I have a slight pull to the right. Not terrible, but I notice it on the interstate, it wants to head for the side of the road.....so I keep my hand on the wheel and point her towards the center line.
Noticed last night, while putting new shocks on, that the inside of the driver side front tire is badly worn in comparision to the rest of the tire. The passenger side is also slightly worn more on the inside, but nothing like the driver side.
Yeah, you definitely want to get an alignment. Alignments are good to get or at least to have checked once or twice a year (unless you hit a curb or something, then you should do it then). I know local places here will do a check for free and only charge you if it's out. They provide a print out of before and after so you can confirm the alignment prior to paying for it.
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2005 F250 V10, CC, SB, 4x4, 4.30 axle ratio
Thanks for the replies guys. This being my first 'front solid axle' truck, I wasn't sure what my options are.
Good point about the ball joints. I have not checked them yet.....is it the same way I used to check them on other trucks? Jack up the front, put one hand on top, one hand on bottom of wheel and look for play?
rotate your tires and check the air pressure before you get an alignment. I ran my tires at 50PSI for two years (had a slight pulle) then I looked on the tires and saw that there should be 80PSI....problem solved.
I jacked the front end last night. I could not find any play in the ball joints (or any other component for that matter) however, like I said, this is a much larger truck than I am used to, and maybe I'm missing something much more subtle than I'm used to looking for.
However, after reading about alignments, I'm convinced I have a very negative Camber on my front driver side based on the tire wear pattern.
Is Camber adjustable on the front of these trucks?
If you have eliminated the wear items (i.e. ball joints, unit bearings, spring bushings, etc.) as possibilities, I would also suggest swapping tires from one side to the other to eliminate radial pull as a possible source. When you have the truck aligned be sure to have the thrust angles checked. This indicates how parallel the front and rear axles are to each other. The issue could actually reside in the rear if you have a sagging spring or worn spring eye bushing.
If all else fails adding .25-.5 degree of castor to the right side should solve your issue. Hope this helps
Guys, thanks for all the help. I got a couple of recomendations for an alignment shop from some 'old timers' and called ahead. After talking with their alignment guy I feel very comfortable taking it in to have it done.
Prior to that (tonight?) I'm going to check the air in the tires and rotate them just to eliminate that as a problem.
Thanks to everyone for their advice and help, I'm always amazed at what I can learn from this site. (I now know how to inspect and test my ball joints.)
A special thanks to Brother Les, Redford, and Overkill (rep points given). I rotated my tires and inflated my tires to the recomended 50 psi (up from 35 psi) and the problem completely disappeared!!!! I just put 205 interstate miles on my truck and it tracked as straight and true as a plumb bob. It even handles better!!!
Noticed last night, while putting new shocks on, that the inside of the driver side front tire is badly worn in comparision to the rest of the tire. The passenger side is also slightly worn more on the inside, but nothing like the driver side.
What can I do?
Thanks fellas.
Stone
This is a classic symptom of incorrect toe adjustment (not camber). The "front" of the tires are "wider" than the "rear" part.
Even if it tracks true, the alignment is still "off". An alignment shop should be able to fix that quickly and easily -- they should not have to go to the effort of a "thrust angle" or "4-wheel" alignment to get it done, although if funds allow, you should go for at least the "thrust angle" alignment.
Hey Stone,
I was having the same problem with my 99. When I got it on the rack, I grabbed the passenger side tire, and could move it back and forth about an eighth of an inch. Time for uppers and lowers...
__________________ '99 F250 PSD LONG BOX X-CAB 4X4
Foil Delete-6637-cold AC Mod-Garmin Navs-Pioneer all the way around (Thanks Steve)
Nope, I have not had an alignment done yet. I called ahead and talked to the alignment guy and plan to take it in. I could find NO play in my front end components, so I'm hoping that I don't have a ball joint problem. I'm just thrilled that it's not so bad a rotation and inflation couldn't at least mask the problem.
Once I get her aligned I will let everyone know what the shop had to say.
Oh, and they are going to check the thrust angle also. I asked specifically about that.
Hook'Em Horns
