2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Tire eater Dodge 2500

[SRath]

My '96 Ram is killing it's 3rd set of tires up front in the 60K miles I have owned it. This time they are BFG Mud Terrains and very expensive. I have replaced the track bar, had the truck aligned twice, and they said the ball joints, tierod ends, etc. were still good. I don't believe them since the truck has 146K on the stock parts.



The truck has always pulled to the right, unless I am in the left lane of a crowned road, where it will track straight. It has a shake to the frontend that I can't get rid of, and quickly causes cupping of new tires. Once started, there is no saving them. As the tires get worse, so does the shaking, of course. At $200 apiece, I am fed up. The last set got so bad that a bump was enough to cause violent oscillation of the whole front end and nearly rip the steering wheel from your hands!



I have paid two different front end shops to identify and fix the problem(s). Both have charged for alignments that did nothing and said the frontend components were fine. I'm done taking it to shops.



If there is one thing I don't like about my driveline, it is the way Dodge butchered and overcomplicated the Dana 60. Give me leaf springs and a real Dana 60 with kingpins and lockouts anyday!



Whining aside, I need to rebuild my frontend or do whatever it takes to end all of this. Where can I get a ball joint press large enough for that Dodge psuedo-60 axle?



Are there any upgrades/fixes I can do while I am at it that won't require a 2nd mortgage? My CAD actually still works, but aren't there other problems that Dodge axle is notorious for that I should be checking? What are the parts of both the suspension and axle I need to be most concerned with and replace (i. e. known weak and high-wear points)?



Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[PRattenbury]

Sounds like you've already touched on a couple of items Dodge front ends are famous for having fail, being ball joints and track bars. What you really should do before throwing all sorts of expensive parts at your truck is to get an assistant to get in the cab and turn the wheel back and forth while you are underneath watching at all the linkage attachment points to see where the play is. This would especially include the track bar and steering box. Even check the security of the steering box mounting. You didn't say whether or not you find yourself constantly correcting the path of the truck by having to 'saw' the steering wheel side to side, but that's a really common indication of play in the steering parts. Other spots to check are where the track bar attaches to the frame and the axle, and tie rod ends. You should see where the play is by doing this. If you don't see any play that way, the next step would be to pick the front wheels up off the ground by putting the axle up on stands, grabbing the tire at the top and bottom and giving it a shake, feeling for any play in the outer bearings. If there's still no play evident, get under the truck where you have a good view of the ball joints. Get your assistant to put his beer down (he's bored by now) long enough to slip a fairly stout bar under the tire and lift up and down on it while you watch for play in the ball joints. If there's no evidence of play anywhere in the front end, you're probably good in that respect. Before you let the front tires back down on the ground, give each tire a spin and watch the tread to see if maybe the belts in the tires failed. You'd be seeing runout in the tread like it's moving side to side as you watch it spin. Give them another spin and take a screwdriver or the end of a ratchet or something and hold it still next to the side of the wheel where it meets the tire. You'll be looking for the wheel to move closer then further away from the stationary object you're holding as it spins. If it does that, you have a bent wheel. Two other things to check would be wheel balance and the condition of your shocks. Wheel imbalance and worn shocks are two common causes of tire cupping. Hope you find the problem. The idea is locate the problem first and only buy the parts it needs. Lots of people just rip everything out and rebuild completely, which is really expensive and not really necessary. No need to ask me how I know, right?

 

[MRector]

I think your problem is as simple as rotating your tires----OFTEN. I rotate mine every 3000 miles to keep my front end from doing what yours does. Mud terrain tires are notorious for wearing in that manner, no matter what vehicle they are on. Maybe you are already doing this--just some food dor thought.



mike

 

[BigEasy]

What's the load range on the tires?

 

[Nate]

I run 35" BFG M/Ts, no problems with them. I rotate every 5000 miles. Have about 22,000 miles on them and they are about 70% or so.



Sounds like something in worn out with your steering components. Park your truck so the front tire is against a curb and have someone turn the wheel back and forth against the curb... you'll be able to see if any of the parts have excessive movement.

 

[JCreese]

I have about the same set-up as Nate, and noticed a big difference in not eating up tires as fast when I put on the Bilstein 5100's (stock shocks were shot when I switched)... just an observation.



Jim

 

[Dave M]

Another Right-Side Tire Eating Dodge: My Fix

Same thing happened to me heres my thread on my problem:



http://www.tdr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144154&page=5&pp=10



Go to the last page for the final fix. Its still Ok after 6 months or more now.



Here is an excerp from that thread:

"The alignment shop said the trucks camber was in spec (barely) but that the spec is so wide it could still cause problems. Everything in the front end was tight according to them. They removed a offset cylinder thing on the right front knuckle and replaced it to change and make the camber more negative to compenstae for the tire wear. This adjustment required replacement of the offset sleeve (cylinder) which changes both the caster and the camber so it takes longer to get all the specs set. After 4 months it appears to have corrected my problem. I requested they keep the caster between +3. 5 - +4. 5 deg, as recommend on this site, to correct for "death wobble".​

Dave

 

[fox]

If it still pulls, it is not aligned correctly!!!

You have been given good advice.

What you need is an alignment shop that will go a little farther to get it right. Stay away from the big and fast and cheap shops.

Most like to change parts, so I bet everything is still tight.

They just need to move forward to better specs than the factory numbers.

Get the camber right, then the caster and follow with the tow.

 

[Whiskey]

I think that maybe a good frame shop might help!


whiskey

 

[Dave M]

Advice: Find A good Frame/Alignment Shop

I added this to my thread (see post #7 above) so I'm including it here for you to help you see that a good frame shop may be able to correct problems that these tire shops can't:

"I found this shop by calling a 4X4 parts/accessories shop and asking for a good alignment shop. They said they do 4X4 alignments but when I explained all the problems I'd been having, he referred me to a frame shop that they use for problem alignments like mine and all the dealers send their problem front ends to this guy also. This shop charged me $130 to fix it and said they back up their work. If anything is wrong he said bring it back and they would fix it for free.



The alignment shop said that the tire shop (a well known chain that I go to all the time for tires) did align it to specs but they just don't know how to correct it for problems. All they do is get it in spec with their fancy laser alignment machine but this guy did it the old fashion way... no fancy alignment machine can help correct a problem that is in spec. You have to know what your doing. "

Thank God I found an honest, reliable alignment shop that has been in business for years and stand behind their work.



I'd call car dealers or 4x4 parts suppliers until you find where everone in your area takes problem front ends like yours and mine. I will always take this truck for an alignment to this frame shop from now on. Eventually we can get these front ends right and then they are a pleasure to drive..... I love my truck.



Good Luck,



Dave