2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission track bar and other problems

[LTsmoke]

okay so i took the truck into the shop today for a "clicking" in the front wheels that has been driving me nuts the guys in the shop tell me that the track bar ,the drag link and the universals next to the front wheels are all bad ..... any one have knowledge in this area that can help me out. . ? i have seen a few posts on the thuren track bar but im confused . . is this the only fix or is there option 2 ... . any help would be greatly appreciated... i have a 3000 mile trip scheduled in a few weeks from ohio to devils lake noth dakota... kinda wondering if all this needs fixed right now or can it wait till after the trip

 

[LBARTLETT]

it all depends on what you want to spend, I wnet with the Moog heavy duty track bar as it was available locally and didn't cost alot, alot of folks on here really like the 3rd gen conversions but they are more $$$$$

 

[SRath]

How do you use the truck? Is it a daily highway commuter, or do you go offroad, plow snow, tow or haul heavy? How are the roads you frequently travel? How long do you plan to keep the truck?



You have to be honest with yourself about all of these things as well as "how deep are my pockets right now?" to make a wise decision on what to spend on the Dodge frontend. There is no easy, simple, inexpensive, longterm cure for it. There is relatively easy and simple. There is relatively inexpensive (it will be some bucks regardless). And there is relatively "longterm" and fixed, if not exactly "right", at least as good as it gets. And will you do the work yourself or pay a shop?



The Dodge frontend has absolutely not one thing "good" about it except the strength of the ring and pinion themselves. It plain sucks. No hardcore 4-wheeler in the world would even consider using that axle in a custom-built, serious off-road machine. That's really sad when you consider it started out as a Dana 60 in the middle, the MOST desirable and popular front axle for hardcore 'wheelin' in the world. It is just too weak in all respects except the size of the ring and pinion gears, which is the ONLY thing it shares with a REAL Dana 60. Even the housing is weaker with the stupid CAD system.



But Dodge saved a few bucks per truck by cheapening and greatly weakening the most critical parts (balljoints; hubs and bearings, housing), after spending far more than they should have or needed to on an overly-complex coil-link design that added nothing to ride quality, and ruined an otherwise great truck in the process. And stuck us owners with the bill. A huge bill in repair and upgrade costs over the lifespan of the Cummins.



Offhand, I would say figure close to $2k just to get it all like new. Since "like new" is not very good or durable, many have upgraded. A complete, as-good-as-it-gets frontend "fix" for the Dodge will set you back about $5000. Scary, isn't it? It will be nearly as tough and durable as the old leafspring/kingpin/lockout real dana 60 frontend of yesteryear. Not quite, since there is no "cure" for the balljoints, but close.



Dynatrac is marketing some new, and pricey, Pro Steer ball joints they make some interesting claims about. They are rebuildable (like kingpins) on the truck, made from mil-spec materials (whatever that is, and they do not say in their advertising what their competitors' balljoints are made of so a guy can compare. ) and supposedly 4 times stronger than stock. They are too new to have any meaningful feedback at all from anyone who is trying them that I can find. I do not know what the rebuild kits cost, or how often I could expect to need them. Still, those factory balljoints, especially the uppers, are a joke on a heavy duty truck and something needs done about them. They are as bad an idea and as prone to failure as the balljoint on the end of the factory trackbar.



My truck is sitting in my shop even now, needing balljoints, as I agonize over spending 3 times what a set of Moog joints cost to try the Dynatrac Pro Steers. I really, really, really want their hub conversion kit and inner axles, too, but I also have a mortgage and two teenagers to think about and Dynatrac stuff is American made quality stuff that does not come "reasonably priced", much less "cheap", by my economic standards.



If you use your truck lightly, and provide good maintenance (grease!), a factory-type rebuild may serve you well for 50 to 100k more miles. Not the trackbar, though. And probably not the balljoints, either. You WILL be wanting to buy parts with a lifetime warranty and you WILL use that warranty. Safeguard that receipt!!



For me, the 3rd gen adjustable trackbar was the only answer. $550 vs. $160. OUCH!! But I could not get more than one year out of a NAPA lifetime bar. The tire wear sets in quickly when it goes bad and replacing the bar under warranty will not reverse the damage to the $240 apiece tires. Once they start wearing badly, there is no saving them. The ensuing shake, I believe, also leads to accelerated wear on every other component. It's a vicious circle.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Lucky for me that I had the u-joints. track bar, and the ball joints went out at different times.

I had the right u-joint go out several year ago the left two years ago.

I replaced the track bar( 185,000 on it) with Thuren's 2nd gen track bar about two years ago. I drove with a bad track bar for about 4 months before I saved enough money to buy Thuren's.

I replaced the ball joints with greasalbe ones last December (over 200,000 miles on them).

I never had the Death Wobble (knock on wood), that is something to think about but most likely with everything worn on your truck if you haven't esperienced it yet you probably won't.

 

[LTsmoke]

wow lots of info,

thank you missouri and lbartlett and as for the questions that srath posed i gues the answer to them is pretty much the only things i DON'T do with my truck are snowplowing(only because 1 it hasnt snowed here in Ohio... . yet and 2 i dont own a plow for this truck..... again yet) nor to i do extreme rock crawling ... haveing said that i will say that I am however a volunteer firefighter and paramedic and not to mention a national guard memeber so yes i probably put my truck thru more stress than the "average" guy i intend on fixing the truck to as good as it gets conditions . . but a little at a time the drive to north dakota is my big concern whether i can put the repairs of till my return. . thus saving a little more money or if there is a way to know that they need replaced immediatley

 

[Missouri Mule]

I would replace wheel universals right away. Then go from there.

 

[Arctic Taco]

As long as you don't have much of a lift on the front The Rare parts track bar is pretty good and does have some adjustment. I don't know if it would have enough for anything more than a 2" lift, We'll see as I am getting ready to adjust mine today. Since the axle u joints are going maybe Dyna trac hubs? depending on your budget... .

 

[LTsmoke]

no lift yet... maybe in a few months after everything else is straightened out

 

[Arctic Taco]

May re-open a can of worms there. The Hell Bent Steel leveling spacer gave me 2. 5" couple that with my weekly commute-a 90 mile dirt road. Now the front end is a money pit. But a very educational experience... ...

 

[LTsmoke]

thanks to all for the opinions and advice