I know you said the tires are good but sounds like broken belt. I would jack up frt of truck and spin the tires. the belt could be broken where you can't see it until you spin it. A broken steel belt tire makes the stering wheel go back and forth and will smooth out as speed goes up. You can also raise the whole truck up and put in 4wh and look all the tires move.

 

No, this is a hydraulic thing. It is not constant and sometimes is acts normal. I can tell when is going to do it because there is a little resistance when you make a sharp turn and you can hear the familiar hydraulic strain noise and then it is like someone jerks the wheel out of your hand to the right and 2 seconds later they push it to the left. You can watch it move if you you take your hands off the wheel. It is somewhere in the steering box or something that is controlling the box. A broken steel belt would give a different shimmy type of effect and would not change from day to day. Also it can do it at 3 MPH.

 

Do you have any play in the steering wheel when parked and moving the wheel?

 

The reason I mentioned steering stabilizer is because my brother had a pretty similar problem. I was following him one day and started to wonder if he was falling asleep because he was all over the road and even went off the right side a bit once.

Replaced the stabilizer and the truck went back to the normal "wander".

Hope you figure out what is going on with that thing.

 

There isn't and never was any play in the wheel at any time.

 

Thanks, It doesn't wander at all when it is not doing it. I don't think there is any fluid pumped into the stabilizer. I sounds like his was weaving then he had to correct it. I can't correct this because there is a force that pulls it left then right.

 

its your steering box id bet money on it

 

It might be. I read somewhere there is a little valve in there that can go out.

 

First thing I would do is to rotate the rear tires/wheels to the front just to rule out the possibility of that being the problem. Can't hurt...

 

It's not the tires because it doesn't do it all the time and there is a resistance with a hydraulic whine on a sharp left or right turn before it does it...........thanks

 

Is the power steering fluid burnt or discolored, maybe system is contaminated and needs to be flushed, this might explain way it's doesn't do it all the time.

 

No it's fine. I will try replacing it though. I heard it is just trans fluid. Another clue; Sometimes I can jerk the wheel back and forth and it will go away.

 

Might be a collapsed power steering hose and is causing the fluid to pulsate...

 

Thanks Cardiac, I will take a look at that tomorrow.

 

I was thinking steering box when i was resding this. If you haven't tightened the box up then it's probably not a gear mesh issue but may be related to the power steering setup as someone has already stated. Just for giggles, try backing the steering box setscrew off a 1/4 turn to see if that makes a difference or not. You say you have no play in the steering wheel which seems odd for these trucks.

Btw, are you the original owner or have you just recently purchased the truck?