I have an 05' CTD with 9000 miles on it. I have a 2" leveling kit, bilstein shocks, and 35" toyo m/t tires. The alignment has been off on the truck for some time and it pulls to the right. I took the truck to a reputible shop for the alignment and they told me all four ball joints were bad. Therefore they could not do the alignment. I took it to the dealership, they inspected the ball joints and stated all four were fine. But, they refused to do the alignment. I will take the truck to another shop tommorrow to see if the alignment can be completed. Has anyone else had similar problems. Does anyone have a suggestion. Thanks in advance.

 

Unfortuantely the dealer probably will not do the alignment or any other steering or suspension related work because of the lift kit. They could become liable if in fact you have any steering related problems that caused an accident. 9K miles seems a little early for ball joint failure but you have oversized tires and been driving with an out of alignment steering for some time which puts additional stress on the steering components. Do you off-road much? Does the steering feel vague or is there unusual vibration when driving? These trucks ride nice on the highway because they have taken away a lot of the brute strength components so big tires, misalignment, and hard off-roading will definitely take a toll on the suspension and steering.

As for the reputable shop, is this one you used previously gave you good service or is it the recommendation of a friend, of a friend, third cousin's, uncle ...... well you get the idea. If it is a shop you have used before and provided unquestionable service I would believe them. You have already absolved the dealer of any responsiblity as you have modified the suspension to something other than its original design and they are not going open themselves up to any possible lawsuits. Good luck!

L8r,..........dogger

 

Apparently dodge has increased the "spec" that they use to determine ball joint wear to avoid replacing them so often. I recently had the same run around as you. Too loose to align but not loose enough to replace.

I got a quote for $800 to replace just my uppers last week. I bought both joints for under $200 and plan to do it myself next weekend. I pulled the tires off just to verify that I wasn't being given the shaft and I was able to feel play in both my upper joints so at least I know that it definately needs to be done. My front passenger tire is wearing quite uneven so I must get it done sooner than later.

 

I had the same thing.Pulls to the right.Was tolerable with the stock tires,but it got worse when I put the bigger tires on.I told my dealer that it was there before the tires,& they had to clear it with D/C,but they installed aftermarket upper ball joints to correct the caster.Drives like a dream now.Try another dealer if you can.Hope it helps.