Alignments??????

[KDillard]

Ok I have been having a huge issue with my truck wanting to steer left going down a straight 4 lane road. If the road crown is slanted to the right its not as bad. If its to the left I have my wheel turned between 1&2 o'clock. Truck feels pretty unstable as well. I have rotated tires, switched tires and rims and even took it to the dealer to have them allign it under warranty. Well the toe was not at 0 degrees, so they adjusted that. the axle angle was in specs but there was a huge difference between the numbers on the machine. If I read the machine correctly the difference was 2 degrees between left and right. What can I do to fix this issue? Is it normal for this to happen? Dealer said they can not adjust for road crown wandering. Any help on this would be dearly apreciated!!!!!

 

[JWChessell]

Where are you located?

 

[KDillard]

Im in College Park MD

 

[Diesel Power]

i have had the same problem since new, go to another alinement shop. and check your shocks the stock ones dont last long, and they wil lmake the truck do things you never thought it would.

 

[2Gen3Gen]

The 04 I had did it REALLY bad but it was to the right. It turned out to be the start of my ball joint fiasco. The only way I found to fix the problem as the dealer and the local tire shop couldnt fix it, I traded it in on the 04. 5 that I sold a few months back. That truck, in the 15,000 miles I owned it, never drifted or showed any sign of alignment problems. I would say you need ball joints, just like 75% of all 3rd gen trucks do after 10k miles. I got 5k out of the first set on my 04 and another 7k out of the second set. After that, i said take it away and that is when I bought the 04. 5. Good luck

 

[KDillard]

thats the thing I have just 7k on it. All the ball joints are tight and its a 4x4 that hasnt seen the dirt yet.

 

[2Gen3Gen]

thats the thing I have just 7k on it. All the ball joints are tight and its a 4x4 that hasnt seen the dirt yet.

I would take it to a good front end shop. My bet is still ball joints. There is no such thing as good ball joints on most 3rd gen Dodges.

 

[JWChessell]

Another possbility is the part that on my '58 Intl 3/4-ton 4X4 was called the "pitman arm" -- the metal piece that connected the steering box at the bottom of the steering shaft to the top of the left ball joint. When I raised the front of the truck with heavier springs and shocks, the angle on the pitman arm changed and the bolts that secured it to the ball joint couldn't take the strain at the different angle, and they bent. When I turned the steering wheel, it took the front wheels about 1/5th of a turn to catch up, and the truck acted like it was wandering all over the road.