test these components.

The outside diameter of the steering wheel is 21 inches. There sure seems to be more than 2 inches of play.

I did drive the bus the other day and even though there was play in the steering wheel, I feel I can control the bus.

I figure I will only go 60 to 65 mph on my trip.

Thanks for the info. Pics will be posted soon. It is wet outside. I will get a tarp and go check out under the bus. Dive, Dive, Dive.

[Mark R. Obtinario]

The pitman arm is the piece of the steering geometry that is connected to the steering box.

The next piece down the line is the drag link. It connects the pitman arm to the tie rod. On buses and trucks with left hand drive it usually also means it is directly connected to the left front wheel with the tie rod connectind the left front wheel to the right front wheel. Which means the left wheel is turned by the steering wheel and the right wheel is turned by the left wheel.

On most trucks and buses, the wheels pivot on a king pin. The king pin is located in the eye of the front axle with the steering knuckle of the wheel riding on the king pin.

The areas you need to check for wear are any of the areas that move. Most of those areas have grease zerks so you can lubricate the wear areas.

Before you get all excited and worry about worn steering boxes go out and give your tie rod ends and king pins a tube of grease. That should tighten things up nicely. Since you haven't been driving your bus much recently it is most likely that the grease has dried up allowing for excess movement.

While the tire guy had the front end off of the ground it would have been a good time to check the king pins for excess movement. There should be virtually no up and down movement and very little in and out movement at the top or bottom of the tire when the tire is shaken back and forth.

When checking the steering for looseness it is best if you have someone else to help you eyeball things. It is hard to judge how much movement of the steering wheel results in tire movement from the driver's seat.

With the engine running, movement of 2" of the wheel in either direction should cause the tires to move. Anything more than 2" is excessive slop. I think you will find that you won't have that much slop. Your bus has relatively low mileage and was maintained in a city shop. They are usually pretty good about maintenance.

If you have any questios feel free to contact me directly.

[Rudy]

Mark, I took a few pics under there. I did notice some grease fittings.

I'll go get a grease gun and some grease and will look for all the grease fittings that are under the bus.

Being that this bus was an emergency management vehicle, I presume that it was maintained with regularly scheduled inspections.

Thanks for your input.

[Mark R. Obtinario]

You should find a grease zerk above and below the axle eye to grease the king pins. It may be in the side of the steering knuckle or at the top and bottom of the king pin.

Each tie rod end and drag link end should have a grease zerk.

And while you are down there with the grease gun, the slack adjuster and 'S'-cam shaft have grease zerks as well. Just don't put too much grease into the 'S'-cam shaft--you don't want grease coming out of the shaft out onto your brake linings.

[Rudy]

Grease, Grease!!! Maybe I could get John Travolta to help me. Better yet, Olivia Newton John!!

[Rudy]

Perhaps I am just a little paranoid.

I just now drove the bus on to a ramp to level it out.

I noticed, while looking out of the driver's window, that it really did not take too much turning of the steering wheel before the tires steered.

Now I am going to go play grease man.

Olivia, where are you?

[Headache]

King pins!

Thank you Mark, I thought I was forgetting something.

Rudy fear is a healthy thing, it keeps you alert and attentive. Hopefully you won't get the deep anxiety I've been having lately. Being jumpy is not a good thing.

[Stealth Camper]

From old memory, I think I had about 50 grease fittings to do when I got all through. Took 3 turns at it, and each time I found more!


Mark,
Quick question off-topic, if you don't mind. I have a steer axle lug bolt that is broken off (1976 Intl). This is the 5 spoke Dayton wheel hub. Would you happen to know if that is press-in bolt like on a car?? Or would they thread those in?

[Rudy]

King pins!

Thank you Mark, I thought I was forgetting something.

Rudy fear is a healthy thing, it keeps you alert and attentive. Hopefully you won't get the deep anxiety I've been having lately. Being jumpy is not a good thing.

Alex, anxiety is something I have become accustomed to in my older years.

I battle it with trust in the confidence I possessed in my youth.

[Mark R. Obtinario]

Lug bolts on Dayton wheels are threaded on both ends. Fine threads on the outside and coarse thread going into the spoke.

One has to wonder how a lug bolt got broken off of a Dayton wheel.

[KB2IAW]

Just A Sugestion ...im no mechanic ...But If You Want To See How Much Movement ..or lack of it you can place a large mirror ,dressing room type ,or behind the door type anout 5 or ^ feet in front of the drivers seat ..you may have to support and tilt to accomidate ...Then while in the drivers seat turn wheel and see movement ??? I discoverd thid by accident with an old wall mirror stored in the garage ...

[Rudy]

Just A Sugestion ...im no mechanic ...But If You Want To See How Much Movement ..or lack of it you can place a large mirror ,dressing room type ,or behind the door type anout 5 or ^ feet in front of the drivers seat ..you may have to support and tilt to accomidate ...Then while in the drivers seat turn wheel and see movement ??? I discoverd thid by accident with an old wall mirror stored in the garage ...

My front wheels are behind me. This is a snub nose bus. I can see the driver's side wheel as I look out my window.

That is a cool suggestion about using a mirror.

[Rudy]

And now, back to Rudy's garage.

Here are some pics of the steering system on my bus. The first one is of the steering box. It is large.

That must be the Pittman arm connected to the steering box. And connected to that must be the drag link. It has grease fittings on each end of it.





The drag link goes from the Pittman arm and goes to the where it connects to the driver's side front wheel. At that point, the steering action is transfered to the passenger side wheel via the tie rod and it's tie rod ends.

I did some greasing under the bus. I am happy to report that this bus was well maintained. Therefore, all the grease fittings were attended to.

[Stealth Camper]

Mark,
Thanks! Gives me a clue on where to start.

As far as breaking, well that is one of those dilemmas that just gets more intriguing and puzzling the longer you think about it. I noticed it about 5 years ago after I had to shut it down for the duration. Even then it looked like it had been gone for a while. Jagged edge on end of bolt left in the hole.

This has to mean some serious abuse, I think. But the rim that is on the thing is not bent, so my guess is the previous owner (electric company here in town) used it for carrying workers from shop to some large jobs they had going back in early nineties. Somewhere along that line, they hit something very hard. Broke the bolt, bent the heck out of the wheel. Replaced the wheel, but just 'blew-off' the bolt and sold it to me (about 2000). Just a guess. Steer tires are same size, but different brands - that doesn't have to mean anything, but could support the tire change idea. Sort of...

I never noticed it during walk arounds while I was still driving it occasionally. It has been mostly setting for about 6 years. Don't know how it could have happened sitting, but ???? Guess I better do inspections better....

I have never loaded it very heavy, so I guess the remaining bolts were ok for the light loads. But with one broken, the rest are suspect to me, so am planning to change them all. May go ahead and do right side, too. And check brakes, springs, king pins (Intl ??) and everything else.

[Rudy]

Getting away from the garage side, I'll post some pics of my pet tree.

Recently, I trimmed it back. It was getting too tall. I also put it in a larger pot.
After the trimming, it looked like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.

I knew that it would grow many more leaves. It did.

I had wondered how I would get the tree in "drive mode".

I solved the problem most eloquently. As you can see in these pics, I have it secured on the engine cover where I can view it while I am driving.

It will give me love and joy during my travels.