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Why does my truck wander ?
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How can I check the
sector shaft for play ?
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What does the stabilizer
do ?
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How does it work ?
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Can you provide some good
alignment specs ?
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Will it work with my lift
kit ?
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How about my snowplow or
tow hooks ?
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Is it difficult to install
?
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Why doesn't the
bearing appear to
be square with the housing ?
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Will it solve the
wobble problem?
Why
does my truck wander ?
If your truck is not steering the way you would like
it to, first check all your steering components. A loose tie-rod end or trackbar obviously must be replaced. Poor wheel
alignment must also be corrected. A steering box that has a loose sector shaft is often an
overlooked cause of poor steering. If you are having trackbar problems please click
here.
How
can I check the sector shaft for play ?
Have someone else rock the steering
wheel gently from side to side (engine NOT running) while you watch the
sector shaft for movement from side to side. The place to watch is between
the bottom edge of the steering box and the pitman arm where it's attached
to the sector shaft. Often, it's easier to feel than see. The movement
isn't much, maybe 20 to 40 thousands of an inch (a matchbook is 15 thousands)
but is amplified by the steering box quite a bit.
You can throw as many new
steering parts and wheel alignments at these trucks as you can afford, but
they still won't steer properly until this play in the sector shaft is
eliminated.
What
does the stabilizer do ?
This stabilizer is designed to provide
additional support for the sector shaft. Most (if not all) of the trucks we've checked do
have some detectable play in the sector shaft which will be eliminated by this stabilizer. These trucks usually have 2 to 4
inches of
play in the steering wheel (as well as poor road feel) that is caused
entirely by sector shaft movement.
How does it
work ?
We supply a replacement pitman arm nut for the
steering box which is manufactured with an integral extension shaft. This new
nut/shaft is then supported by an outboard bearing and housing. The bracket/crossmember
assembly is provided as a rigid mounting point for this bearing. The majority of
the forces in moving the tie rod are now borne by the truck's frame rails,
instead of the sector shaft bushing(s). The bushing wear in these boxes is
accelerated by the "dropped" pitman arm which magnifies the side loads
applied to the steering box. The outboard bearing eliminates this cantilevered
load on the sector shaft - the "wandering" effects of a loose sector
shaft bushing are eliminated. Essentially no load is borne by the original lower
bushings.
Can
you provide some good alignment specs ?
Try this link for some good info on alignment.
http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/00_steer_specs.html
Will it work with my lift kit ?
In most cases, yes. There are certain exceptions,
however. If your lift kit has drop brackets for the anti-sway bar AND there is a tube between these brackets, then there will be
interference. Cepek lifts are the only ones we know of that have this extra tube.
Please contact us for more info if you have one of these lifts.
So far, there haven't been any problems with
front receiver hitches or tow hooks. Engine pre-lubers or bypass filters mounted on the front crossmember may need relocating.
Some snowplow brackets may require modification of the plow brackets and/or
stabilizer.
Is it difficult
to install ?
Not really. There is no drilling or welding required.
You will need a 1 5/16 regular socket and a 1 1/4
deep socket to install the replacement sector shaft nut. A helper is nice to have to
help position the sway-bar and stabilizer back up against the truck's frame. We can put one on in under 10 minutes. Most
people report that it takes well under an hour.
We supply a self aligning bearing and housing. This
bearing has a spherical outer race to match the housing .After your stabilizer bracket is bolted to the frame, simply slide the
bearing and housing onto the new nut/extension shaft. Now snug up the two mounting bolts and the bearing will align itself
and allow the housing to lie flat against the stabilizer bracket.
Some trucks may experience
sudden, violent shaking in the front end and steering wheel. This is often
triggered when a pothole or bump is hit, and usually only occurs at
highway speeds. The biggest culprit is insufficient caster. Another
symptom of insufficient caster is the steering wheel not returning to
center after cornering. Try having
your caster adjusted to +4 degrees. (A truck that is within factory
alignment specs may still experience this problem, so don't be afraid to
tell the alignment shop you want +4 to +5 degrees.) Loose steering parts such as
tie-rod ends, steering box, and ball joints will also contribute to this problem. Other things to check are wheel
bearings,
steering damper, and toe-in setting.
In short, the DSS has been
reported to help in many cases, but check that caster first!
