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#1
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Loose steering in my 2500
My '99 2500 V10 Quad has app. 38k miles on it. Maybe it's my imagination, maybe not, but the truck seems to be wandering a bit. Sometimes it seems that I must hold pressure on the wheel to one side or the other to make the truck go down the road straight, even if there's no significant crown to the road. I looked at the truck and can't find anything that looks like the infamous steering coupler that my older trucks had on them. Can this be the track bar ends getting loose? Sometimes I get a bit of a shake in the steering wheel when I hit a bump in the road. This I assumed was the steering dampener shock. How long should these items last before they are "worn" out? This truck mainly just sees on road duty, no rough stuff. Are there any good aftermarket replacement options for the track bar? Will just any steering shock work or is there a brand that works better than others?
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#2
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i would suspect the trackbar or steering stabilizer, both are less than adequate stock. have someone sit in the truck and turn the wheel back and forth. if the axle moves side to side under the truck, most likely your trackbar is worn out. there are rebuild kits, but the best thing would be to get a whole new one from dt, they run about 300-350 bucks i think and greatly improve handling, etc. most aftermarket steering stabilizers are about the same, you can get most for around 30-40 bucks. the shake in the steering wheel you described indicates the stabilizer may just be worn out. i'd try that route first, it's much cheaper than the trackbar plus it's a good upgrade even if the factory one is ok.
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#3
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They are notorious for having steering box problems.
Have someone turn the wheel, and see how far you have to turn the wheel before the pitman arm starts to turn. That's something else that could be bad. Mine was worn when I bought my truck, and once I replaced it and had an alignment, it was like driving a different truck! Same test can work, turn the wheel, and look for slop where the pitman arm connects to the drag link. |
#4
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I had what sounds like the exact same problem you have. It ended up being my tires. One was wearing funny and the other one had belts that were seperating. Hence the steering pull and the steering wheel shaking when going over bumps. So my question to you is, what tires are you running? If you have stock tires, I doubt they are the problem. But if you are running something else, like Mud tires or something, they could be your problem. Just a thought for ya! Hope you find something to help you.
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#5
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This kind of sounds like my problem also. It is almost like I have to fight to keep the truck on the road. I don't know what is going on. I think that I might run some of the tests that previous readers have suggested. If you could let all of us know what ends up being your problem, we would all be greatly appreciative!
Oh ya, I am running stock rims and tires, I don't know about you. I am also around 38,000 miles. |
#6
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Fellows, I too am having the same problem. I crawled under the truck (97 2500 4x4 Dana 60 front) and had my daughter steer it it scared me all the tie rods were bad and the track bar moved on both ends. I am replacing things now about $700.00 (this includes ball joints) into it I am doing the work myself. Not to bad of a job.
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#7
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A tight steering box can actually cause the same wandering type of complaint
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#8
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I have the same problem every 2000 miles or so. What cures it for me is a tire rotation. If I try to stretch it too far the steering wheel will get progressively worse. I have 35" BFG's with 35000 miles on them, only half worn condition though. I have just recently noticed a knock form the left front wheel, I can almost feel it through the steering wheel at times. I think whatever it is just started to get worse. Anyone had that yet!
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#9
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could be hubassmebly/wheel bearing with that size tire... my driver side is toast, and i get some clicking/popping sometimes.
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#10
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Thanks for all of the responses and suggestions. I had my son turn the wheel back and forth while I watched what was going on and it appears that the frame end of the track bar is a bit loose as is the pitman arm end. None of the other tie rod ends have any movement. I'm a little bit bothered by this. I thought the old style steering couplers were a maintenance pain but this is going to be quite a bit more expensive. BTW, this truck has stock rims and tires and gets greased at every oil change (3-4,000 miles). My neighbor has had the track bar go bad on his '96 3500 and he tells me that it can be purchased as an aftermarket item. I wonder if anybody is making an improved version of the track bar like they did as a replacement for the old steering couplers?
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#11
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I've read over at the TDR of a company called Luke's link that sells a rebuildable track bar.
Might be worth checking into. If you need me to do a search over there, let me know (I think you have to be a member to do that). Either that, or I believe they advertise in the TDR magazine. |
#12
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Something else to check for steering wander is the condition of the ball joints. Remove the tires and pop the steering linkage loose from the knuckles (4x4). See how much effort it takes to move each knuckle.
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#13
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Loose Steering and extended warranty ripoffs
I took my 97 2wd drive in to the local Dodger dealer today for loose steering (its gotten real bad which is kind of disappointing at 56k miles. I know the gearbox had too much play and thought something else was going on as it popped when I hit bumps while turning. They called and said it needed the idler arm and the pitman arm replaced plus the gearbox adjusted. I said go ahead go ahead and use that wonderful Chryseler extended warranty you sold me. Well, it turns out these are all wear items(?)and not covered, so I guess I'll be doing it myself (besides the fact that I don't want to spend almost $500, I want the satisfaction of knowing they don't get any more of my money).
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