2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission 94-01 Steering Wandering Count!!

[dashley04]

3500 dually 4x4. Track bar did not solve it all

 

[RTrenary]

new steering box and DSS, Most of problem solved, I'm going to change the steering shaft next.

 

[RPMDodge]

2001 dodge 2500 4x4 its all over the place have to fix it.....

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

3 turns lock to lock was the solution to my wandering problem. with 4 and 1/4 turns you have to turn the steering more to correct dirction and by the time you do that it has had time to wander in the other directtion. the other thing that helped me was my power steering box has the small pistons. the 4 and 1/4 is not for the Ram, it is for larger heavier trucks to prevent possibility of rollover in the event of jerking too much on the wheel in an avoidance manuver. They look identical on the outside, no doubt the reason the wrong one was installed in my Ram on the assembly line. Nobody knows more about power steering boxes than "Chip" at power steering Services, Springfield Missouri. He will set you up with the right box. Jim 321 373 5756 anytime

 

[rmcnamee]

the other thing that helped me was my power steering box has the small pistons

Which box (4 or 3 turn) had the smaller pistons?

 

[JessePayne]

01 2500 cummins diesel 4x4 single cab longbed

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

My 3 Turn Has The Small Pistons. It May Be Possible To Have A Box Set Up Either Way. The Smaller Pistons Also Help Cure The Wandering Problem. Jim 321 373 5756 Anytime

 

[RPMDodge]

i turned mine and i only get 2 1/4 turns each way. Could this be right? or do i have a different problem? Rick

 

[PStorey]

1996 2500 LB Need Steering box to complete set up.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Hi Rick, Turn (either way) as far as it will go and then count the turns to see how many it will take to get to the other stop. You may want to put a jack under to take the weight off the tires. By going either way from center, 2 and 1/4 sounds like you might get 4 and 1/2 lock to lock. 3 is all you need for a Ram. If alignment is proper and there are no worn parts such as upper and lower ball joints or tie rod ends there will be no wandering with a 3 turn box. Talk to "Chip" at Power Steering Servies in Springfield Missouri and tell him what you have and he may advise a box that also has small pistons. Dodge did not put the heavy duty ball joints in my truck as they should have. Check your shocks too. Replace if need be with heavy duty. Some say 40,000 miles on a set of shocks but depending on circumstances you can get a lot more, I did. Steering boxes look identical on the outside but can be very different on the inside. Dodge used the GM Saginaw box (manafactured in Saginaw Michigan) Dodge obviously does not specify which box to ship to them and the wrong ones get put in on the assembly line. Dodge went rack and pinion 03 and later (some late 02s) on the 2 wheel drives and I suspect had they known about the differences in the Saginaw boxes they would not have spent the money on converting to rack and pinion. Jim 321 373 5756 anytime

 

[NelsonJ]

2001 4x4 95000 miles

 

[AdamFarnham]

2001 4x4, 83,000 miles. Steering bad when originally driven off the lot in '01.



Have replaced the tie rods, steering box, installed DSS. Better, but still not quite right.

 

[FArnold]

99 3500 166,000 miles Replaced many parts

 

[dodger2]

97 3500 4X4, More like herding than driving!!

 

[Stark_Ent9802]

wow i can't belive i just noticed this thread. . O my god i feel like driving my 02 2500 4x4 SB in to a river. thats how bad the Steering is. here's my story. . Truck was brand new 4/02, in january of 04 Started hearin a squeakin sound from front end ended up being upper and lower ball joints at 40k(it was a struggle but i got Dodge to do it under warrenty). I actually think this is where my problems started, cause the truck never quite steered as good since the new joints, at 64k it was time for new tires so i chose to go with toyo open countries 265s, with new tires on it really made the wandering bad i had it aligned i think 4 times! with in the first 400 mi. got really sick and tired of it at about 68k so proceed to install a DT Trac bar. Defintly helped. . but Now at 72k the steering is the worst it has ever been! I can stand it but i hate it! i have about 1" of play to the left and about 4" of play to the right. . the constant over correcting is crazy. . i can't imagine what it will be like towing this spring and summer if i dont do anything about this!!...

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

It seems I have not been clear enough. I should have said when you take the wrong box out and put a wrong box back in the problem is not fixed and you have been led to believe the box was not the problem. The box is the problem if your steering wheel turns 4 & 1/4 lock to lock or stop to stop. Mine did and I got one (rebuilt) that turns only 3 turns from "Chip" at Power Steering Services Springfield Missouri (turn the input shaft before you install it to make sure you got the right one) and I also got the small pistons. These are the GM boxes that Dodge chose to use and obviously do not know they are all the same on the outside but very different on the inside. They put the wrong box on my 98 12v on the assembly line and it was 7 years of misery before I knew there was a difference in these boxes (Saginaw) Now my truck steers like a car. I see on here where everyone does all the standard things attempting to cure the problem like I did and there was only a small difference and it still steered like ****. I changed the box myself (if I can do it at age 77 so can anyone but there is a trick to it) and a block away from home I knew the problem was fixed. While I was at it I put in a Borgesen shaft thinking the old one had slop but when I got it out it did not, so the problem was all in the box. The Borgesen shaft is of much higher quality so I will benefit from it not ever wearing out. REGARDS to all and feel free to e-mail me or phone anytime I will be glad to share the easier way. Jim 321 373 5756 -- email address removed --

 

[snake]

Maybe This Would Help !!

Find this in a catalog :http://www.solidsteel. ca

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

DC like others will never admit they made a mistake. Dodge chose to use the GM (saginaw) box. These boxes are all the same on the outside. Different ratios and different size pistons on the inside. A dealer does not know about steering box differences or does not care, why should they they don't have to drive it. When the wrong box is removed and a wrong box put in and there is no difference the wrong assumption is then made the problem was not the box. HORSE FEATHERS. A box with the right ratio and the right pistons will solve the wander lust problem. I would not be surprised if GM supplied the wrong box on purpose to make dodge look bad. Competitors you know. My 98 12v had the wrong box installed on the assembly line (I bought it new) and 7 years of misery and 100K miles later thanks to TDR and Quigley I realized I had the wrong box and got the right one and now my truck steers like a car. My point is from my own experience no one will ever get any satisfaction from Dodge so why bother to try. Get the right box and your steering problems are over. REGARDS Jim -- email address removed --

 

[RTate]

1997 4X4, Death Wobble and wandering. Installed the Solid Steel Gearbox support and updated to the "03" trackbar. Still a little scary to take a bump on the highway.

 

[Cummins360]

My 99' Is HORRIBLE!!!!! Replaced everything on the front end and it still steers like a P. O. S. !!!! I hate the steering on it!!!!!