Ok, I have been dealing with this for sometime now. The truck has a constant drift to the left. In a matter of a couple hundred feet at 40 MPH the truck will gently drift left. If you let go of the wheel. The wheel will turn left. The shop tried to fix it. All they did was center the wheel but the truck still drifts. They fixed the symptom and not the problem. When I say fixed the symptom, you had to keep the wheel slightly to the right to go straight. Whenletting go of the wheel it would center and the truck would pull left. Now you hold the wheel center and when you let go of the wheel, the wheel is left of center and the truck drifts left.

In the past year I have changed all four balljoints and number of alignments and the brakes are new and are not dragging. All calipers retract.

I have that dreaded sway bar clunk. Not sure it that is causing it.

I have new bilstein shock on order and should be here in a couple days. I will see if that helps any.

My trucks suspension is bone stock. THis drifiting problem gets worse and ball joints wear. WHen the ball joints are replaced, the problem is not as severe but still exists. Makes sense, a firm fit ball joints helps keep the truck straight. As they wear it pulls easier.

ANy Ideas?

 

Mine drifts too but it isn't a big problem yet. Im going to check my air pressure first. Did the dealer do an alignment? It can be a hung caliper that is making it pull to one side.

 

Yes the shop did a alignment and the calipers fully retract and are not dragging in the least. My tires are just about shot. At the last bits of tread. We will see how the new Toyo's effect this.

The current tires are fine with pressures. I check them weekly.

 

Is the frame squared to the axles ? Have some one drive behind you and see if the truck dog-legs.

 

I had an old truck once that measured 1 inch closer on one side (center to center between front and rear tires) than on the other. I had to fight with it too to keep straight.

 

Twayneb, you may on to something here, if the rear axle assembly is not square with the frame, and front axle, it could tend to drift as described. One question, is the road crowned or flat?

 

I recently bought my '02 SC LB 4WD, and the only thing wrong with it was that it pulled to the left, fairly hard. I figured I would take it in and get it aligned, and that would be that.

But before the alignment, I wanted to get new tires, and I wanted a matching spare, so I found a used wheel that matched, from a local truck dismantler, for $50, with the same Steeltex tire. I wanted to check the thing out, to make sure it was true, so I swapped it out with one of the tires on the truck. I just randomly picked the front left. Guess what? Problem solved, completely.

Funny thing is, before I had tried that, I talked to the alignment guy, and told him about the pull. He said new tires might fix it.

The tire I put on had about the same amount of wear on it as the other three on the truck. I don't know what could have been wrong with that tire. Any ideas?

BTW, before I did any of this, I measure the front and rear axle relative positions. Dead on.

 

Radial tires can exhibit a difference rolling resistance, some time the act of just switching front tires on the front axle will correct the condition you describe.

 

Here are other thoughts on this
not always front brakes dragging can be rear e-brakes or disc.
can be front axle shaft needle bearings causing a drag
can be front wheel bearings
can be a bent front axle shaft tube (yes those mono beam can be bent or misaligned when welded together)
a leaf spring sagging on one side also
any worn steering component can do it also
As stated 1 out of round wheel or tire can cause a pull

Just a few thoughts

Rich

 

Swap the front tires right-to-left, and if that doesn't change anything swap the rears.

Changing the shocks won't stop it from pulling to one side, unless it was only doing it on bumps...

If tires don't fix it, get a thrust-line alignment - this will check that the front and rear axles are parallel, and that they aren't off-center.

 

The shop I use has checked anything you can think of. The last option is tires. THe drift is always there even after a tire rotation. I just had the front axel needle bearing lubed and they checked the wheel bearings. They did center the steering wheel on the alignment rack. I thought about the shocks (changing anyways reguardless of the drift) causing it because it will drift and hit a bump and the wheel will turn even farther left and drift more.

I got a set of Toyo's going on in two weeks so we will see!

 

Check the camber.... mak sure both driver and pass camber values match. I had the same problem with mine. New balljoints and tires weren't the cure. I needed them ayway. While the camber was "in spec" according to the book. One side was on the high end and the other was on the low end. It would pull in the left lane, but drive fine in the right. It all depended on the crown of the road...

The alignment guy basically flipped the camber kit from one side to the other and it cured my problem. He's only seen a few SD's exhibit this.... All I know is it cured mine. I'm happy now. Driving 48 miles roundtrip over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway everyday in the left lane would get downright brutal.... Not anymore...