Steering Damper Kit???

[HRajagopal]

Who's installed a steering damper in the 1st gen?



Is there a good kit out there with damper, brackets, etc. ?

 

[BHiggins]

I just got a dual stabilizer kit from Rancho, twenty minutes to install and it works great. I had the beginings of the "death wobble", and it immediately went away with the installation on the kit. At $129. 00 it was a little on the expensive side, but I needed it right away and didn't have time to shop around. I got it at www.UltimateAutoAccessories.com . They also have the single kit, but I went for the big bucks dual kit. If you have the $$ I highly recommend the Rancho kit.

 

[ARhine]

Steering stabilizers are really not needed. They can be a bandaid for other worn components in the steering system as BHiggins has done (from reading another thread), but if your system is in good shape they serve no purpose really.



The reason alot of OEMs put them there is just for insurance against any oscilations or "death wobble" as the 4x4 comunity likes to call it.



I run one on my Jeep as TSLs don't balance the greatest and it seems to help.

 

[BHiggins]

ARhine is correct, I should have mentioned that in my reply. Please read my thread in this forum titled "Death Wobble". I only put a stabilizer on because I needed the truck and didn't have the time to fix it correctly. The steering stabilizer made the truck safe to drive TEMPORARILY until I can lay it up to do the upper king pin springs and bushings. Also, the parts to fix it correctly are ALOT less expensive than a steering stabilizer... $17. 00 plus shipping for the kit to fix both sides as opposed to $129. 00 plus shipping for the Rancho dual stabilizer kit.

 

[TKingsbury]

My truck had a stabilizer on it when I bought it. A few months later, one of the brackets broke off so I removed it. I saw no difference at all. As far as I could tell, the only thing it did was ruin the pass side brake line. Whoever installed it first clamped it over the pass hard line, then moved the ubolt under the line which meant they had to pull the line out of its hold-down which resulted in it cracking at the flare. As you can see by my sig, my truck is lifted with 35s with no trouble at all.

Travis. .

 

[boatpuller]

ARhine is correct, I should have metioned that in my reply. Please read my thread in this forum titled "Death Wobble". I only put a stabilizer on because I needed the truck and didn't have the time to fix it correctly. The steering stabilizer made the truck safe to drive TEMPORARILY until I can lay it up to do the upper king pin springs and bushings. Also, the parts to fix it correctly are ALOT less expensive than a steering stabilizer... $17. 00 plus shipping for the kit to fix both sides as opposed to $129. 00 plus shipping for the Rancho dual stabilizer kit.

Actually after you replace the upper bushings and springs you will see that it probably took you longer to go to the parts store and install the steering stabilizer than it did to replace the bushings and springs. I was shocked how easy it was to do the bushings, it took longer to jack up the truck and remove the tires than to do the rest. I am going to just replace them at 50,000miles from now on as preventive maintenance, it's way cheaper than wearing out a set of tires early.

 

[BHiggins]

Boatpuller

Caleb, since you have done it, let me ask you... on the drivers side, does the steering arm have to come off? If so, is it held on with the cones like on the old Chevy's (similar to the cones that hold our rear axle in once you take all the nuts off)? Thanks, Brian.

 

[boatpuller]

I don't really remember any cones, just take the 4 bolts out holding it on and it lifts out, put a jack under the lower king pin to hold it up, if the bushing doesn't pop right out lower the jack under the lower kingpin a bit,(with the axle on jackstands) clean out the old grease, put in bushing, spring and gasket, bolt cap back on and you're ready for the other side. Don't forget to grease them before using the truck. I could actually see the wear on my bushings, they only had 85,000 miles. There is a little "nub" on the side of the bushing that lines up with a groove in the casting. It's actually pretty self explanitory after you start taking it apart.



Good luck,

Caleb

 

[BHiggins]

Thanks for the info, I have the new parts in my hand, and hadn't even noticed the "nub" until you mentioned it. The job looks easy, but I have a bad track record of opening the old "can of worms" so I had to wait until I had a few days off just in case. I think I'll be able to get to it this weekend. Thanks again, Brian.