~Angry Tractor~

Hey guys

I have had a slight pull to the right for about a month now. In the past 5 days it has gotten really worse, if I let go of the steering wheel it really heads for the ditch. Now a bad vibration has started at 35 to 70 mph's. I'm gonna give a shop a call today the thing is I really can't afford (bad time of year) to have them do it so I doubt if they will diagnose it for me. ANyone have anything similiar like this, they tell me where to start? The pull is to the right and the tire on the left side is wearing bad on the inside. I'm gonna have to find some 285's now, to replace these front tires. Thanks

kawi600

Sounds to me an awful lot like a ball joint or a really bad wheel hub.
Ive had to work outside under a tarp with a kerosene heater a couple times already. Not fun but it beats shelling out $$$.

woodrat

I have had that problem before. Check your drag link, look for warped rotors and I was also told to look at the kingpin bushings in the top of the steering knuckles. Although I straightend mine out the first time with a new drag link and then much later I had a similar problem from warped rotors.

TIMMY22

mine was ball joint's. jack it up and check for play.

~Angry Tractor~

Well it looks like it is a little bit of everything. The track bar is trashed. Turn the wheels and watch it move in and out of the tappered bore it goes into on the steering box linkage. Ball joints worn. Tie rods wore out. Im wondering if that linkage to the steering box is wollered out from the track bar wearing it? Anybody ever had to replace that because a bad track bar damaged it? 10 years and 140,xxx miles on the OEM trac bar, I think I'm gonna go with the napa replacement.

TIMMY22

get the napa one and save your slip, you will be bringing it back about every 15-20K. you can get a better one but you might as well take advantage of napa's policy. there counting on you loosing the slip.

the steering box has a adjustment nut on the top. you need a long extension to get to it.

Doing the track bar, ball joints, tie rods and all that at once is an expensive time consuming job!

are you sure you are looking at the track bar? it connects passengers side axle to drivers side frame. doesn't connect to the pitman arm.

good luck.

gmctd

You're probably talking the drag-link - ties the pitman arm to the tie-rod on passenger-side.

Be a good idea to do it all at once.

Count the # of exposed threads on each replaceable end, compare the orig to the new, if identical assemble the new end to that thread depth, and suspension will be close to spec when you're finished

Or, measure between the zerk fittings, install the new part(s) to that dimension - result will be close to original.

~Angry Tractor~

I guess I do mean the drag link. Its the bar that goes from the steering box over to the passenger side. It moves in and out of the bore when I turn the steering wheel. It also flexes the frame when I do that. I'm not to familiar with the names of the front end parts. I need to get a manual. I tried the DC website but didnt have any luck finding one there. Jut dead searches.

woodrat

sounds like you better look closely at the frame where the steering box bolts on too. I've heard of frames cracking there, mine never did, but I had drag link problems a couple of years ago. I just replaced the bad rotors on my truck and I now need to replace the drag link again, and my steering box is leaking too, but so far, no flexing frame...