Steering Assembly

[CRutledge]

I took my truck into the dealer back in 2009 for a recall to check the steering damper. Took the guy less than a minute to tell me my truck was good to go. Well just last weekend my family and I are driving up to Oklahoma to visit family and death wobble raised its evil head. First time ever happened. I have stock michelins tires. No lift. I put Bilsteins 5100's on about a year ago. So I dropped it off at carter dodge in Ardmore OK. They said I needed a new steering box and damper. 1600 bucks not covered under any recall or warranty. Frustrated I took my truck to a local garage for a second opinion. They put the upgraded steering assembly on and after seeing a recent recall I am hoping I can get reimbursed from Chrysler. I've attached pictures of the original assembly and the new one. Can someone tell me what is caused the passenger shock to have oil residue all over it? Also do you think this new steering assembly should be covered by Chrysler? Thank you for your help.

 

[DonFitzwater]

You need to fill out your signature so we know what truck you have.

I originally paid for the tie rod assy upgrade and then the bulletin came out they reimbursed me. A lot of time has passed since then so don't get your hopes up unless your truck has extended coverage.

Your shock has a failed seal which is why there is oil leaking out of it. My wife's mega would death wobble when the steering stabilizer went out. After the tie rod assy update it drove like it should have from the beginning. You'll like it.

 

[CRutledge]

Thanks DFitzwater. I'll check on getting that shock replaced.

 

[cerberusiam]

First off, wear on the components is not covered by the recall. There was nothing wrong with the steering linakge as designed and it delivered good service ove rit s expected lifetime os getting anything reimbursed is an outside chance. You had it inspected and they said it was good because it was not installed incorrectly which is what the recall was for. Doubtful you will get anything on the recall.

You opted for the heavier linkage which is not bad deal, but, the stock pieces are still available. Was there any checking done to see what was actually worn? The DW was probably from the steering damper gone bad at xxxxxxx miles. You do not list mileage so cannot tell but that should have been part of the check. You may have paid $$ for the upgrade when all you needed was damper and a shock.

With that shock leaking that might have contributed to the onset of DW also, it is hard to tell. It sure looks like it is leaking so check it as soon as possible. If you have no other leaks or oil in that area it is likely the shock.

The OE dampers were sketchy from the start. Most of us thta saw that junked them and went with a dual damper setup. Even with loose tie rods, bad ball joints, bad wheel bearings, worn out steering box, and worn tires there was never a sign of DW on my truck. The dual dampers with almost 150k still did the job well enough.

 

[CRutledge]

Appreciate the info cerberusiam ! I've updated my signature. But it has 105k miles. I was thinking that the damper that had the bolt though the tierod was prone to snapping off and that the recall was supposed to swap that out for the ubolt setup that was recently installed. This may just be my misunderstanding. I appreciate all the feedback. I am headed up Tuesday to pick my truck up and will be able to do an inspection.

 

[cerberusiam]

When they inspected mine I asked and all they were looking for was that the tie rod ends were installed correctly into pivot point and the bar was parallel to the rods on both ends. If they weren't and there was sign of wear and\or damage they would have replaced parts. The damper won't cause you to loose steering like the tie rod end snapping off so don't think it was included.

That is what I was told by the service writer anyway, whether he was full of it is unkonown.

 

[CRutledge]

Roger that. I'm happy to get the newer steering assembly and hope it serves me well for a longtime. It's good to be back on TDR and receive information I can count on. Thanks for taking the time to help!

 

[CRutledge]

Up for another question

The mechanic that installed the upgraded steering assembly had to move the ubolts closer toward the passenger tire due to the maghytec differential cover. Has anyone else had this issue? I noticed the bar has a couple of flat places where the ubolts seat to keep it from slipping. Since he had to move due to the cover and damper hitting I'm afraid it could slip from not being in the original slot.

 

[cerberusiam]

The u-bolts will only fit on the flattened part of the tie rod and there is room for adjustment either way to set the damper position. As long as it doesn't bottom going all the way to the right it should be fine.

 

[CRutledge]

Thanks. That is what I'm concerned about because the ubolts are not fastened around the flattened part on the tie rod. They moved it to the left (if facing the front of the truck). Looks like they even grinded a little of the paint to try and prevent slippage. Should I put my stock differential cover back on and move the ubolts back to proper position?

 

[cerberusiam]

They must have ground a little metal off also to make it fit, or, shaped the clamp to fit the curve. IIRC the clamps would not fit outside the flattened space as was intended. I had to swap to a completely different dual damper system because there was no way to make the older one fit correctly. Once you tighten the clamps down it is not going anywhere. Since one is still in the flattened area it will still align correctly. There is not that much stress on the damper mount that it would move.

As long as when you turn full lock to the right the damper doesn not bottom out you should be fine.

 

[CRutledge]

Thanks cerberusiam!