Recently i've gotten a lot more freeplay in my steering wheel. When i hit a pot hole with one of the front wheels, going around 45+, i'll get a horrible wobble in the steering...the wheel jerks back and forth for a couple seconds...i basically have to hold it straight. What do you think is going on here?

I had the relay rod recall done about 6 months ago...but this seemed to start happening when we did my brakes last weekend. but we didn't touch anything steering related, so i'm lost. any ideas? i don't want to pay the dealership 94 dollars just to tell me how much more its going to cost me

 

try and get it aligned. if there is any steering component damage they will tell you. You probably need an alignment anyway

 

X2 on aligment at our shop it is $22.50 (if we cant align it) but at least someone can tell you what is wrong with it

 

You may want to check your steering stabilizer and tie-rod ends as well. If they need replacing, you can do these yourself and save a few bucks. If you need tie-rod ends, count the threads on the old ones before you take 'em off, and run the new ones on with the same threads showing.

This will get you close enough to get it to the shop for an alignment.

 

how can i tell if these parts have gone bad?

is the stabilizer the same thing as the damper? (dampener, whatever you want to call it - the thing that kinda looks like a shock absorber)

how can i tell about the tie rod ends?


i don't know the names of these parts...but the steering shaft that goes down from the wheel to the gearbox...the little u-joint in there right before the gear box. what is that called, and could it be causing the problem? there is a little play in it when i stick my hands down there and move it around.

thanks for all your help

 

Yeah, Dampener aka Stabilizer. The shock thing. Pull it off and see if it's good. It's good if it's hard to push in and pull out. If you could play it like a trombone, it's bad. And I bet yours probably is..

Tie-rod ends you can tell by having someone turn the wheel inside while you're under there looking around at your steering components. Everything should move at the same time. A 1/4" of play will make a BIG difference in steering.

 

pot holes at 45 mph?? you might want to slow down a little bit otherwise its going to get expensive with alignments and new tires. i understand that sometimes you just cant avoid them due to traffic conditions etc, spring time seems to be when they are aplenty so give yourself some room for manouvering.

lee

 

If the tie rods have movement when you grab and try to wiggle, they are probably bad

 

If this suddenly started happening after a brake job, you need to start there. What exactly did you do with the brakes? I'd put the front end up on jack stands & try wiggling each wheel side to side and top/bottom while a friend holds the steering wheel. Something happened during that brake job.

 

Gremlins...

Yeah, jack it up. Get all the weight off the front end. It's a lot easier to check for play without the weight.

That little u-joint could be causing your problem, but it could the pitman arm....or it could be the idler arm...or the tie rods. The FSM will have diagrams of what all that is and where. Check it all.
While on the stands, grab hold and tug real good. There should be no play in the idler or pitman. The tie rods should be tight and only allowed to to swivel and rotate, but not sloppy like.

Also, check the steering knuckle arms. They are tied in with everything, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that one is loose.

 

heh thanks everybody

it was a dead shock...and id just like to say, i love how easy it is to do shocks on this truck

i still suspect that dampener is bad though. but everything feels tight enough for me. no more death wobbles

and as for hitting potholes at 45...dude, you don't know what some of the roads are like around here. i mean, the aren't deep potholes, but there are sections of road that are just so rough, its unavoidable. its like a line of small potholes and cracks right where your drivers side tires need to go. and when it rains, they fill up with water, causing a whole new problem

yeah some of the roads are total ☺☺☺☺ here