Bilsteins for a Class A.

[DickWells]

Got a couple from Ontario, here in the park, with a Class A motor home, Ford chassis, (Pursuit by Georgie Boy), with a bad rear shock. A Bilstein with a leak. Looks pretty puny to me, for a rig that big.

The shock is printed with -- 3C34 18080 BA Gas Pressured

I looked up Bilstein shocks on the internet, and for a Class A Ford chassis, they listed BE5 - E632 - HD In that listing, they specified, for a Ford, 98-27F53 Cl "A" MH Chassis (V10), which, as near as I can tell, describes his unit.

So, the question(s):
Are these two numbers compatible?
If not, which number is correct?
Does a Bilstein used on a motor home carry the life-time warranty?
Since he can't get any help from the local auto/truck parts outlets, what are your recommendations for getting the right shocks onto his MH?
Thanks,
Dick

[arveetek]

What is the model year of the motorhome?

Casey

[DickWells]

Hi: It's an 04 ....... F550. I just went over and looked at all his data, for the first time. The GVWR is 22000 lbs. Front is 7500 lbs..GAWR, and the rear is 14500 lbs GAWR. The only way I could give you the wheel base would be to go and put a tape on it, and my 25' tape is over at the neighbor lady's, and she's gone at the moment. The original paper work lists gas shocks and a heavy duty stabilizer bar, but no stabilizer hydraulic shock, and, indeed, it does not have one. I see that Bilstein lists a set of 5 shocks, which includes a hydraulic stabilizer.
Thanks for responding. I hope that my two notes, combined will give you the data you need to put us on the right track.
Dick

[arveetek]

Ford calls their Class A motorhome chassis an F53. The F550 name belongs to the Super Duty truck chassis.

The Bilstein fit list for an 04 F53 motorhome chassis w/gas V-10 says part # BE5-E631-H0 for front, BE5-E632-H0 for rear, and the steering stabilizer is BE3-6735-H1. If there is no OEM steering damper, use bracket kit # 192213 to install the steering stabilizer.

The part #'s you found on the actual shock appear to be Ford's part #'s, and not Bilsteins. They should be the same shock, however.

Bilstein fit list for 2004 F53 (http://www.bilsteinshocks.com/bilstein/html/show_shocks.asp?make=%27FORD%27&model=%27F-53%20Class%20A%27&year=%272004%27)

Casey

[DickWells]

Boy, thanks for getting back to me so fast! I'll get the data to the owner, ASAP, and I'm sure he's going to be pleased. Thanks again.
Dick

[Quack_Addict]

Bilstein aftermarket parts carry a lifetime warranty. Bilstein shocks supplied as original equipment carry only the vehicle manufacturer's warranty.

If you replace the damper with a Bilstein aftermarket damper, the shock tuning itself may be different than the same shock supplied directly to Ford. This could cause an imbalanced feel in the vehicle as one shock would be "softer" than the other.

Best bet here is to go to a Ford dealer and order a Ford service part with the same part number as on the leaking shock. Either that or replace all the dampers on the axle with aftermarket parts.

How bad is the "leak"? It is normal for shocks to allow some oil to transverse the seal - this keeps the seal lubricated and reduces friction between the rod and seal. If a vehicle sits for a long time without being driven, it is common to get a small amount of seepage where the piston rod goes into the seal. This is sometimes mistaken as a leak. Shocks are built with an oil reserve that accounts for this oil loss over the life of the shock. ;)