Proper alingment is crucial with a suspension such as on the Dodge. DW is a recurring condition on few trucks. Stock and suspended. Over the last few months I have had some calls on how to cure the DW. I had DW on my truck when it was brand new. The dealer changed out every part and still no cure. I did the Race system, and a caster adjustment and it was cured. That will work for most trucks. Caster is a huge factor in the front end of our trucks. There are other variables too. Loose ball joints, loose tie rod ends, steering box failures, also we must not forget the infamous track bar. I had a customer with a DW issue last month. He and I talked every day trying to fix his issues. It was kind of like a case study on the front end of the truck for me. He has a Pace system, 37" tires, Billet Drop Blocks, and a Fox Steering Stabilizer. His system was on for a couple of months with no issues. He then installed the Steering Stabilizer and BDB. No issues. Then he installed the 37" goodyears. Still no issues. After a couple of weeks, the truck had a symptom of DW but no DW. We attacked if staight forward. Checked alingment, over and over, only to have it get worse. Caster wouldn't fix it, just lessen it. I had him torque all the bolts hoping for a cure, still none. I spent countless hours on the phone with Kroeker brainstorming a cure. We tried everything. This customer is a smart guy, good mechanic and an engineer. He understands how his suspension works. I had him check again for looseness in the control arms, ball joints, track bar, steering components, to no avail. Still DW... ... ... ... At this point we were starting to get a little frustrated and suspected the steering box might be bad. He did one more check on the steering box and tie rod ends and found the problem. A bad tie rod end, on the pitman arm, top side for steering linkage. This is a tough spot to check and is even harder to measure end play. After replacement, his truck was fine. Not a hint of DW. Caster is adjusted to 4. 5* and the truck rides great. This is the second time I have has someone find a cure in the tie rod end on the pitman arm. If you are experiencing any type of DW please feel free to call us at DRC and we can help. Even if you don't want a suspension System, I can offer advice and a little knowledge.
Enjoy,
Greg
DRC