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Annoying Troubles!

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235/85R16s Rubbing on 2wd?

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Well guys, I had a bad day. I was coming down a hill at approximately 45 m. p. h and hit the brake pedal and the truck started shaking very, very violently. The steering wheel was shaking a lot and so was the whole truck. The truck was just shaking from side to side. It doesn't do this every time I apply the brakes, but did twice tonight. Someone told me it was the balljoints, is this possible or is it the brakes? I also went to use four wheel drive today and the shifter moved very easily, it wouldn't go into 4X4. Seems the linkage must have come undone. I don't know what to do, Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help!
 
More than likely it is the tie rods and steering links. Get a buddy to turn the steering wheel and crawl under the truck and look for play in all of the steering components. I could be the steering box but not likely. Can't help with the 4wd question. Good luck.
 
Well guys, what do you feel is the best suspension parts to use, there are so many but i want good ones. Also, for brake components, like rotors and such, which are the best brands. Thansk for the replies.
 
Well, I fixed my shifter problem. The shifting rod came off at the shifter lever under the truck. It's held in with a cotter pin and this was broke so thats fixed. Now, sometime this week i'm going to get the truck aligned. I'm also going to have the man check the brakes, they were redone about 6,000 miles ago: New rotors and pads. They still feel somewhat wierd. The thing is, i'm still concerned about the shaking I encountered yesterday, was this from the front-end or the brakes? The times that it has happened were when I was applying the brakes.
 
I do all of my own work to control quaility. On new rotors I take a dial idicator and place on the caliper mount. Then I turn the rotor. If it is above . 006 runout, then I have the whole thing turned on a brake lathe. If that is the problem then you should be able to feel the brakes grab a little then let off when you are stopping slow. Mark
 
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Come on, Guys. I need more information on this problem. I'm going to get the truck aligned Thursday, the truck always pulls to the right and the tires are wearing on the outsides and not in the center, they're cone shaped. It definately needs aligned, but what about the brakes? They were redone about 6,000 miles ago and had new rotors put on. The brakes still squeak and they don't just feel right. Has anyone else out there used Auto Value rotors? One more thing, What is the violent shaking I encountered? It only happens sometimes when I apply the brakes going about 40-50 Miles Per Hour. Thanks
 
the first reply gave you the answer to your problem - slop in the steering components. Slop allows oscillation. The wobble you felt was the tires jumping right and left inside the slop while the steering wheel stayed straight. If your alignment shop doesn't check suspensiona nd steering components, go to another alignment shop!
 
Well, tomorrow I'm going to take the ol' Dodge to an alignment shop to get the work done. I hope this shop works out pretty good, a lot of people have reccommended me to this place and people say they do good work so Ishouldn't have to worry about much besides the price, I guess that doesn't matter it's the quality of the work that counts. I asked the man if he has worked on many of these trucks and he said he sees a lot of them in the shop for various reasons. I told him about the shaking I encountered and his only reply was "that isn't good" with a little chuckle, I think he already knows what is wrong and he hasn't even seen the truck yet. I'll give you an update tomorrow evening. Thanks!
 
well, I had the truck aligned today and everything seemed to turn out okay. The axle nut was loose again on the drivers-side! This is the second time, it shouldn't any more because it was tightened very tight. The Toe-In was not right so it was reset, the tires were rotated, and I was reccomended to put on a steering stabilizer. I bought a Skyjacker and I'll be putting it on in the morning. The alignment shop said that it looked pretty good and someone had already spent the big bucks. The tie-rod ends were not the originals and there were special shims somewhere that are in an update kit? The steering shaft is also an aftermarket, it has the grease fitting and the seal where it holds the grease in the shaft near the middle. I made out pretty easy on this fix.
 
J Demaio,

I hope you tightened the locking nut and not the wheel bearing nut that tight. You will wear out the bearings if you did.
 
No More "Blurred" Braking...

My truck was also exhibiting some "steering oscillation" under breaking. It never has been consistant (sometimes under light braking, sometimes not at all) and my steering/suspension components are in good shape.



Well, last Friday I finally had the rotors turned using and "on vehicle" brake rotor lathe and installed carbon-met pads. The killer part of this on vehicle lathe is that it indicates to the operator if there's a bad bearing, improper lash or other rotor related problems through it's design & in it's normal operation environment.



Having the rotors turned on truck, installing new carbon-met pads & adjusting the rear drums have made my truck an awesome, predictable stopper for $125. 00 and I didn't have to get my hands dirty this time. :D :D



KEENO



PS: "Matt S", I don't see a slightly used, stealth black Skyjacker Steering Stabilizer in your Sig yet... :confused:
 
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Well, the nut that was tightened was the one that requires the special socket right inside the locking hub beyond the snap ring. It was loose for the second time. It wasn't actually tightened to hundreds of foot pounds but a little tighter than snug. It shouldn't come loose again. Hey KEENO! How do the Skyjacker steering stabilizers do? I have one but still need to put it on. It doesn't fit right up, the brackets need fabrication. Did you want the lift or did you use it for a leveling kit? How is that South Bend Clutch? How many miles were on your truck when you replaced the clutch? My truck has 174,000 miles on it and is having no clutch trouble. The stock ones will last for a long time won't they?

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92' W 250, Dodge/Cummins Mudflaps, stock truck for now, 174,200 miles. Want to install Jardine 4" Exhaust and set T. D. C. and advance timing
 
Keeno,

It is fixed.



J Demaio,

My brackets came off another truck but it did fit. The hardest part was getting the shock centered to get full turns in both directions.
 
Hey J!



I have the single Skyjacker steering stab on my truck that was installed when I did the front springs (2. 5" lift/tire clearance) & (4) Hydro shacks on all corners. It works great & they have been installed even w/o the aid of instructions. :D The only word of caution I can provide, is to watch the bolt length as the "relay rod" passes by the front cover on the Dana 60. Contact can be made if the bolt length is too long. Skyjacker also makes a Dual Shock version of their steering stabilizer, if needed.



About the clutch: I don't have the model name or P/N but I installed the clutch kit that utilizes the Luk Pressure plate, Valeo disk & a upgraded throw out bearing & Kevlar pilot bushing ($450. 00 approx). Great price & excellent performance! The only annoying fact to this set up is a "Clutch Disk Spring Rattle" (single wound springs, instead of dual) at idle in neutral. Kind of sounds like a "spoon stuck in a garbage disposal"! ;) I wouldn't purchase this particular clutch again because of this characteristic, but cannot fault it's performance. They would probably fix the problem if I asked (they have for other First Gen Brothers) but I don't feel like lying on my back again for that long! I'll live w/ it, but I would order their Sachs unit for a few dollars more next time.



I did the clutch @ 170,000 because I was in there doing the rear main seal and didn't want to have to go back anytime soon! The Sachs still had some life left in her but was starting to slip w/ "aggressive throttle manipulation. "



But, I digress from the original posting subject... :)



KEENO



PS: Nice touch Matt 'S" but that's a little over the top in the form of an acknowledgement! :D
 
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