So Long Dodge

[Jumbo Jet]

My 2001 followed road surface.



I traded for a 2002 that drives "perfect" so far.



Caster setting maybe??

 

[brucew]

trucks and bikes

my 01. 5 doesn't have enough of miles on it to have steering problems. here in florida i use it when necessary and ride the harley most of the time. those of you who ride i hope you are members of your closest ABATE chapter. in florida, along with forward looking legislators and a governor who keeps his word, we are the organization who had the helmet law overturned. i love freedom of choice!!!!! ride free and safe!!!!!!!!

 

[jsimpson]

I've got my eyes open for a good steal on a 94-98 4WD 5-speed. I'll know what to look for in the handling department after driving my brother's Duramax for a month!

 

[Steve Roseman]

You can get the Cummins in a Ford if you can afford it. I don't know about the 450, but I'm pretty sure it's an option in the 550.

 

[jsimpson]

Man, I can't even afford a new 1500, much less a 550 with Cummins and Allison. But if I could,.....

 

[BigMike]

First I've heard of a steering problem in Dodges. If it was as bad as some make it sound, why would anyone buy the damn things. Couldn't be further from the truth with mine. I'm always amazed at how well it handles. One hand driving pulling my 5er? No problem. Just went past 36k miles on my truck and have had absolutely not one problem needing attention. I love it!!

 

[SnoKing]

BigMike, I have to agree, my truck tows my 5er just great. I do let the tires up and down in pressure when changing the load. I also like the RS9000 Rancho's I put on the back. They have had a lot of bad steering boxes. SNOKING

 

[BigMike]

Snow King, I too pay close attention to my tire pressures. Kind of a pain. Someday I'm gonna have my own compressor so I don't have to run to the nearest station everytime I pull my 5er. I'm thinking of getting Air Bags installed. I read somewhere you can get the onboard compressor and use it to inflate your tires as needed as well as your airbags.

 

[rkressg]

arbitration

Have fun with your arbitration process. I went through this with my 99 2500 Ram. It would be going down the road, and the brakes would lock up for no reason. Try having this happen when towing a 24' box with a $100,000 drag truck inside. This truck also threw up 2 motors, one transmission, and 1 Rear end in 30,000 miles. The price total on brake warranty repairs was over $1,000 this is not adding the motors, transmission, and rear. All D/C would do was offer to buy it back at full sticker price minus 8 cents/mile. In the aggrement with D/C I had to order another Dodge or good luck trying to trade it in. My new 2001 has 30,000 miles and has had no problems yet. I beat the heck out of it. It tows as fast as you have the ballz to go . Take out the tool box, and it is good for 3 yards of top soil also.

 

[wtrenholm]

Here's a few points to add.



Caster is very easy to adjust on a 94 - 01 4WD Dodge. There are two eccentric bolts on the suspension link connecting the axle to the truck frame. Increasing positive caster will improve wandering and steering wheel return but makes the steering wheel harder to turn when sitting still, but that's what power steering is for. Excessive caster can cause a shake, but it takes alot. I have no problem running it to the high side of specs if not higher.



Also after market wheels with different offsets than stockers will affect scrub radius and make some handling issues.



As mentioned tire pressure needs to be correct. A lower inflation will give a better ride but will start affecting stiffness of the sidewall. So a happy meduim needs to be found.



HTH

Wayne

 

[AKDrifter]

BILLYGEE

Hi from Alaska, find a good shop, pay to have it fixed right. If one thing's for sure, Dodge will not shoot you straight 95% of the time. I'm glad I paid out of pocket for my steering problem, don't get me wrong it's not perfect, it wanders a little still but better than the right pull into the ditch(which can be 20-200 ft. in the middle of nowhere with your family.



Bottom line, if you are waiting for Dodge to fix your rig take a number, then throw it away. Dodge specializes in doing least as possible after the sale!

 

[TX DUCKHUNTER]

Not sure about everyone else, but my '99 drives great. I would like to change the brakes on it, since the front pads are about 1/2 the size of my brother's '97 3/4 ton 2wd..... just doesn't seem right. Anyway, my '99 regular cab 4x4 and my other brother's 2001. 5 regular cab 4x4 both drive great. I would put up with a little inconsistency in the front end just to get the motor. Ford's are okay, but my father-in-law's 2002 ext. cab 3/4 ton 4x4 doesn't drive as well as my goat.

 

[Wiredawg]

Mine is good!

Sorry to hear folks having problems with their trucks. I have to admit, none of the American truck makers are really ahead of the rest. I've owned new Chevys and Fords and my Dodges haven been any worse than the rest. So, why am I a Dodge fan? Looks and Cummins. Hands down.



Folks looking to leave the fold, go ahead on. We all have to do what's best for our individual needs. I have friends who have Fords and Chevys, and we never really get into anything about our trucks. Personally, I like trucks and am happy to see any and all of them.



Wiredawg

 

[merryman]

adjust caster

Check out John Holmes article in issue 34 of TDR. He had a similiar problem and solved it by moving caster from factor spec of2. 74 to 5 ; fixed his problem



Vaughn

 

[BILLYGEE]

Made Adjustments-Not Much Better

Thanks Jeepit. I took my truck yesterday to Mike at Acurate in Sheborgan... He's pretty savvy ref. suspension and alignment, turns out I know him and knew his dad before Mike took over.

Well the front end components were or seemed okay, alignment was in specs... We noticed with added weight of one or two people in cab that toe-in showed slightly toe-out so we adjusted that 1/16th in on the left side (now 1/16th), moved caster to max(now almost 5 degrees) and we tightened the steering gear 1/2 turn as well as straightened out the steering wheel...

It's maybe 20% better but still hor$esh!t... I think I got one of those pos steering boxes but they don't want to replace it. My 98. 5 had two of those replaced under warranty before they got it right... I suppose the cost of replacing all of these was going to tap into the CEO of DC's several million dollar annual pay raise so they cut out doing it, huh?

I've had this thing 10 months and have put off putting my gauges and other accessories cause I don't know how long I may have it.

I had high hopes yesterday, still not happy.

Bill