2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission lots of play in the wheel!!!

[lorlando]

I have a 2001 3500 4 x 4 quad cab sport diesel. since day one that i had it it had some play in the wheel. It went back about six times and the dealer said nothings wrong. I now have 57k on it , and the play is very bad now. Wheel allignments dont help at all either. Any one with advise or experiance with this problem please email me back @ -- email address removed -- Thanks ,

LOUIE ORLANDO

 

[bmoeller]

TSB- http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1997/19-10-97.htm If everything is tight (tie-rods, ball joints, drag link, steering box) you may need to get a steering stabalizer. http://www.solidsteel.ca/Stabilizer.htm

 

[CFAR]

Could be the stabilizer, or it could be a combination of things.

Steering box output shaft play.

Steering box

Trac bar



Start your truck, roll down drivers window, standing by drivers door, reach in and slightly move steering wheel, look above tire and you should be able to see steering shaft going into steering box and you should be able to see pitman arm, when the input shaft is moving is the pitman arm moving? if not you have slop in steering box.

Mine was like that. I had two inches either way of play in the wheel before the wheels would move.

Took back to selling dealer, did the steering gear adjustment, helped a little, took back and had them do it again, little better. Then I moved and couldn't get back there "Big O Dodge" Greenville SC, they were good to me. I took it to two other dealers and both said thats the way its supposed to be.



Fixes I've tried:



DSS-Darin's Steering stabilizer- helped a lot but still sloppy,

Sky Jacker's D25 springs

Bilstein shocks to go with the springs- These helped the ride but didn't affect steering.

New steering gear- Ah finally, steering nice and tight, didn't know till now I needed a new trac bar, mine was so loose I couldn't tell.

DTPro Fab Trac bar- to go with the Springs, and replace POS stock bar.



Hook up with some TDR members and have them look at it, they will have ideas.

 

[DLausche]

steering slop

Sounds very similar to me last year. I'd recommend the following:



1) New/rebuit Trac Bar. I went with a DT and am very happy. Other solutions probably good too.

2) DSS. Excellent return for the $'s.

3) Adjust bearing preload on steering gear.



-Deon

 

[jkern]

went to the dealer with mine after i had the trac bar replaced... talked with the guy told him about the loose output shaft... told him about "that heavy engine is hard on steering gear" long story short... i really laid it on them, the service manager came out looked it over, funny thing is he says "yeah, i got one that does the same thing" so now we have a common bond... talk to him a little bit about our great trucks... next thing i know i get a new steering box under warrenty!!! so then i get it home only drive it about 50 miles before i put a DSS on it to try to keep it new, helped a good bit... but i think i need another trac bar now ... will get a DT bar this time around instead of a factory one under warrenty.



i count myself lucky for that one... but anyhow... moral of the story is DC and dealers know that our trucks have steering issues with the cummins engine... i think that a reasonable conversation with them may get you some new parts especially if your still under warrenty.

 

[Loren]

Louie,



In my case with the 2000 truck, it was the track bar. The dealer found it right away. He had an assistant turn the wheel back and forth about a quarter turn with the engine running while he and I looked at the front axle. The axle was moving side-to-side about an inch.



That problem is common and easy to find, though, so I can't imagine that you have the same issue. I would think that your dealer would find such a simple, obvious item.



Good luck.



Loren

 

[rrausch]

My buddy Steve, who owns Parrish Bee Line Alignment in Santa Monica, has been a front end guy all his life as was his dad before him. My steering wheel also had way too much play, front tires were wearing funny, and Steve found my Pitman Arm and Idler Arm were both worn. He replaced them (over $500 for both) and it still had some slop. He adjusted my steering box and the slop got worse. But that was actually good news, because if an adjustment can make things worse, they can also generally make them better. I took it back and he had adjusted it too tight. He then loosened it up and it was almost perfect. Then I got Darin's steering stablizer and steering is now perfect.