I was over hauling my breaks when i noticed that the center ball joint was prett much gone. pasenger side wheel has a little bit of play the and driver side feels ok. I will be replacing the entire assembly, and then get the truck re-aligned but just had some questions....

Would this cause the truck to feel like it had some drag? every now and then, while driving it felt as though something was "draggin" the truck down and then it would kick into place and then felt like I was driving straight and smooth again?

When hitting bumps at speeds greater than 40km, the truck would sway a little? shocks are good...

When wheels are fully clocked left or right... which ever tire is facing into the truck, the tire is angled is such a manner that the top of the tire is leaning outwards.. ( the outer portion of the tire is in greater contact than inner ) Toe-in, caster, and camber angles confuse me....I can read up on it a million times and i still get confused on the geometry.

Insight appreciated...

 

If the ball joints are bad, yes, it will wander on the road due to the wheels wobbling around(creating alignment issues).

The tire will lean when turned full lock due to the angle of the centerline of the balljoints and the rotation around them. This angle(Caster) helps with self centering the wheel, or returning it after a turn. If the ball joints are gone, it will allow even more lean.

Caster: think of a shopping cart front wheel. The pivot centerline is moved forward of the axle, so the wheel will follow behind in a straight line. The more caster, the more lean. More caster also makes it harder for you to steer since you are pushing the tire over harder to change direction. We are talking just a few degrees off perpendicular.

Camber: How much the tires tip IN or OUT at the top.

Toe in/out is how much the tires point IN or OUT when going straight. Usually you want just slight IN(we're talking 1/16" or so) to allow for the forces to push the tires back and out(straight) when you go forward. (fixed it).

That's the simplistic definition.

 

Yes my alignment is a little off as it'll pull to the right which is the side that has a little play. Thank you for explaining the concept of camber and caster. Makes it easier to understand with analogy!

Should I replace just the ball joints? or replace the whole setup? (drag link, tie rod, tie rod ends AND ball joints)

 

Camber and toe are different. Camber is viewing the tires from in ft of the vehicle. Top of the tire out is +, top in is -.
Toe is viewed from above, front of the tires closer together is toe in, further apart is toe out.

 

Maybe a little better explanation of caster, viewing from the side of the vehicle, the axis that the wheel turns on is caster. Draw an imaginary line between the center line of the ball joints, the top will be angled towards the rear of the vehicle to have + caster.

There's also steering axis inclination (SAI). It is like caster but viewed from the front of the vehicle. It is usually only used to diagnose bent parts.

 

DOh, what was I thinking. Guess I should try to NOT work and play on the internet at the same time.....
I went back and fixed it so the next time it comes up.

 

so then in my case the toe is out on the passenger side if it is pulling to the right?

 

Not exactly. I'm no expert, and can't explain it all, but if there is worn parts, that is the cause of the pulling. The fact the toe-in is changing as the wheel flops around is likely why. Not that it is one side or the other. Toe in is combined between both sides.

 

Well the lower ball joint on the passenger side tie rod end looks a lot more worn than the driver side. And the center ball joint for the tie rod - drag link is really worn.

 

I hope this helps explain it somewhat.

 

Worn tie rods wont usually cause a pull. 95% of the time its a radial pull. Cross your front tires side to side and see if the pull goes away or goes the other way. Worn radius arm bushings will cause the caster to change and can cause a pull. pry down on the rear of the radius arm with the truck on the ground. You will have some movement but not "too much". The right side is close to the exhaust and normally fails first from the heat.

 

dammit.....more things to potentially replace! perhapds I should take pictures and post them to see what your guys thoughts are...

 

please keep in mind these were taken on an angle from the ground slightly upwards

 

Cant tell much just looking at tie rods. You need to jack it up and rock the wheel back and forth and look for play. Its not easy by yourself. To check ball joints rock the wheel top to bottom while watching for play... even harder by yourself. Just because the boot is torn on the drag link doesnt mean its worn. You can also have someone rock the steering wheel with the truck on the ground while you look for play.

 

When i replaced my front rotors the other day, before I took the wheel off I grabbed it top and bottom shook it and it did have some play. My cousin was underneath watching while doing so and said there was a little play but nothing too out of the norm for a 22 year old truck. I'm just trying to get my truck ready to haul my camper next month so want to cover all basis. Would hate for my front wheels to get pigeon toed or duck feet on me when I do the trip.