Ball joints replaced today. Top and bottom both sides. Steering problem now. Turning right or left the steering wheel doesn't return to center as it should. At full turn it tries to come back but stops with about a 1/4 turn left. A slight turn right or left and I will keep tracking that direction after letting go of the wheel. Only other service was a front end alignment.

 

Did you install Moog joints?

 

Are the ball Joints press in? Like 2nd gen. Did you grease them after putting them in? I have seen this in older trucks ND gen.
Ball Joints not seated right, nut to tight. Torque to spec it is easy to over do it. Just some ideas.
I have a 2001 that is that way that I just got. I was told that all the ball joints are new. Drives like crap, unless you like going in circles. First I am going to grease the uppers, pull the plugs on the lowers and grease those. If no luck i will pull it apart and repress them in, If they are in I will have to replace them again.

 

How tight you make them should not effect the joint its self, you are just tightening against the taper of the stud.

 

I had a shop install them and I'm not 100% sure what joints they used. Why do you ask about the Moog's. I know there are more than a few bad things said about them.

 

Okay I should have read the other threads before replying the first time. Plenty of bad said about the Moog's. Similar problems discussed numerous times.

 

Just looked up the part numbers from my bill. Yep Moog joints. Part #7460 and 7467.
D*$#!

 

I think we have found your problem.

 

I have the same problem with my truck. Had the ball joints replaced with Moog, and the steering was like dieselthunder's.

So...I decided to replace the ball joints with XRF's. I got the new ball joints and went to replace them, except that the XRF's just slid in. There was no need to press them in. That was not good. So, I took some measurements and found out that the hole was now several thousanth's over the XRF ball joints. I was able to return the XRF's but I had to go back to the Moog because they are now the only one's that fit.

Did someone ream out the hole to make the Moogs fit? Did the Moogs enlarge the hole? Highly unlikely, but for now, I seem to be stuck with the Moogs, even with their poorer steering.

DMH

 

ok I did this and it drives much better. I will let this grease work its way around and do it again. I comes back to almost center.