Front End Evaluation

[DKasper]

Greetings Turbodiesel Nuts,

I am looking at a '93 d350 with 149,000 miles on it. I've been reading with great interest the posts concerning the spring bushings and front end issues in general.



I am wondering if any of you might share some ideas about how to go about evaluating the front end on this truck. It would be nice if I could determine what kind of shape it is in. I drove it once, and my first impression is that it felt just a bit imprecise as far as the steering goes, but no major pulls or overcorrections required for tooling down the road. I wasn't too concerned, thinking that maybe getting it aligned would help, but now I'm wondering if there might be a lot more to look at . . .



Any help would be greatly appreciated!



Thank you,

Dave

'99 2500, TD

'82 Ford w/Deutz F5L912

 

[Philip]

Welcome to the TDR



Most of the front end questions you are seeing cover 4x4 models. The 2 wheel drives do not have the problem most of the time.



The big items to watch are the ball joints. To check them you need a floor jakc. Place it under the lower controll arm. Jack the tire off the ground about 1/2". The take a bar and pick up on the bottom of the tire and watch to see if there is any movement in the ball joints when you pick up.



Look over the bushings in the control arms to see if any seperation has happened.



Weak front springs is a problem on any Dodge truck. It doesn't matter if it 2 or 4 wheel drive.



Look at the steering box where it mounts on the frame. There has been know cases of the frame cracking in this area.



The connector link that connects the steering shaft to the steering box. This is a weak spot also. There are a couple of ways to tighten this area up. A Borgenson shaft is one.



Look at the front shock mounts. I have seen three broken frames at the upper mounts. All driver side frame rail. But non have been on a diesel powered truck. All were 1/2 ton trucks. But it is a area to look at while your there.

 

[DKasper]

Thank you, Philip -- I appreciated the information. I don't know much about the 2wd models. I'll definitely follow your advice. If the front end looks OK, I'm going to go ahead and get it.



Thanks!



Dave