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

[rluft]

01 2500 4x4

 

[PSoffe]

2001 3500 Dually 4x4

 

[pwerwagn]

Man this thread has gotten long!!

Is someone at DC listening???

 

[sgoeing]

99 2500 qc 4x4

 

[AdamFarnham]

'01 QC 4x4



Wandered out of the dealership. Thought that was the way solid axles drove, but when the steering box started leaking, I knew something was wrong. Drove really bad just after warranty expired. Have since replaced box, trackbar, tie rods and installed DSS. Still has about 1" of play. Truck has led a pampered life, never offroad.



IMHO, this design shows criminal negligence on DCs part. Bad steering is a safety issue. Anyone know of any accidents due to this issue?

 

[MSnow]

98. 5 2500 QC 4 by 4 new track bar at 115,000 still wanders. I agree wth you farnham. Kinda like the infamous lift pump!?

 

[DPruett]

I've had two (2) 2001 2500s and both had/have steering problems. Two for Two.

 

[StevenWalker]

2001 3500 OC 4X4. Fixed. It was axial play in the box

 

[DPruett]

Run8Ram,

Help a good ole country boy out, what is "axial play"? My first 2001 QC 4x4 took two factory boxes and then a box from ARG (I think) Performance Steering out of Texas, a DDS steering stabilizer out of Canada, numerous alignments and a new track bar and it still wasn't what it should have been. DC finally settled with me through a lemon lawer.

My current 2001 QC 4x4 took upper and lower ball joints and still ain't perfect, though better. Love the trucks and the Cummins hoss, just wish DC would've done a better job.

The dealer on the first said "Well, that engine is heavier than the gas burner so it's gonna steer different. " I told them Dodge engineers knew the weight of that engine when they agreed to put it in their trucks. I drove for UPS 4 years and Fire trucks for twenty-three I know how heavy trucks should drive.

Thanks for the feed-back and help. DPruett

 

[CumminsPower98]

My '98 wonders pretty bad even with new box, all tie rods converted to the heavy duty "T" style, new steering shaft, DT track bar. I have not done the DSS yet but plan too soon.

I got a citation the other day in Omaha, NE for improper lane change (must not have signaled or something) and having trouble maintaining a line or something like that and they figured I was driving tired but it was because I was being pushed around by a strong cross wind. The cop drove along side me for a while and probably saw all my steering wheel corrections and then had his buddy pull me over. The part that really makes me mad now is that I was a bit confused as to what I did even wrong at the time and was freaking out because my log book was not up to date (first time for that) and so I forgot to explain why I might have looked tired. Lucky for me he didn't ask to see my book! He asked how long I had been driving so I told him since North Platte, NE and I just ate in Gretna (just a few miles west of Omaha) so he then figured it was from the food. Man I hate how I don't think straight and say the right things in situations like that. This was my first time to get pulled over in over 8 years.

Anyway I'm getting so tired of my steering. I wish knew of a real good alignment shop that knew these things so I could at least rule that out. I don't really trust the local shops in my area.

 

[gtobey]

Radial and Axial Play



Most ball bearings are assembled in such a way that a slight amount of looseness exists between the balls and the raceways. This looseness is referred to as radial play and axial play. Radial play is the maximum distance that one bearing ring can be displaced with respect to the other, in a direction perpendicular to the bearing axis when the bearing is in an unmounted state. Axial play, or end play, is the maximum relative displacement, in a direction parallel to the bearing axis, between the two rings of an unmounted ball bearing.



Since radial play and axial play are both consequences of the same degree of looseness between the components, they bear a mutual dependence. Yet their values are usually quite different in magnitude. Radial play can often vary between . 0002 and . 0020, while axial play may range from . 001 to . 010. The suggested radial play ranges for typical applications should always be consulted when a device is in the initial design phase.





Hope this helps to understand the "axis" and "radius" type play... .

 

[David_VT]

99 QC 4x4:

Steering wheel never centered since new, wander left since new sometimes worse sometimes hard to notice but always there.



steering box, steering pump, tie rods, ball joints, ... . basically the front end has been replaced twice with little progress.



Currently I can live with it... but...

Newest problem: steering kind of 'fights back' when making hard turns at slow speed, like parking lot activities... .

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Most steering boxes are the wrong ratio. Taking the wrong ratio out and putting the wrong ratio back in accomplishes nothing. My truck a 98 12v came from the factory with the wrong ratio. When the right ratio was installed it solved the wandering problem. Dodge uses the old GM (saginaw) steering box and they all look the same on the outside but they can be very different on the inside. I believe Dodge does not know that and GM takes advantage and ships them the wrong boxes to make Dodge look bad. My old box was 4&1/4 turns stop to stop and the one that replaced it was 3 turns. Boxes come with different pistons and I got the one with the small pistons. The only place I know of that rebuilds boxes properly is Power Steering Services in Springfield Missouri. Power steering boxes can not be adjusted in the truck. They must be removed and then only someone who has had proper training can do it. To get the right ratio, if yours is wrong, I would suggest you swap it in on a box from Power Steering Services. "Chip" will answer you questions there. 417 864 6676

 

[DWOlson]

The DSS steering stabalizer and a new track bar solved all my problems on my 2001 2500 4x4

 

[Merrick]

2002 dodge 2500

 

[CFAR]

Regardless of the number of turns, ration or anything else related to the steering box, if you have play in other parts of the steering, you will have wander.



Ratio will have nothing to do with free play.

 

[Kawi600]

Me too =(

95 ram 2500

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

Wandering is controlled by everything being as it should be. The wrong ratio box with our Dodges has been the bigest problem. Dodge buys the wrong box from GM and does not know that steering boxes are different on the inside and probably doesn't care. They all look the same on the outside so GM could be shipping Dodge the wrong ratio box to make Dodge look bad. How many guys say they will never buy another Ram because they wander so bad.

 

[Soot4Life]

99' 2500 Quad 2WD..... mucho wander and pulls to right even after susp. repair and alignment

 

[CFAR]

I'm not trying to argue about right/wrong ratio's. A lot of the dodge boxes are sloppy right out of the box. If you turn the input and the pitman doesn't turn then the box has slop, how does ratio affect that? Mine had a ridiculus amount of slop when it was brand new.