draglink and tie rod loose

[macascio]

I have taken my rig to get it aligned twice to be called both times to come get it. The first time on the rack the driverside tire when shaken moved and showed some motion or slop which looked to be bad tie rod or dragline. I replaced the draglink, tie rod looks to be good, still same looseness when tire is in air on rack and shaken. Everything else looks tight, i did put a disc conversion kit on but used same orginal knuckles. on passenger side tierod has what looks to be a rubber bushing around tirerod treads that makes it tight when nut is tightened, on drivers side new link has a internal grease fittin that puffs up when greased and then the nut, should there be a rubber bushin on this side as well, could that be the missing piece that makes it all loose, any help here guys would be great, and oh its been a long day so please no wiseguy questions that are intended to make me look dumb, as always thanks for your help! mac

 

[broncnaz]

Whats the alignment shop telling you thats bad? They should be pointing out exactly what needs to be replaced if not I would consider another shop.

Not real sure on your description but tie rods have a rubber boot that keeps grease in and dirt out they have nothing to do with the tightness of the tierod. Have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth while you watch for any play in the tierod before the knuckles move. More than likely if your drag link was worn then your tie rod ends are also worn. You have to check for play external looks alone mean nothing.
If your tierod ends up being tight then it could be your ball joints. Jack up a wheel and shake the whole wheel back and forth you should be able to see and feel movement if they are worn.

 

[macascio]

bronconaz
that is exactaly what happens when truck is on ground and you turn the steering wheel nothing seems to be loose when you jack it up and turn the wheel or shake it the whole damn thing moves. From your post it sounds like the ball joints. you would think the align guy would have figured that out. he just kept saying that the draglink to tierod connection didn't seem tight enough wit the nut tightened all the way down, i think he ismistaken, its all brand new parts except for the ball joints.....

 

[broncnaz]

Yeah it sounds like ball joints to me especaily if everything else is new. If I remember correctly the nuts on the tierods and drag link should be torqued to 50 ft lbs. It doesnt hurt to recheck them after its been driven a bit as they can loosen a bit after they are installed.

 

[DirtDonk]

...that is exactaly what happens when truck is on ground and you turn the steering wheel nothing seems to be loose when you jack it up and turn the wheel or shake it the whole damn thing moves.

So are you saying that things do move when it's on the ground, but not when in the air? Or something else?
In the air you won't see the same action as on the ground with all the weight on the tires/wheels. THAT's when loose things can be discovered.
What do you mean by the "whole damn thing moves"? If the axle is moving side to side then your track bar is loose or the bushings shot. Did you mean something else?
You can check for semi-loose ball-joints and even wheel bearings by doing the wiggle test on the ground. With the power of the steering box and the weight of the vehicle, you can feel movement in either with your fingers. If the wheels are just barely wiggling, you can safely get your fingers up inside those areas without fear of pinching.
Just tell your helper to not turn it too far!!!!

Paul

 

[macascio]

aligned

we he said he got it aligned but he had to use 2 washers to get the draglink to tighten down on the tierod. he said after driving it, its like the body turns before the tires. that is why it still has some play in the wheel. he told me that dodge had an issue with a poor design and put out a quick fix stablizer bar that ran from the frame to the front end, not sure what he meant by that either.

as to answer above questions, with the tires on the ground with the wiggle test everything appears to be tight, in the air on the lift with the same wiggle test the left wheel moves when wiggled causing the tierod and ball and joints to move, which would prompt you to say the ball jointa re bad or the tirerod/drang link needs to be changed, well all of that is either new or in good shape, its confusing not to mention the death wobble at 40+mph when you hit a bump???

 

[ken75ranger]

Check the bolts on your steering box and cracks on the frame near your steering box.
For an easy bump steer test push down on the fron passenger side of your rig. If you see the steering wheel move as it goes up and down you have a bumpsteer issue.

 

[eb66to77]

we he said he got it aligned but he had to use 2 washers to get the draglink to tighten down on the tierod. he said after driving it, its like the body turns before the tires. that is why it still has some play in the wheel. he told me that dodge had an issue with a poor design and put out a quick fix stablizer bar that ran from the frame to the front end, not sure what he meant by that either.

as to answer above questions, with the tires on the ground with the wiggle test everything appears to be tight, in the air on the lift with the same wiggle test the left wheel moves when wiggled causing the tierod and ball and joints to move, which would prompt you to say the ball jointa re bad or the tirerod/drang link needs to be changed, well all of that is either new or in good shape, its confusing not to mention the death wobble at 40+mph when you hit a bump???

Alright, first, the "quick fix" from dodge was to put a track bar on the truck. You have your track bar in place right? If not, viola, problem solved.

Second, the tie rod ends both have dust boots on them that will puff up when you grease the TRE. The draglink is the bar that is supposed to have the rubber bushing and metal cap on it and that is where the drag link attaches to the tie rod. If that has a normal boot on it, then you may have a hard time tightening it down and then keeping the tie rod from rotating up and down when you steer. Misaligned steering links will multiply the affect. Make sure your track bar and drag link are as close to parallel as possible.

 

[jdcone]

Check the bolts on your steering box and cracks on the frame near your steering box.
For an easy bump steer test push down on the fron passenger side of your rig. If you see the steering wheel move as it goes up and down you have a bumpsteer issue.

This must be really commom because I just encountered this last week. Very easy fix.