Lost Texan

I just had the upper and lower ball joints replaced along with the front left hub bearing on Tuesday. Today while driving, I noticed that the truck seems to wander left and right and the steering wheel feels like it has a lot of play in it. Keep in mind that the truck is not pulling, like it is out of alignmnet, but wandering left and right ever so slightly.

I checked the pressure on each tire and it seems to be up to snuff. I also checked the fluid level in the power steering reservoir and all of the linkages under the front end. Everything seems to be tight and installed correctly.

Anyone experienced this yet after having front end work done?

I appreciate it.

LT

scottsjeeprolet

Well let's see, fill in your signature in user CP above so we know what you are drivin.
Did they check the Trac bar? they are notorious for causing that wanderin feelin. If it is bad you can get a Lukes Link for a cheap fix that is rebuildable.
Oh Welcome to the DTR!

1stdodge

Did they align it after replacing everything ?
Just because it's not pulling doesn't mean it's not out of alignment.
Camber / Caster could be out.

Lost Texan

Sorry about the signature gents. I just updated it, I hope it is showing on this reply. According to the dealer, they aligned it. Would a bad alignmnet cause a lot of play in the steering wheel? Thank you for the help, this is driving me nuts.

Hohn2

mine does the same thing after my lift kit went in. Took it to my suspension guru in a different town, and he stated that the newer trucks when they get lifted, the camber gets WAY off and the only way to get it totally correct is to upgrade to adjustable ball joints.

He has mine ordered presently.

Peterbilt

Mine had a wander in it especially going around large radius curves. They adjusted the tow and it was great after that. 30K miles later and it's still good.

Pete

bigdav160

No, alignment doesn't cause play/slop in the steering. Play is caused by worn out parts.

However, wander, can definately come from the alignment. It probably needs more caster.

JD Dearden

You guys need to put hydrolic assist on your trucks, this is a system that will not allow your wheel to turn or wander unless you move the wheel. Now don't get me wrong you may have some other problem but this is a very good upgrade for these trucks.