Front End Wander

[mpjmpj]

steering wander

I have to go to work, otherwise I would be able to write a book on steering wander. When I get back I will elaborate, but I think I have found a cure:



After 2 track bar replacements I bought a DT Trac bar (haven't yett received it;

After a steering box replacement with stock, I bought and installed an AGR Perf. Steering box (this seemed to do the trick);

Now I need a tie rod end at the pitman arm.



The end result was that the dealer told me the steering box has a design flaw and "they are working on a fix". I couldn't wait for DM to get off their ass and put together a TSB, so I bought an aftermarket. (They also confirmed this was the problem).



Hope this helps. Bite the bullet now and buy another steering box.



BTW, I am sueing Chrysler for the cost of the repair.

 

[jsimpson]

Save your money; the loose pitman arm is most likely the cause of all your problems. I've had two Cummins and two Dodge chassis class A motorhomes, all with the same steering box design. Once you adjust the vertical play out of the steering box, it is no problem. A loose Pitman arm is a GUARANTEE of steering wander.

 

[KD7GYJ]

The symtoms you are describing are similar to what I experience. Do most of you with '02's have Mexican trucks? You just need to look at your VIN number, if it starts with 3, it's made south of the border. Mine came with a loose track bar. The dealer tightened it, but it still wanders, specially if you hit a bump in the road. The steering wheel wants to jump out of your hand and then settles down once the bump is behind. My next CTD will be AMERICAN made! I'll fly to the east coast if I have to to buy one made locally.



Blair

 

[DUNE RACER]

My 98 mexican truck was WAY tighter than my 01 St. Louis built one, and the black paint was flawless.



I've been chasing the wandering bug for a long time on my truck, tried the dealer for new track bars, alignment, steering boxes etc. , none of it worked. I finally got fed up and tried to fix the problem myself, I've to date tried an AGR steering box, Lindstad adjustable track bar, Rancho shocks & steering stabilizer, the "special" alignment specs that everyone talks about, varied tire pressure, and just plain looked for something loose.



After all this the truck still drifts all over and gets overcorrected at any attemt to keep it strait I really love the rest of the truck but I don't think I dare go drive a Floord or I may go home with it, I'm tired of trying to fix this!!!

 

[RIVRUNR]

My 2001. 5 just crossed 20K and to date I've have had a steering box and ball joints replaced under warranty. So far it seems to have taken the wander out of my truck, time will tell.

 

[tree truckr]

These 4x4 pickups need more positive castor which aids directional stability. I adjusted mine to the second from last notch and it made a world of difference. Along with 1/16 toed out.

 

[Fiver]

Mine wandered just as described by bfreel. Fought dealer for two months. They replaced the track bar and realigned the front end- no change. Then they went through a rather lengthy TSB which involved adjusting the steering box and a number of other things. Finally installed a new steering box and guess what? Problem fixed. I guess I was lucky to get it in under warranty (barely). Just my experience here, what worked for me. Good luck.

 

[KD7GYJ]

My neighbor is a mechanic and I was describing the problem I had with my steering and how it took so much movement of the steering wheel to move it. He crawled under the truck, told me to start it and move the wheel left and right. There is a connection that attaches onto the frame of the truck. It is on the drivers side and bolted to a 1/2 in thick piece of frame. The connector would move in and out about a quarter of an inch. I was shocked. I just took it to the dealership and described the problem. They said it was normal for that truck. Yea, right, my 98. 5 CTD was tighter at 106,000 miles than this new truck with 12,000 miles. So it will go back to the dealer with a frowning face and have them correct a problem they should have corrected. If you need a photo, let me know, I have a digital camera and a couple kids to turn the wheel to show the max and min movements of the connection. I need to have the pictures before I get it fixed.



Blair

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I had the wandering truck syndrome too, 2001 with 33,500 miles. The first dealer said get used to it it's normal the second dealer (a jeep dealer, not dodge) said it needed a track bar, tie rod end and ball joints. They gave me the truck back after doing the track bar and tie rod end and it really didn't feel much better. The next week it went back to get all 4 ball joints done and now it's ALOT better. Definantely impressed with the ease of getting the job done right and under warranty.

 

[DFormstone]

How about them ruts?

My truck drives pretty straight most of the time. The only time it gets to wondering is on roads badly rutted from the big rigs. The crown of the road doesn't seem to effect it much but the ruts do.

 

[Pit Bull]

I had a new track bar put on mine at around 32K. The steering seemed to be to sensitive, continual over correcting condition. Put on a set of Bilstein shocks and I run 65psi in the front tires and it drives just fine most of the time. It's funny some days it just seems a little sensitive and sloppy and others it is dead on. If I go on a road trip it will be fine. I sometimes think you just have to be use to driving these trucks

 

[Dennis Garrett]

Bearing preload in the box was the problem on mine, It was loose from the start. I have 160k on it now, and have had to tighten it twice to take out the wander. Takes about 10 minutes, & you can do it yourself.

http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/tsb/1997/19-10-97/19_10_97.htm

 

[Goddard]

dune racer... ..... have you had the ball joints replaced? at 28000 miles mine had all 4 ball joints replaced along with the track bar and right side hub and bearings. truck used to wonder all over. local alignment shop found the bad joints... not the stealer! if not that have you checked the rear end closely... ... loose u bolts/ just a thought.

 

[Dr.Kayak]

Had my track bar replaced by the Dealer at 13,500 miles due to a clunking sound it made going over bumps. I never thought it drove that bad. Now it drives better than it did new.

 

[shendren]

here is what i found in my archives... ... ...



by,

Brent

ASE Certified

Gold Certified Chrysler tech.



Front end alignment

In a previous posting written by ???? (don't remember), they were complaining about a shimmy in their Ram 4x4 after striking bumps in the road.

I suggested that the front end alignment has either too little or too much caster, thus causing a caster shimmy. He did not like my response and changed his concern from a "shimmy" to a "bounce" (big difference), and insisted it was the shocks. Maybe it is, I haven't driven it. He also said the alignment "checked out". Here's the problem:

Alignment programs (and service manuals I believe), give a wide acceptable range for front caster on the 4x4 Rams. I believe the range is 2 degrees to 5 degrees (if that's not correct, it's pretty close). The problem occurs when the alignment tech (independent or dealer) tells you that the measurements "checked out fine", just because they were in this broad range of acceptance.

Caster readings that fall on either end of the scale are subject to caster shimmy, even though they are "acceptable". I had to align some 30 trucks and attend a 9 hour "Dodge Ram Chassis Dynamics Diagnostics" training session (fancy name, ehh?), before finding out that 3 degrees to 4 degrees is the optimal caster setting for 4x4 Rams that eliminates caster shimmy.

Below I will post what specifications I set Ram trucks to. First I want to give a little more info on correct Ram alignments so you can see if you had a job well done,

The eccentrics on the lower control arms ARE NOT for individual wheel caster adjustments (even though our alignment machine says they are). The eccentric sleeves in the upper ball joints are for adjusting individual camber and total cross caster (difference in caster between two front wheels). This is why replacement eccentrics are positionable in eight different ways.

Once camber and cross caster are attained with the eccentrics, the lower control arm eccentrics are then used to swing the caster readings into specifications. The two eccentrics must be swung in the SAME direction in EQUAL amounts. If they are not, it will create a setback condition (one front wheel further forward than the other).

FYI - Comparing between the two front wheels, caster will cause a pull to the smaller value and camber will cause a pull to the larger value. A truck set up with caster pulling in one direction and camber pulling in the other direction, can lead to a wandering truck; even though it is "in specifications"!!!!!!

If the eccentrics on the lower control arms of your truck are not pointing the same direction, the alignment was done incorrectly and the axle was "twisted" or "forced" into position to attain the acceptable values (seen them from the factory this way, go figure).

A correct alignment will set the truck up with a slight negative cross caster (truck has slight pull to left) to compensate for right hand road crown. Camber will be equal side to side slightly on the negative side. This will help maintain acceptable camber when hauling heavy loads, as the truck tends to lift in the front when towing. Camber will then fall slightly positive when towing.

Just because the alignment shop says "it's in specifications", that does not mean it is set up for proper performance and handling!!!!!!!!!



Specifications (my personal settings for every Ram I align): all specs below are in degrees.





Left Wheel Right Wheel

-------------- ----------------



Caster 3. 2 3. 5

Cross Caster -. 3



Camber -. 10 -. 10

Cross Camber 0. 0



Toe - standard specs, (maybe a little out if you tow a lot, they will pull in as the front end lifts up).



Brent

ASE Certified

Gold Certified Chrysler tech