ive got an f250 2001 diesel, my dream truck that i am beginning to not like anymore.
i have put new tires on it, had it realligned twice, put new brakes and rotors on it, and new shocks. it is still squirrelly on the highways near us. on the straight away it is fine and great at 85mph. but on our winding highways at 50 it is scary. it doesnt pull, it is just hard to control. dealer says there is nothing wrong with it. any clues or help??

 

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Seahag, welcome to FTE.

What exactly is it doing on the winding roads. We need a little more info to help out. Is it drifting left & right, is it pushing, is it oversteering, is the back sliding, etc.

 

Does it have a steering stabilizer? If not, you may want to try one.

 

jade97,

Don't be so quick to recommend a stabilizer, as they often mask a more serious steering issue. Shaking is bad geometry or worn parts and just adding stabilzer is covering the symptoms and not finding a cure.

 

BFR250SD,

He did say he had it checked out & NTF. I am 'assumming' the balljoints, tierods, etc. checked ok.

Firestone tires maybe?

 

Trucks with diesels will have balljoint problems sometime in their life.
Also the steering box themselves will wear the sector gear on diesels.
Its a common problem.
Have the truck chk for ball joint play. Any alignment shop thats any good wouldn't align a truck without chking.But there are lots of crooks out there.

What kind of tires are on it?I,ve seen people put " p " tires on a truck before
p= passenger tire soft sidewall and it will make a truck with this kind of a suspension do some awful things.

Rich

 

i have good quality tires on it, not passenger tires, i live on a dirt road, so they are a harder rubber. i do know that the truck rides better on a softer tire, but it still was squirrely then, just more so now.
as for what it does, it feels like it is out of allignment, but it isnt. it feels like one of the tires is at an angle and when i go around curves it is hard to control. i have to drive a narrow highway and i constantly feel like i have to correct the truck so i dont hit the center divide or the car next to me. it only feels like this on curves or when hauling a load in the bed. usually pulling a trailer it is stable.

 

Bent Axle Tube(s)??

 

Hard to control the front end or the back end?
When I picked up my truck (with 70k miles on it) when you went around a curve the back end acted like it wanted to come around on me.

 

Firestone steel-tex and continentals are not the best handling tires for our trucks.
chk the steering box and the ball joints.
Did you run an oasis on this truck?Maybe to see what was done to it before you owned it?
Maybe it had a steering box changed or something else accident maybe?
Don't know you didn't say if you were the only owner.
Rich

 

okay, i bought it new at the dealer. its a 4x4 short bed with extra cab. it came with the tow package and its an automatic. it has power nothing (windows,mirrors,etc.),didnt want it on a dirt road that stuff just shakes out and doesnt work after a few years. only thing 'fancy' are the top running lights on the cab. it has been realligned 3x since i have had it. it has 74k miles on it. its maintenanced regularly.
i used to put pirelli scorpions on it as that is what we used on our old 2 wheel drive '85 f250 (which i never had problems with and it had 350k on the engine). those tires lasted me 14k if i was lucky on the new truck so i went to michelin lpx/ms on the advice of several people with larger trucks that haul trailers.
i am not a mechanic, i bought this truck because our old one was a workhorse and was reliable and i wanted another diesel that would last like that one did. i havent done any after market stuff except for using a power programmer and upgrading my rotors and shocks. i dont feel safe driving my truck alot of the time now and am hoping that this wasnt a poor decision. i did alot of research on the diesels before i chose another ford and am second guessing myself these days.
i am willing to upgrade things, just dont want to be taken by dishonest people, thats why i was hoping this forum could send me in the right direction.

 

you have a workhorse,in that truck.
I think you need to get it to somebody you trust,for chking the ball joints and steering box.That truck is just getting broken in.
My thoughts.You said your not a mechanic,so I guess me telling you how to chk for ball joint wear is not applicable.
You could have a wheel bearing problem also!
Rich

 

no i wouldnt have a clue, but i can certainly tell a friend, he just is surprised there would be a ball joint problem on the truck...

 

Raise the front of the truck up about 2-3 inches off the ground,enough to get a 5-6ft pipe or bar or 2x4 under the tire from the front.Have someone try to raise the tire by lifting slowly on the pipe.if you see any movement up and down or in and out sideways the ball joints are bad an need replaced.
Wheel bearings can be chkd then also by grabing the tire top and bottom and try to rock in and out any movement they are bad.
Rich
PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHILE DOING THIS!!!!! don't get under the truck!Look from the front with flashlight or lead light.