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Truck wanders

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  Pure Perf 
#1 ·
hey guys as the title says i have a truck that wanders. a few months ago i put a 2 in leveling kit and 34 in tires and since then it has gotton worse. i did replace the track bar about a year ago w/ just a moog replacement. i also replaced the 2 tie rods that make up the drag link last spring. and when i did the leveling kit i did put new monroe shocks on (it was all the auto parts store had) and it did get realigned.
my truck has never really handled that great from get go. however before the leveling kit, it was never too bad and it didn't bother me.
i think the problem may lie in the steering box due the fact at a dead stop the truck has a hard time turning the tires. i havent gotten under the truck yet to check it out yet because of the cold weather and lack of motivation.
im just wondering what you guys think, if you think that sounds about right or if there could be something else causing the problem. any input would be well appreciated.
 
#3 ·
no steering brace, alignment was right after i got the tires and kit, which was around the middle of december. and yes the tires are balance.
i am also running the stock steering stabilizer, but i do not get any type of death wobble
 
#5 ·
I would get the steering brace asap. There is sooooo much play in these trucks ps boxes especially with bigger tires.

Also swap the PS fluid for Lucas Royal Purple or RedLine... Huge diference!
 
#6 ·
alright i will definatly look in to that brace, where is a good place to locate one i dont know a whole lot about them. and will definatly do the fluid. ill have to pull the truck in the garage this weekend and a take good look at it and see if there is any play in that box as well.
 
#9 ·
The only time an offset or adjustable balljoint should be used is when the axle is bent. Other than that, there are much better alternatives such as cross caster and playing with the rest of the alignment.
 
#8 ·
yeah, ball joints could be part of the issue. truck has around 130,000 miles and they've never been replaced. although the truck doesn't have a bad pull to any side, just wanders like there is play in the steering.
 
#10 ·
Who makes a good steering brace?
 
#12 ·
custom-diesel-com
is where I got mine and it worked great..plus half the price of the others....the truck just wandered going down the road...put new bushing and lukes link on the trackbar and that helped but the steering brace made it like new.
 
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#14 ·
Sir

How much caster are you running? What is your caster split side to side. A steering box brace certainly will not hurt you, but might not be the root cause of your problem.

Also, when you changed the rubber, did you also change the wheels? If so, what size and backspace did you go with? If you decreased the back spacing, you would effectively increase your scrub radius. This could make it feel like it wanders as well as making it harder to steer...

Just some food for thought.

JP
 
#15 ·
im not sure what the caster is on it, i had a local shop do the alignment. as far as tires and wheels, i did buy 17" mt classic 2 wheels with a 5" BS and 0 offset. the tires are a 305 70 17 which are close to 34x 12.5. so i can see what you are saying about the scrub radius which probably is playing some part in my problem.
however, i think i am still going to go ahead and put the steering box brace up, i think it will make it a little better and plus it should prolong the life of my box.
 
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