Save yourself some time and replace your front u joints instead

 

Thread revival.

Was this issue ever definitively resolved?

Thanks
ss

 

On my truck it was U-joints.
Than I put XRF ball joints in, and that was another can of worms.

 

I guess I'll add my issue and solution to the list then. I think i sorted it yesterday.

About 2 months back I noticed particularly when I was turning right and accelerating while turning, at the end of the turn, as I would release the steering wheel in my hand the truck would just continue to turn. I would have to turn the wheel with significant force back to center to make it straighten out or the truck would simply try to drive me off the road. There would be jerking and pulsing in the wheel the whole time as well. Over time I started noticing it to the left but it did not seem as severe. Finally I was on the interstate at highway speed in a straight line and the truck tried to drive itself off the road to the right, I corrected then it tried the same trick to the left. I got it straightened out and off the interstate and to two shops the next day. In addition to the driving me off the road, there was grinding popping sound on those rare full lock turns.

First shop could not reproduce the effect said the front end of my truck and steering box were in great shape and likely had all been serviced recently. (I bought the truck about 18 months ago from a gas pipeline co with 150k on the clock and they appeared to have cared for the mechanicals pretty well.)

The second shop also said the front end was fine and they did reproduce the symptom. They thought it was a failed steering damper allowing pressure to move to quickly from one side to the other then not back. I replaced the steering damper with a Bilstein piece. The steering was more tight but the truck was still trying to drive me off the road.

I decided to take a look myself based on some reading on the internet about a binding stub axle. I put the entire front end up on jack stands. The left tire spun freely and easily but the right tire required more force and was quite and bit noisier. Low and behold, the right front hub locker(but not the left) was seized in the locked position. The easy way to see this is to watch the stub axles while turning the tires. So while driving, the right tire was spinning up and attempting to slow down at least the right axle and differential. to eliminate it to test drive the truck, I pulled the right hub locker entirely(I don't have a good one sitting in my shop and I wanted to consider the replacement options too.) Problems completely disappeared, truck is driving and turning straight true and as you would expect.

I used the 4WD about two months back last and I think it stayed locked then. I can not exert enough force by hand to make the hub locker center turn, I have not tied to wash the debris out and try to figure out what happened to the locker itself.

So if you are having those particular recentering/pulling probs on a 4WD, check that both hub locks are acting right.

ss

 

I had similar (and more erratic) steering problems that seemed to get worse around this time 2017.

First, we replaced the front hubs and that reduced the steering problems but it did not eliminate them. I still had problems after very sharp turns (especially turns greater than 90 degrees).

What solved that problem was replacing the left front U-joint and the Steering Shaft. The LF U-joint was seized.

Knock on wood, no problems since.