Isata 5 30FW leaning to the drivers side

[Bohi546]

We just picked up our new Isata 30 FW yesterday, it had a couple of issues that the dealer was able to fix, and one issue the with check engine light on that is turning into a mess. But this question is about the left lean of the coach. When we got home yesterday we parked the coach in our storage shed and I noticed it leans to the left quite a bit. I understand that the slide, the generator and the fresh water tank are on that side of the coach, but surprised it leaned that much. So the question is "Is this normal" or it something that needs to be looked into. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

[van_fl]

My new I5 30fw pulled to the right, so the dealer is having a shim installed. I did not note any leaning. We are picking it up sat so will look if is level .

The check engine is a ram item you will have to go to a ram dealer to get it fixed.

[bclemens]

When we first built the 36DS, there was a slight lean to the DS, so we added a 1" shim to the driver side. Through the normal process of loading, weight balance and suspension settling...it started leaning to the PS. So we realized it did not need the shim so we removed it.

The 30FW, we wanted to see where it would end up once loaded, as most of the storage is on the Driver side. So if you are fully loaded and ready for the road and it is still leaning...I'd look at a 1" shim pack for the driver side. If not, I'd wait and check the same thing once loaded up.

Unlike a car that car count for pretty much everything in regards to loading. We have to sort of "estimate". While we try to place tanks, etc in the middle...when you have storage on the outside edges...it complicates things.

[Bohi546]

Thanks Brian, we are loading it shortly, will take before and after pix for reference. If needed could you direct me on where to get this 1 inch shim pack.

[bclemens]

I would contact your dealer, or local truck repair place, or the Dynamax service contact for your area.

[Bohi546]

Hi Brian, as you requested we loaded the coach, have the fresh water tank about half full, the coach is full of fuel and it still leaned about 1 1/2 inch to the left. Took it to a Ram dealer, the tech stated he could "shim or lift" the left side of the coach but that would only be an aesthetic fix and the issue was that the coach was to heavy on the left side and needed a helper or heavier spring and the service manager stated if they shimmed or lifted the coach is could possibly void the waranty. I thanked him and took it to a suspension specialist and he said almost the same thing, lifting the left side does not help with the spring being "in his words" overloaded on the left side. I find it hard to believe that our coach is the only one leaning to the left out of the many that have been built. One other issue, when I have lowered the leveling jacks the coach will not level, the left side stays lower unless I manually raise the left side and check the level with a manual level.

I haven't weighed the coach but am looking for a flat scale to do this.

Any and all suggestions or help would be appreciated

[bclemens]

Actually if you lift the left side you are transferring weight to the right side...pretty common in RV's. We have done it both ways in the past, shim or spring. It would not void the warranty as long as it is within the uifitter specs from Ram which it is. there is a 1" shim pack that is available...I would reach out to the service contact.

As for leveling, in the manual it tells you how to reset the "null point". The coach does not level off of a bubble, it levels using "auto level" for what is set for level. As in the positions of the jacks. So when you get it to where you want, then reset the null point as listed in the manual. Everyone is a little different on where they want it set. Even then there is an acceptable error %. So auto level will get you close and you may need to adjust with manual settings to dial it in.

[phillyg]

Being unlevel while driving would drive me crazy, and I'd notice it every time I looked at the RV. If it's true that Isata engineered the unit so one side is significantly overloaded I would view that as a major flaw. Perhaps you can get a look at a similar units to see if the same problem exists. At least get all four wheel positions weighed independently. If one or two tires on one side is/are already overloaded or close thereto, I think you need to pursue the problem further with Isata to get a safe solution.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by phillyg

Being unlevel while driving would drive me crazy, and I'd notice it every time I looked at the RV. If it's true that Isata engineered the unit so one side is significantly overloaded I would view that as a major flaw. Perhaps you can get a look at a similar units to see if the same problem exists. At least get all four wheel positions weighed independently. If one or two tires on one side is/are already overloaded or close thereto, I think you need to pursue the problem further with Isata to get a safe solution.

Please see post #3.
-"Isata" is already involved
-we've already acknowledged how it could happen, why it can happen and a solution to correct it.

But as I mentioned in post #3. If we plan for it in advance and then you load the vehicle differently than we expect, it can cause more harm than good.

[Cookie86]

Actually my Isata 5 30 FW was leaning to the drivers side as well as pulling to the right, I asked my dealer about it and they more less did not provide any help with the issue, so I asked them if they could at the very least do a alignment check on it and was told they do not do alignments on site, they take all of their rigs to other truck service centers. This did not surprise me too much, as I had similar issues with getting a 3500 dually truck serviced at some Dodge dealers, so I decided to take my Isata 5 to my local Truck Service Center, Horton Truck Service (Truck Service Inc.) so they measured the Isata 5 and found it to be 2.5" low on the drivers side, we discussed it and they recommended installing two additional leafs as this would help distribute the weight better than just a shim. So they did this and then completed the alignment and made a couple of adjustments. Now the unit sits level and rides much better and there is no pull to the right so I am happy with it. As far as the auto-level not leveling correctly, I did not really notice that before getting the spring work done, but it seems to level correctly now. I am thinking that maybe those of us that have the 4X2 Isata 5 30 fw units notice the "leaning" to the left more because the suspension on the 4X2 and 4X4 units could be different??

[bclemens]

Could be...and the leaf spring add is also a viable option as well.

[vrunner]

Checked mine and it leans about 1" to the left, 35DB.

[LandKKnight]

We never noticed a lean to the drivers side until I was putting our new tire covers on. I could barely get my (quite small) hands to fit between the tire and the coach body on the left rear tires whereas I had no problem on the passenger side. I wonder if this is enough lean to warrant a shim or some other fix as DH does not notice any pulling when he drives and we never noticed any lean before now (of course now that we know we can tell )

BTW its the 4x4 30 FW