1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Steering issues?
Problems with Dodge Ram 2500 steering?
My parents just bought a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500, complete with steering problems. I had the harrowing experience of driving it today, and this was my impression:
Does very, very well under 55 mph.
Hit the interstate, and the truck is drifting all over the road, in both directions. Steering starts to feel a little loose, but not worse than my old '92 Chevy. When passing, the truck veers (I mean, VEERS) in the direction that I was heading, requiring correction, at which point the steering feels impossibly loose.
The truck spent 6 hrs at the mechanic on Wednesday.
Work Done:
Replaced tie-rod end, brake pads, calipurs (both sides),
new steering stabilizer, realigned. Ball joints were checked during alignment.
Also replaced rear leaf (unrelated).
The truck does have mud tires on it, which increases the profile about an inch... was told this would not contribute to the steering issue.
So. Any guesses?
They checked pressure when they aligned it. I rechecked them after I drove it, equal and rec PSI. The garage that did the work has been my garage since my first car - love them - they do great work, and specialize in wheels & steering
they obviously missed something when they were aligning it or they are not checking things properly. the ball joints on those trucks last about 40,000 miles. it may very well need new ones. all tie rod ends wear out on those, especially the on at the pitman arm. the track bar also needs to be checked. it holds the differental centered to the frame. the joint that wears out is on the frame by the left front wheel. these last about 12,000 miles, especially if they are not greased. this is where most loosemess in these trucks comes from. it is a very bad design. i have replaced many of these under warranty once a year because of poor design. if you need to replace yours the aftermarket ones are a good $100 cheaper, and i would recommend finding one with the longest warranty possible. you should also check your wheel bearings. loose bearings would also cause steering wander. the last thing would be play internal in the steering gear. the worm and sector gears inside wear over time and need an "over center" adjustment to tighten up the gear mesh. this adjustment can be done in a half hour or so. you might try taking it to the delaer to get checked out. they know the right way to check everything and all the common problems. you don't have to have it fixed there if you don't want to. they should charge you maybe a half hour labor to look it over and write you an estimate. then you can have it fixed wherever you want.
