DW doesn't really puzzle me , till now

[Newfie5.9]

First off , sorry , yet another DW story . 2007 3500 5.9 4x4 . Here's what's new
-all new steering TR's and linkages as per upgrade
-both wheel bearings
-Steering box (installed today , brand new Mopar unit)
-new Rancho 9000XL's
-tried tire rotation to no avail
-factory track bar but just checked by senior tech , rated good
-DS ball joints 40 thou , PS 60 thou (spec is 90 for replacement) no horizontal play (checked with dial indicators personally)
-I also have a Solid Steel Industries adjustable track bar , it was on when DW first hit and was only 4 months old max at the time . I have since went back to the stock in an attempt to get a new one . I say it has minimal play but never helped with either bar . Tonite I'm gonna reinstall the SSI bar with brand new bushings (got 2 spare sets when I bought the bar)

I did check the toe and it was bang on
I did have an alignment last fall but not since the new linkage , castor hasn't been touched
I do have a 2"leveling kit in the front , added last fall , then the alignment followed . First DW was 3-4 months after that .
Tires are 285-70's , Nokians , and well balanced , no vibes at any speed . Tire pressure ran at 55psi

I've been letting the dealer do his thing since it is warranty (gold plan) but the parts are flying and no fix .
They won't touch the BJ's till 90 thou . Frankly , I think that's where it's starting from .

I'm gonna try the track bar tonite and go for a ride . I'm gonna buy new frame side sway bar bushings cause I know at 80K they are done (helps in everything else I drive) and they are cheap .
I'm thinking of buying new ball joints and removing the 2" BB and another alignment after that , there's just nothing left

BTW , my vehicles are 98 5.9 Grand (adopted by wifey), 95 Grand 7" LA's , and 88 Comanche 5" on 32's . This is not my first run in with DW , just the first one I am having trouble diagnosing .

Any input would be appreciated , I love the Ram , have a 100 mile trip back and forth to work every day on not so great roads , DW can happen daily but I got the road mapped out pretty good , lol .

[Newfie5.9]

I replaced the worn sway bar frame bushings , and re-installed the SSI track bar with new bushings . My truck drives soo nice , till I hit a bump at 60+mph .
Only things left are a new alignment , ball joints , or possiblly the control arm bushings .

I guess I'm gonna try an alignment first , the castor adjustments look opposite , one facing front , the other facing back . I also did a check on the castor with an angle finder , it looks off . One side read 6-7ish , the other looked about 3* . It's not an accurate measurement though , but , it does indicate a problem .

[Newfie5.9]

Well my truck now drives fan freakin tastic , straighter than a whip , even with a decent sidewind , I can barely feel .
Toe was at a min total of .10 , now maxed at .30
Caster was L4.3 , R4.5 now L4.5 , R4.6 .
Camber is L-.4 , R+.4 . L-.4 is barely lower than the min spec -.3 , max +.8


One problem though , although it hasn't broken out into a full DW , it's only because I know the road well enough to know where to slow down , mainly , bridges . It still shimmy's the wheel pretty good if I hit a bump , my problem is still there . I'd just rather not put my truck through the abusive DW unnessecarially .

I'm gonna rotate the tires again since I haven't after getting all the new parts . My newer ones are on the rear . They were on the front when the DW started .

Any thoughts ? Would the offset in camber be the issue ? The tech said it was correctable with adjustable ball joints , obviously , but at who's expense ? Should I start the argument for needing them under warranty based on the DW issue ? I hate the thought of having the existing play in the ball joints already (see above post)

Should I pull the control arms to inspect the bushings at 80k ?

What about the leveling kit I put in 6 months before getting DW , remove it and reset the toe ?

I'm lost here a little . I'm gonna send it back to the dealer once again I suppose . I'd sooner let them take the bill than me . They only have 2 things left original on the front end to replace , ball joints with obviuos play , and the control arms .

BTW , I also have a slight but notable clunk in the steering wheel that I can also feel in the brake , only low speed over bumpy roads .

Hate bumpng this DW thread , but I'm not having any luck on my own here fella's and usually I'm on the other end telling ppl how to get rid of this curse .

[spooled05]

I replaced everything in the front end on my truck chasing dw. Dynatrac f/s kit, carli uppers/ moog lowers, topgun controll arms and thuren trac bar/steering stabilizer. Everything was good till one day it hit again , tracked it down to lowers, put new ones in and all was good till they went out again. The moogs only lasted about 25-30k before had to replace them, so i went w xrf lowers and all has been well for 60k. Moral to the story i spent a lot of money on this front end and the one thing that fixed it for me was the lower balljoints.

[Newfie5.9]

Thanks Spooled05 . I'm gonna order up some XRF's , I think the ball joints are causing it too .

[spooled05]

Not a problem! The xrf's are a really good balljoint , hope they solve your problems.

[Newfie5.9]

Originally Posted by spooled05

Not a problem! The xrf's are a really good balljoint , hope they solve your problems.

Just completed my order from ebay . Should have them in 5-10 days . I'll post back with the results .

Thanks again , I was on the cliff about them , you pushed me over . I need new ones anyways by my standards . I need the front diff oil changed too so it's a good time to do it

[elephantrider]

you have done quite a bit of work, but
i didnt see where you checked the
control arm bushings. that caused dw
on my lj twice.

[Newfie5.9]

Originally Posted by elephantrider

you have done quite a bit of work, but
i didnt see where you checked the
control arm bushings. that caused dw
on my lj twice.

I haven't pulled them , but I can't find any play trying to pry them . I have checked , prying from every available angle and even using a jack stand , nothing seems bad . I'm not sure what the design is either . I know on my jeeps the axle bushing is hollowed frt&rr to absorb the impacts . These are terrible bushings , I replaced mine at 100K and the center fell out . I replaced those with solids . From what I understand , these aren't replacable . Maybe I should rephrase that and say replacements aren't available . I also see a $600 tag on the OEM's and a long arm upgrade for $900 . Carli's are not cheap either , so , a LA upgrade seems to be the best choice . It does say it will work with 2" , over kill maybe , but , if a lift is in the future , maybe I'm planning ahead , lol . I have frt and rr LA's on my 95 Grand , it's lifted 7" and rides like a Caddy on clouds with Bilstiens

I'm gonna wait till after the ball joints are on before buying CA's unless I see something .

I'll have someone let it idle in drive while pumping the brake , moving a foot at a time . I can get along side to observe .

[Newfie5.9]

The control arms seem solid , and I did untighten the bolts when I installed the 2" as you should .
I did however discover the pitman arm tie-rod has considerable play and a clunk to boot (explains the clunk I have been feeling in the wheel and brake pedal) . It could also be the final cause to my DW issues although raising my tire pressure and increasing the shock stiffness(adjustables) seemed to keep it a bay today for 200k.
Thing is , this part was installed maybe 6000 miles ago . Guess my upgraded steering downgraded me :dunno: My truck sees 500 ft of gravel road daily , the rest , hwy .

Another issue , the dealer . I just had a brand new steering gear installed 9 days ago , and this was missed ? Fine , but I just had a wheel alignment done on Thursday past and again , nothing in my front end was inspected ? Yet I crawl under the truck and in 30 seconds am out again with a problem found . Seriously , compared to these red sealed journeyman chrysler certified mechanics , I'm a ing genious . It's been like this
-"My wheel bearings are bad , and can you check the rest of the front end please" . Result , new wheel bearings , ball joints still in spec
next month
"My TRE's have play , and can you check the rest of the front end please" Result , complete steering upgrade .
next month
-"My steering box has a clunk , can you adjust or replace it . Also check the rest of the front end please"Result , new steering box
Following week
"wheel alignment please" I always thought a front end inspection was kinda a given with the alignment
All the while complaining of DW

Anyways , back to the dealer again . Last time though , I'm gonna start replacing things with better parts like the ball joints I already have on order .

[dom42]

Also you prob did....but check if you axle is properly aligned. I know a lot of ppl who get new adjustable track bars for the truck w/ lif t or leveling kit and most of the time they dont adjust accordingly. ....hint ...it will need to b slightly longer then stock.

You caster angles seem right now. Tires can cause death wobble. especially bfg's. And get them ball joints and do some;n with them control arms. DW is a combo of all the stuff you mentioned. good luck.

on and your shocks are definately not helping....

[Newfie5.9]

Originally Posted by dom42

Also you prob did....but check if you axle is properly aligned. I know a lot of ppl who get new adjustable track bars for the truck w/ lif t or leveling kit and most of the time they dont adjust accordingly. ....hint ...it will need to b slightly longer then stock.

You caster angles seem right now. Tires can cause death wobble. especially bfg's. And get them ball joints and do some;n with them control arms. DW is a combo of all the stuff you mentioned. good luck.

on and your shocks are definately not helping....

Thrust angle = 0* , I believe the track bar was adjusted 1/8-3/16 longer than stock

My Tires are Nokians . High speed balanced and I can't complain about them , except the $300 per tire price tag .

You won't get any arguement from me about the shocks . These Rancho's are not all that and a bag of chips . Certainly not worth the money , not like the Bilstiens . I still have the stockers with less than 20k , I might just change the fronts back out .

That said , I'm pretty sure the p/arm TRE is the main problem right now , and the ball joints the rest of the issue . .