Wildone

A metallurgical replication of the weld and of the parent frame material will tell you exactly what has happened to both the weld and the heat affected zone. I'm sure if this has happened to several of these trucks, Dodge would have had their engineers perform a failure analysis and determine the appropriate repair.

LeonT

It's never been abused in any way. Stock tires, no stunts, never even been 4-wheeling with it. In a nutshell, I've babied this truck and it only has 31K on it. So far the repair is holding together OK, but I've probably only put 3K on it since they welded it.

I'm afraid to put a steering brace on it while it's under warranty because they'll claim I broke it if it fails again. I have almost 2 years left on the Chrysler MaxCare warranty. My service guy says "Go ahead and put it on", but his statement and $1 will get me a cup of coffee at the diner. I don't trust them unless it's in writing. No brace until the warranty expires.

kruegerlouie

wow,so if a experiencd welder repairs somthing the truck should be junked?
how many guys have welded brackets on the frame or axle for traction bars on this site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! guess ALL the longbed megacab conversions should be junked also

Ace

There's your problem right there. Extended warranties are a waste of money. All they do is protect people who are not good about doing maintenance from themselves. Sometimes. If it's a lemon, you'll know in the first year. If it has defective parts, you'll know in the first two or three years. If you take care of it you won't need any warranty after that.

Hounddog

Well I handled LOTS of extended service contracts.LOTS.They are just like insurance.I did about $50k a month in repairs covered by extended service contracts the majority were factory contracts but not all. I also had some customers that NEVER used theirs but others were thankful they bought it.Its a gamble.I know folks that also NEVER get health insurance.

LeonT

I used to think the same thing. They may be a waste of money to you, but I paid $1,200 for mine and it has more than paid for itself this year. Two new steering gear boxes, a new PS pump, this frame cracking issue, and some electrical stuff. I've always been a stickler for maintenance, and I do it myself. All these problems raised their ugly heads in the 5th year of ownership.

Ace

That is disturbing. Guess they really don't make them like they used to. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting bitten by the steering box issue at some point, since it required an adjustment at 25k and did not see much abuse or off-roading that I am aware of in the previous 7k miles after we bought it. I believe there were probably large runs of basically hidden defect boxes that got installed and may not show up bad until well after the warranty. Probably the primary factor contributing your frame problem as well.

I just look at that as an opportunity to get a good after-market unit in there and be done with it.

Hounddog

Hey I've handled LOTS of extended service contract money/repairs on ALL makes after 3 years.Jap/German(big tickets on german)Volvo and domistics.Its NOT just 5 year old Dodge trucks believe me.

Mocho

I like my chances without an extended warranty 2 years so far owning it and not a hint of anything, and the truck is almost 5 years old and 75k miles. If something goes I would much rather do it myself anyway, $1,200 buys a lot of parts and you know it's done right.

This thread should die, kruegerlouie you aren't reading the posts right at all. Just because a certified welder is doing the work means nothing, nor if the shop is a "good one". It is a lot more complex then welding a pipeline or a trailer. There is a reason problems arise later in a lot of cases, and many respected welders will not touch a vehicle frame with a 10 foot pole, there is a LOT of things you MUST do. A lot of people welding on traction bars aren't doing it right and basicly should put a match to their truck because they have wrecked the frame, but it's their truck let them do what they want. But good luck ever getting it passed a real inspection. Vehicle frames are very touchy and to many people think because they know how to turn on a mig welder and pull a trigger, they can weld on it.....I know a welder will never touch my frame

Blake Clark

Apparently you have never worked in the oil and gas industry. If ever you have to set, execute and test a welding procedure for a pipeline you would see how complex things can get. Esp when working with deep water SCR's.

I do agree though, just cause you can strike an arc does not qualify you to make a proper weld on anything that requires metal composition and integrity to remain within a certain set of parameters. Fence post and the such, weld away....

This thread is gettin quite drawn out however.

Mocho

I am not a welder myself but yes I know exactly what goes into it. If a welder has their B pressure and knows what they are doing they can do it with their eyes closed. A frame will never be the same, was what I ment. And just because they are a welder with all their tickets doesn't mean they can weld a frame.

bob4x4

There have been many of us who have done frame welding and the frames are just fine..............Do you have any idea how many recalls involve welding on the frame????

Bob

dropped2500

[QUOTE=Mocho;2411894] A frame will never be the same, was what I ment.QUOTE]

You are so right its not the same, cause when done right it is stronger. Im no welding expert, but i have taken frame and body welding test for autos and they have been tested and passed just fine. If you look at your truck frame really good there are many places where sections are welded together. Most of the times when when in wreck you cut the frames on the welds and re-weld them in the same FACTORY spot! An if frame welding is soooo bad and wrong then why are most drag car frames welded by people and they are millions of times safer then any vehicle on the road? This thread is getting nowhere cause half the people replying have never picked up a welder let alone know how to use one. An when someone that does this stuff all day says its ok and the truck will be fine, people that have never even seen someone weld pop up and say its not right and you should never weld a frame.

Blake Clark

Your right, just cause a welder has a thousand different tickets doesnt mean diddly squat. The point i was trying to make was it all depends on the welding procedure. If a procedure is qualified for a certain type of weld and material and THEN the welder test to that procedure ONLY THEN are they qualified to weld on the job in question, what ever that be. What Im saying is if the proper procedure is set to weld on a frame and then a welder tested to that procedure then there should be no problem with welding on the frame. Now does this mean that Backwoods Bubba can pick up a Welding for Dummies book and make up his own procedure and then weld it. NO, I mean professionals who know what the heck they are doing through experience, metalury, lab testing etc. Ive spent more time setting, and testing procedures and being in a lab analysing results that Id care to remember. Now if you dont believe me on this, just go ahead and take my word for it. This is what I do for a living and spends 7 days a week and months at a time away from home doing it, but If you ask nice and are interested on the subject I can give you examples of the sort of testing that takes place.


Now..... That being said, im done with this thread, Ive made my point and further more I KNOW that I'm right. To each his own, and you cant change someone who is set in there ways. If YOU want or dont want to weld on YOUR own frame thats your decision. I just suggest you be well informed before you do...

Im out.

LeonT

Didn't mean to start an all-out war when I posted this thread, but I admit I was a little nervous about what they did. Thanks for all the replies. I learned a lot.

Both times when they replaced the steering gear boxes they used reman units. The service guy told me you can't get "new" steering gear boxes for my truck (he didn't make any references to "after market" boxes though).

Anyway, everything is holding together so far, but I don't plan on putting many miles on this truck for the next couple of years. I'm getting ready to buy a 1/2 ton for my everyday running around. I started a war on another thread with the "09 Dodge 2500 or '08 Tundra" debate. And after all that I've decided not to get either one. I'm going with a Dodge 1/2 ton, GMC 1/2 ton (made in Mexico now BTW), or Ford 1/2 ton. Done several test drives of each, and what a decision. They're all good trucks. Ouch.