Front End Wander

[bfreel]

Has anyone had a problem with front wheels wandering? It seems that if the steering wheel is moved left or right, even slightly, that I have to correct in the opposite direction. And if not very careful, overcorrection occurs. This happens without anything hooked to it. Towing a trailer, naturally, gets the trailer swaying.

My 83 GMC dually towed straight as an arrow, unless hit broadside by wind or the wheels were turned back and forth on purpose.

 

[B.G. Smith]

Wander

When I first got mine it wandered some and I checked the toe in on the front end and it was toed out, corrected that and also run 70# in front tire and drives great ever since. bg

 

[Snow man]

I noticed the wander only on 4x4 trucks,If your truck is wandering,something isnt right,my dad's 2wd 01 is rock steady at any speed,and super stable. My 4x4 is another story,it requires constant correction to keep on the road. Ive driven a fe 2wwd's they all were great handling trucks,none of them wandered.

 

[rwitt]

I've got an '02 4x4 and have noticed the wander also. I just got it last week and have the same symptoms you have. Its going back to the dealer next week so I'm going to have them check the alignment.

Rich

 

[Steve Campbell]

There is an "over center" adjustment...

on the steering box. I just printed myself off a copy the other day. Wish I could give you a link. I think it is on the Fritz web page somewhere.

 

[1tuffram]

Correct Alignment specs

Originally posted by rwitt

I've got an '02 4x4 and have noticed the wander also. I just got it last week and have the same symptoms you have. Its going back to the dealer next week so I'm going to have them check the alignment.

Rich

When the search function is working do a search for alignment specs. There is a post by a DC tech who took a special training coarse for alignments and he posted the correct specs to get the 4x4's to drive straight. If you take your truck to the dealer and they check your alignment, they will most likely tell you it falls within spec. The tech who posted the alignment specs said DC's allowable spec range is very broad, so a lot of slop is allowed, but yet "falls within spec". Find those alignment specs and take them with you to the dealer!!



Maybe someone here knows them or can post the link where they can be found.

 

[jsimpson]

I don't know about a brand new one, but to cure my wander on my 94, I had to take the play out of the steering box, replace a worn pittman arm, replace the ball joints, replace the steering stabilizer with a Gabriel unit and upgrade to Bilstein shocks. A good alignment from Front End Performance also probably played a big part! I understand that adding a slight amount of camber helps, but that adding a lot will make it like a dragster, very hard to turn at any speed.

 

[BK]

I've been bugging my dealer about it since day one and I've gotten now where. They did two alignments, rotated tires , checked my air pressure (higher the pressure the worse it feels, with stock tires the I get the best control at 55lbs in the front 45lbs in the back tires are wearing perfect, I increase pressure base on what I load or tow).



bfreel , I have exactly the same feelings in the steering and control as you. On a flat road that doesn't change it's crown, the wonder isnt evident. But when that crown changes... it shows up.



My warrenty is just about up. So I brought it in again. They drove it from around the back of the building to the bay. . and put it into the bay to replace the rear leaking transfer case seal. When done they told me they "road tested it" and it's normal.

I said since when is a road test for overcorrection and drifting done in a parking lot and I watch, they never even checked the front end components..... so I made them show me that there wasnt a bad front end component. . checked everything... no slop anywhere. . "so why does it wonder?"... . the service manager stands by the basic DC answer. . thats the way it's designed... .





One dana engineer I saw post a thread and I spoke to said that the real problem lies with the scrub patch DC wanted designed into the axle. Dana said it aint right. . DC insisted. . DC got what they wanted.



I think it's a bunch of reasons that some are worse than others.



Some steering boxes.

Alignment.

The cummins is just too heavy for that front end design (lots of things in the design of the front end), which I think is the reason the gassers dont show the problem.

As per the Dana engineer, the axle design.



Dana and DC have been at odds for the last 8 years... DC finally dropped Dana. Rumor has it that DC fought for cheaper axles by increasing tolorences to increase yeild. . so us as the owners wind up with leaking axles seals, leaking pinion seals... and so on.

 

[bfreel]

BK you are right about the crowned roads. The truck constantly wants to turn to the low of the crown. I don't know of many roads here in the Northeast that don't have crowns built in for water runoff. I got some of it to stop on the way home Sunday by adjusting the tounge weight of the trailer, but I had to be on the ball driving to keep things straight. But even without the trailer, normal driving around town it does it.

I'm going to try air pressures for a little while then go in to the dealer. Don't know what that will do, but I can't see towing my car and trailer for hours at a time, having to worry about it changing lanes on me!

Thanks everybody for the tips and what not. I hate to be told that I'm the only one complaining about this problem.

 

[BK]

Some folks have reported good luck with replacing the stock suspension stuff with aftermart from the lift kits.

Like the trailer arms and bushings. The stock trailing arms use bushings with lots of rubber... rubber that compresses nicely to effect alignment. Same with the track bar.



So I feel that when the crown changes, the cummins leans down hill and pushes the front end that way... and the front axle alignment is effected by the compression of the bushing from the weight shift... making it worse. Since the steering box is hard fixed to the frame and the axle is shifting, again another effect is felt...

just my thoughts while I live with it



My dealer told me it would be better with a load and when working the truck, when I 1st complained. Went back and told them they were full of horse pooo. . It's no better when loaded.



I want leaf springs back. That was almost the reason for me buying a Ford. . leaf spring and real hubs. But the PS and transmission problems in the Fords sent me back to Dodge.

 

[Pit Bull]

I had a little wander on mine when I got it. Two things worked, tire pressure at 60 lbs and a set of new Bilstein shocks.

 

[bfreel]

I just tried 60 lbs in the front tires and it was better. I'm also thinking of a good aftermarket shock.



Anyone have any weights of a Cummins VS. a gas V8? Engine only!



All that rubber sure doesn't help the front any. That's why we use urethane bushings in our stock bodied drag cars.

 

[bfreel]

I just tried 60 lbs in the front tires and it was better. I'm also thinking of a good aftermarket shock.

 

[BK]

I think the cummins is about 300 - 400 lbs more than the V8.



Searched the web:



one Cummins website says 470kg... . 1030lbs

A chevy website says 961lbs (comparing the PS, Duradud and ISB)



So it looks like about 625lbs for a 360

And 800 lbs for a V10





This is what I found on the web, fyi... .



Ford 351 Cleveland 550 lbs

Ford 5. 0 V8 450 lbs

Chrysler M4 tank engine 5,244bls (87) 30 cyl, 5 banks of 6, flathead, WWII

Chrysler 1955 Hemi 729lbs

Chrysler 413 wedge 640lbs

Dodge 361 625 (1959)

Mopar 360 "A" 550

Dodge truck V10 816 "dressed weight"

Chevy small block V8 575lbs (generic for '60s-'70s motors)





And urethane bushings are part of the lift kits. . much better.

 

[Snow man]

None of dana's problems apply here,this is a 2wd truck,it should not wander at all. The cummins option adds 500 lbs to the truck,the engine,intercooler,and dual batterys add 450 of it,the exhaust,bigger rear,and hd stuff make up the other 50 or so,this is from an old (96) Dodge payload chart i have somewhere. The 24v's should be about the same weight

 

[BK]

Snow man ,



oh, your right. .

missed it in his tag line.

 

[ramman-mn]

steering wandering

I took it to the dealer to have the alignment set to that tsb. and I had my brother check the steering ajust screw on the top of the steering box. And I also put a superlift stabilizer shock on, it comes with a tappered shim and a new bolt to fit my 2002 2500 4x4 , that took care of the problem. part number same as for the 94 to 01 trucks.

 

[Sageair]

My 2001 2500 4x4 had exactly the problem you describe. Earnhardt Dodge in Mesa AZ replaced the steering box with only 18,000 miles on my truck and now it is perfect.

 

[KYOUNG]

wander

:{ it appears that the new trucks have the same problems that my 94 had when it was a first year model. you would think that dodge would have figured out how to fix these problems in 8 years. it makes me happy to have one thats paid for

 

[jsimpson]

With a tight front end, Bilsteins, and a new Gabriel steering shock, I've got no wander. On the other hand, every vehicle I've ever owned (close to a hundred) had a slight pull toward the downside of the crown; that's just evidence of the laws of physics!