draglink tierod failures after '08 steering upgrade

[CookJ]

The inner tierod (from draglink to pitman arm) continues to wear prematurely after installing the steering upgrade kit; angle appears too excessive . I have a 6" suspension lift and Superlift does not sell a pitman arm with corrected geometry. Anyone have any ideas of what i can do to correct? thanks.

 

[EDankievitch]

Yea, that 6" lift is going to be a problem The tie rod end on the steering box was made for a stock height truck the angles are going to all wrong and you are risking popping the ball stud out of the scocket. Someone is going to have to come up with a diffrent pitment arm and or tierod end for lifted trucks.

 

[Skyd Ram]

This newly designed forged unit from Eagle Foundries will help alot with the TRE angle and the pitman arm.



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It isn't a total solution but it is the best option right now. Pure Performance has an entire steering replacement setup that works great for the trucks with 6+" of lift as well.



Sage over at Carli also has a few tricks up his sleeve since they will have the 6" kits on the market in the near future.

 

[CookJ]

Thank you Ed/Skyd. i've read alittle about the unit from Eagle on another site but as you have suggested, it's not a true fix. However, as it will reduce the risks of complete tre failure, i guess i need to order one and install (along with the control link bushings that are still sitting in the garage). Man, when does it ever end!!

 

[CookJ]

As suggested, i called and left message with Carli; hope to hear back soon. I have another question for anyone interested... . Does the optional pitman arm from Dodge provide improved angle, and if so, wouldn't i have enough adjustment at draglink to use this arm in lieu of the drop arm, and, improve my situation? thanks

 

[CookJ]

This newly designed forged unit from Eagle Foundries will help alot with the TRE angle and the pitman arm.



#ad




It isn't a total solution but it is the best option right now. Pure Performance has an entire steering replacement setup that works great for the trucks with 6+" of lift as well.



Sage over at Carli also has a few tricks up his sleeve since they will have the 6" kits on the market in the near future.

Skyd, i talked with Pure Performance and they indicated this arm (Eagle) is identical to the superlift arm and I should not expect any improvement.

 

[AMcCormick]

talk with Don Thuren of Thuren Fabrication he builds steering systems for the higher than 3" systems. I have been talking with him about steering issues

 

[CookJ]

Thanks Andy, will do.

 

[Hercules130]

Heres my Don Thuren setup with 3" Carli Leveling kit

 

[CookJ]

I went to a few parts houses last week and bought a tre from Autozone. If i was able to attach the pic correctly, you can see the noticeable difference between the stock and aftermarket, particularly at the heads. As the new tre is a straight design, it mated to the pitman arm almost perfect; this wasn't the case with the old tre, due to the slight bend at the head. There was also improvement seen with the tre angle when working the steering linkage to fully locked positions. The second photo shows the angle of the stock tre with the wheels straight foward; the third is of the replacement tre. I guess i should have removed the boots to clearly demonstrate the differences.



I'd also like to thank Don T. for his thoughts and pointing out a few things to me. As directed, I made some adjustments to the linkage which should improve overall steering geometry. Thanks Don!! James

 

[Bob4x4]

As suggested, i called and left message with Carli; hope to hear back soon. I have another question for anyone interested... . Does the optional pitman arm from Dodge provide improved angle, and if so, wouldn't i have enough adjustment at draglink to use this arm in lieu of the drop arm, and, improve my situation? thanks

Not with over 3" lift

 

[Skyd Ram]

I went to a few parts houses last week and bought a tre from Autozone. If i was able to attach the pic correctly, you can see the noticeable difference between the stock and aftermarket, particularly at the heads. As the new tre is a straight design, it mated to the pitman arm almost perfect; this wasn't the case with the old tre, due to the slight bend at the head. There was also improvement seen with the tre angle when working the steering linkage to fully locked positions. The second photo shows the angle of the stock tre with the wheels straight foward; the third is of the replacement tre. I guess i should have removed the boots to clearly demonstrate the differences.



I'd also like to thank Don T. for his thoughts and pointing out a few things to me. As directed, I made some adjustments to the linkage which should improve overall steering geometry. Thanks Don!! James

Hey James,

Do you have the brand and part number of that TRE that you used? I've been looking for a part like that but couldn't find one with the correct thread size and taper angle. Did you verify that the taper was the same?

 

[EDankievitch]

If that tierod end with out the bend is used on a stock truck you risk popping the ball out of the sockett as Dodge found out with the early kits. This was that H38 recall.

 

[CookJ]

(Skydram) I initially went to NAPA and indicated i had the '08 steering upgrade, therefore, needed a tre for '08 and not '03. What they produced looked real similar to the driverside tre (at the knuckle) as it did not have a bend to it. I assumed this was the wrong tre and went to Autozone as O'reilly's did not have anything in stock. Autozone produced what i thought was identical to what NAPA was going to sell me. I purchased it and installed that night. All i can say is it mates much better to the PA than the old one, and from what i can tell, no problems as of yet. This evening, i will get the part # for you. Been out of town for a week so did not get this message till now. Mind you, i have a suspension lift so this tre may not be the one you need.

 

[CookJ]

tre part# is ES3624 (Duralast), cost $29 + tax i believe; this was the only brand available from Autozone. As with most parts these days, this tre was manufactured in China and may be inferior to what NAPA or others have to offer. james

 

[Autobot]

I am curious how you got the new "straight" tre to mate up with the coupler of the drag link. I have an 06 with the H46 recall steering upgrade and am dealing with the same issues. My tre was shot at the pitman arm. I have a fabtec 4. 5" lift with a drop PA. The part that you referenced from Napa had a different thread pitch than the tre I removed and would not thread into the draglink coupler. I had to search the TDR to find the recall part number to be able to buy a replacement which is the tre with the angled head.

 

[CookJ]

(autobot) I've been off work for the past 6+ months due to injury and have not visited the TDR in a while; anyway, I'm back. To answer your question (whether anyone is still interested or not), the tre did not thread into the coupler as smooth as i would have expected. My first thought was a different thread pitch, or it was possibly because i did not clean the threads to remove all paint before engaging. Regardless, I continued with the install.



About a couple of months ago (November), the steering started to feel sloppy. I assumed it was the tre (again). Last night, i got under the truck and had the wife turn the steering wheel back and forth as i inspected the linkage. It turns out the tre at the pitman is still tight, the trackbar is tight, but, the passengerside tre (at knuckle) and draglink connection are loose (or bad). Here we go again!! James

 

[Autobot]

OK so the autozone part TRE is the straight shaft version for the original 06. The thread pitch is different and will not correctly fit the coupler. If you call Dodge they are aware of the H46 recall in which the steering was up graded to the 08 system but will only sell it to you as a complete kit for the small sum of $350. 00. After some research on here and info from other more dedicated members than I, I came across a recall part number for just the TRE of the 08 system (CBFAH362). With that number I called dodge back and they said Oh, Yeahhhhh we do have that part and its only $44. 95. I bought the part it threaded on great and has worked well so far. Good luck.