Its Dodge...but the mechanics are all the same idea.

Carli Blog: The "Death" of Death Wobble

 

Let me know if you figure it out. I have a platinum with adaptive steering. It still has a somewhat loose feel to the wheel and bump steer. I have a 2" BDS kit w/ fox shocks installed Caster has been in the 2,3,4,5 and 7 degree range and only the 7 degree range has made a noticeable difference. It also currently has dual stabilizers on it and radius arm drop brackets. Now when i removed the factor steering stabilizer it helped a little bit. I have a King on order i plan to put in where the stock one was but i'm still leaning toward the adaptive steering as having some part in my problem. No dealership will touch the truck because of the level and no one can tell me how to adjust or reset the steering angel sensor, or if that will even fix anything.

I just got a socket big enough to tighten the pitman arm bolt and see if that is playing into any of this and i also plan to try and tighten all the track arm bolts when it gets out of the shop for the frozen door lock issue.

 

Hello all, First off I would like to say that I am having adaptive steering fault and loose steering especially at highway speeds (approx 50 -70mph). The faster i go the worse it gets. I have a SWD F350 with the 6" radius arm BDS system and upgraded fox shocks and dual steering stabilizers on 37x13.5R22 wheels. I spoke to a representative from BDS and they told me that all I needed to do was calibrate the adaptive steering and if that didn't work then I have to adjust the steering angle sensor. Well yesterday I met a guy that is a general manager at a local ford dealership in south florida. I met him because it was made aware to me that his son works with me. I explained to him the issue that i was having and he told me to bring it in and he will have someone take a look at it. Long story short they attempted to calibrate the adaptive steering but the computer did not allow them to because it said something in the steering system is broken. The master tech from Ford ended up directly contacting BDS and he received much more information than i would have ever known. BDS sent over the instructions which clearly states the vehicle needs to be disconnected from the battery before the installation takes place. This needs to be done because there is a cable inside the steering system that is connected to a small motor which keeps tension on the steering. It was explained to me, that if you remove the pitman arm without disconnecting the battery the steering wheel spins in an attempt to tighten the steering causing this cable to snap; therefore affecting your steering when the rest of the lift is installed. this adaptive steering and cable also controls your lane keeping assist and collision control module (none of those systems should be woking as well). The master tech asked me when was the lift installed, I told him it was installed 1/21/18, he then showed me a piece of paper which showed a timestamp of when the adaptive steering was damaged and showed fault.

When i initially took custody of my truck after the lift, I asked the company who installed my lift why was my adaptive steering fault light on and they told me that it was normal and no one has come up with a fix yet. He also said it was normal for it to happen after doing a modification (something that I was uneducated about and naive about). I am now going to go back to the company who installed my lift to see if they will cover their $1,200 mistake (fords price after a friendly discount).

Since the problem has to be fixed (I don't feel safe driving like this) I went ahead and purchased the steering column. I will update my response sometime next week when the part arrives from kentucky and it is installed. I will also continue to fight with the company who installed the lift to see if I can get back any compensation. This is the problem that I am currently having and I'm only posting to see if I can shed some light on any others having the same problem.

* Just an FYI , I tried the pitman arm issue, the ABS sensor issue, the retightening of all the bolts issue, and multiple alignments at multiple shops and nothing worked for me. As I stated earlier, I also tried to go the steering angle sensor issue and recalibrating of the adaptive steering issue but the computer at the dealer would not allow anything to be change because it shows that something inside is damaged.

 

Man that is some great info right there. So glad I didnt get all that extra crap. So many problems, cant imagine what its going to be like maintaining that stuff down the road.

 

I'd like to think that with no light and since my pitman arm wasn't removed that I don't have that issue, but i'd love to find a dealer that would even take the time to recalibrate the adaptive steering or steering angel sensor. No one will touch it with just a leveling kit installed. And on a side note, BDS has been no help what so ever to me. I've left numerous messages and been on hold for quite a while to only get one response that was to tighten some nut in the steering column.

 

BGMSPD: If you changed anything in the front of your suspension it is possible that someone had to adjust something in your pitman arm. Don't assume it wasn't done especially if the dual steering stabilizer was added. You should be able to go to a dealer and have them do a diagnostic check, it should cost $149. A dealer should not want to do a diagnostic because of a lift. They will deny warranty work because of a lift but they will not deny to check and see what is wrong with it. If you are in south Florida I can guide you to the right guy

 

Wow, I stirred the pot back up on this topic. I had 2.25 caster bushings installed today and it got my caster out to the 4.5 range...we will see what happens. I will report back! I am real interested in your story pepito. Is the adaptive calibration a ford only fix or is there a battery unhooked sequence that can be done?

 

jbrad: Yes, the adaptive calibration is a ford only thing. I have heard of people with FORSCAN being able to do it but I am not a techy kind of person. The instructions from BDS is to make sure there is no power to the truck.

BGMSPD: yes you were correct in saying that there is a nut to tighten in the steering column but the nut is not going to tighten anything in the wire is broken. The exact code is C10394 and it's called (SECM) Steering wheel Efforts Control Module.

Trust me $1,200 sucks but don't be blind in spending money on trying to figure other stuff out. Just my two cents. As stated I will be sure to give an update when the part arrives and is installed

 

Wow....Technology is a real PITA sometimes.


This forum needs a thumbs up/thanks button.

 

Pepito29:
very informative post about the adaptive steering cable issue. thank you. I highly doubt many people are aware of it and the potential issues from it when lifting. I knew nothing about it. Luckily I have no issues with my steering

 

 

click the scale in the upper right hand corner. it adds to the posters reputation and you can leave them a quick thank you. I apologize if you already knew this.

 

I'm so glad I didn't get stuck with the adaptive steering. I wanted it bad.

But like ya'll, I'm leveling, putting nice springs and shocks on, etc.etc. I didn't want to hack up a premium model and have all those premium parts listed on Ebay. Sometimes it's better to build a base model, than it is to buy a Powerwagon.

 

Can you shed anymore light on this nut that may require tightening. I'm pretty sure i don't have a broken cable as there is no light and when i did pull the fuse for adaptive steering, the dash lit up like a christmas tree and i could notice a difference turning the wheel. I plan to go over the track bar bolts and pitman arm bolt as soon as i get it back from the dealer who is trying to resolve the frozen door latch issue.

 

Never heard of an adjustable steering damper. Do you have a link or part #? Does it fit in the factory location or is it mounted different?

This?:
https://www.4wheelparts.com/Suspensi...=FOX983-02-118