2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission How strong are our front ends?

[SmokinU]

I ask this question because I was traveling in the snow tonight, and went to make a turn. However, instead of turning, the truck went straight into a pretty big rock. The only visible damage I saw was the rim was scratched, and I have a slight gash in the right front tire (still holding air). It drives the same except the steering wheel is upside down when driving straight. I am assuming I knocked the drag link out. Is there anything else I should check? The ball joints also look good. I am getting an oil change next week, so I’m just gonna have them do a front-end alignment, but just wondered if I could of messed anything major up?



Brandon

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Something is obviously tweaked. Have them check it carefully for damage and bent parts; tell them what happened. I think I'd go to a trusted shop right away just in case something is cracked and may break. . .

 

[SmokinU]

Ok Joe,



I'll head out to the alignment shop first thing tommorw morning. I just hope its something simple.



Brandon

 

[Sticks]

You just applied over 6k pounds of kinetic enegery to some parts at an angle that it was not designed for. I hope you come out OK as well.

 

[snowracer69]

Just a tid-bit of info about when I did this.



I dropped both front tires into a ditch simultaneously and landed on the radius arms (front tires never hit bottom). When this happened I had the wheels slightly turned to the left. Anyway, once I got out of said ditch, my wheel was EXACTLY 90* off, to the left. Everyone here thought I had broken something, and I had it all checked out, even bought a new steering box from Enterprise because I thought I had broke the output shaft on my old one. I'll tell you a couple things I learned...



1. It would be awful hard to break that output shaft on the inside of the box where you can't see it. It's a solid 1" piece of metal.



2. It is physically impossible to "jump a gear" inside the steering box. The mechanic at the dealer told me this is what happened in my case... 100% BS.



3. I have come to the conclusion, finally, that when the tires dropped in the ditch, that the steering shaft between the steering wheel and the steering box slipped apart and then went back together 1/4 turn off, making my wheel off-center EXACTLY 90*.



Just some thoughts for you, but please have it checked out soon. You're potentially driving an 8000 lbf missle.



Josh

 

[2broke2smoke]

BE VERY CAREFULL

The EXACT same thing happened to me with my '91, i was running 40" ground hawgs on a well road and hit a stump sticking out of a bank, it fractured the shaft inside the steering box, everything checked out, a month later on a trip my steering wheel started "correcting" itself ie; going back to center, i pulled over (god watches over idiots) and when i did it just fell out of the steering box, i keep it as a reminder that "don't fix it if it ain't broke" can kill you

if someone could explain how to attach a picture to me i can attach it here ...

 

[stacerbob]

Very easy to twist that shaft, 6-8K truck 20 mph wheels turned slightly and hit something with the wheel, use the forces of hydraulics in the pump (you were holding the wheel, trying to make it turn) when the wheel hit, something HAS to give. May not be it but not worth chancing. What if it decides to break when you hit that little hole on the interstate @60????

Snowracer, the box is solid to the frame, the cab is somewhat solid to the frame, there are two tabs that keep the shaft from pulling apart, let alone the 3"+ of travel. This would require the front section of the frame to swing down to pull down to come out, let alone "go back together"

 

[snowracer69]

Can you come up with any other explination? I tore my steering box down to nothing... if it come off/out, it was off/out. Everything checks out fine! Alignment didn't change one millimeter. Steering wheel was off EXACTLY 90*, not 85, not 100, 90*! All steering components were in their original location. Have since replaced my track bar w/ a DT bar, but that didn't change anything either (well, I did have to re-align the wheel after this too).



What else could it have been? I've been over this in my head 1,000,000 times and can't come up with anything else.



Josh

 

[jrobinson2]

About two years ago my wife hit a huge concrete block with the LH front tire at a fairly slow speed, the steering wheel ended up over 1/2 of a turn off. My dad and brother looked it over and sent her home, about 250 miles. The shaft appeared to be tweaked and when I disassembled the steering box I found the output shaft splines were twisted about 1/4 spline and there was a spiral crack half way around the shaft were the lower bearing runs. It is absolutely possible to damage the shaft inside the box where you cant see it. I also had a bent steering knuckle where the tie rod connects. I also saved that shaft and was looking at it for reference as I replied.

BTW Josh it ain't no wimpy 1" shaft, its a full 1 1/4

Jared

 

[snowracer69]

Jared,



I'm sure you remember my dealings with this last year, as I called you about tearing the box apart and checking it over.



I guess I still don't know what could have happened.



Josh

 

[SmokinU]

Well fellows,



You are all right. I did indeed twist the shaft in the box. And it is leaking a good bit right now. So, the box will need to be replaced. What is the best box to put on the truck? I hear good things about the Delphi box. Also what type of price am I looking at? I think I am going to put it in myself. Is it an easy job?



Brandon

 

[snowracer69]

Brandon,



I'd go with the box from Enterprise Engines (sorry, don't know a phone #). I actually had one of their boxes when I thought I had hurt mine last year, but once I tore mine apart and found nothing wrong, I sent it back. I believe it was about $350 or so (don't quote me on that) which is A LOT cheaper then getting one from a Dodge, um, dealer (I was quoted $799 plus install).



The hardest part of doing an install of the box is getting the pitman arm off the shaft. I finally had to go buy a heavy duty puller from Napa to get the job done... also, once you have the puller on there, you want to "shock" the puller-bolt by smacking it with something... this will make it come off. I used a 10 lb sledge-hammer on mine, as it was the only thing available that had enough mass to make it move. The lines are a little tough to get to, but not bad. Once you have the new one on, keep the front wheels off the ground and put fluid in the PS pump. Then, w/o starting the pickup, move the wheel lock-to-lock each way about 50 times. It'll get old, and will probably be hard at first, but makes getting all the air out easier. I didn't do it enough, and made a heck of a mess when I finally "bled" the system by removing the pressure line into the booster on the firewall... big mistake!



Oh yeah, use a good synthetic steering fluid too... I think I used Castrol Syn-Power or something like that (do a search for PS fluid and you'll figure it out).



Josh

 

[SmokinU]

Josh,



Thanks for the quick reply. Money is kinda tight with me (just a poor dumb kid), so I think I might go with a Napa box, which is around 200 bucks. I didn’t realize that good steering boxes were so expensive. Thanks for the install tips, I should be doing it this week sometime.



Brandon

 

[jrobinson2]

Josh

Yes, I remember all your box problems, I was just harassing you a little.

Jared