Does Your Ram Have The Infamous Steering Wheel 'clunk / Rattle' ? Fix Found....

I have a 97 Ram 1500 and I have noticed that when going into a left or right turn, the truck will sway as returns to center. It seems as though there is play in the steering box. Is this what your all talking about? I dont hear any noise as I turn or come out of the turn, but perhaps this is the calm before the storm...the sway is driving me nuts, because sometimes the truck drifts and is VERY dangerous...well, I drive in Los Angeles so they are all dangerous! I have a full machine shop and can machine the said bushing, but if enough are produced...I will order one as well...I love this truck, she is all stock as of yet at 144,000 miles...

....it sounds like the steering box maybe out of adjustment or worn. I don't recall any swaying motion upon turning my truck, before we developed this fix.

If a 4x you may have a worn track bar - it provides side to side location for 4x front axle. If badly worn, and especially if the control arm bushings are shot, entire axle could pivot side to side, and that would probably feel about like you described !

What I had was clunking, rattling noise, over rough pavement or driveway joints, plus increasing play on either side of center.

On center stability was decent (still not perfectly linear like on a Toyota with rack & pinion, but oh well) once it was moved past the 'play' and you were 'set'.

So, our kit might help your overall precision, but it doesn't sound like the problem you currently have.

Take Care,

David B.
www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com

I also have that annoying clunk.
99' 2500 cummins
5.9 L
160,000 miles with a standard transmission

Davis:

We have similar trucks. Mine is also a 2500 Cummins, and a '97 - 4wd, club cab.

For the purposes of the steering column rattle / clunk it usually matters not - all 2nd gen Rams have identical columns (some are tilt or fixed), be they gas, diesel, 2x or 4x.

We have noted the 4 x 4 Diesels exhibit the problem sooner & worse than others. Probably because of rougher treatment & heavier engine, which flexes the frame, cab & other componenets more.

Is your intermediate steering shaft OEM or did you upgrade to a Boregeson or other aftermarket shaft ?

FYI, the intermediate shaft is the telescoping 2 piece sliding shaft that connects the lower end of the steering column to the steering box.

It has to slide smoothly w/ binding, to account for cab / frame flex issues. Sometimes this intermediate shaft has become bound up by grit and becomes a solid rod - this also contributes to clunking as it then quickly wears out the lower column bushing.

As part of our Ram Truck Steering Fix, our kit not only replaces that lower column bushing, but we advise all to check the smooth operation of the intermediate shaft - which is simple as you need to disconnect it anyhow to access the lower end of the steering column.

So, you could check it's operation & if you find it binds / won't telescope smoothly up & down - bingo you've got a strong hint at a 'major contributing factor'.

Ironically, on my Ram truck, I had already upgraded to the Borgeson intermediate steering shaft a year earlier, then the clunking started. What I finally discovered was the Borgeson's rubber boot had cracked, dirt entered the sliding joint & made it immovable.

Basically it became a solid rod. Not good for the health of the column above nor the steering box below. And this was an obvious 'smoking gun' to the clunk / rattle issue.

With it not sliding, any play between the cab - to which the column is attached - and the frame - to which the steering box is attached - was not harmlessly absorbed, but rather, transmitted directly to the column or steering box.

The 'weak point' is the OEM lower column bushing / bearing assembly, so it gave way, and became the 'typanic membrane' for this shocking from rough pavement, driveway joints.

Now my truck was making 'music' - ha ha.

Lesson learned: I went back to an OEM Dodge intermediate shaft (it's a bit looser than the Borgeson & thus more tolerant of dirt & grit NOT binding it up), and we engineered our bushing kit.

Now, the clunking was gone & to my surprise, steering precision was better than day 1.

Apparently, the lower column assy was designed to a very loose tolerance, and that 'little bit of play' on either side of center, was now gone. Cool.

At the minimum, you could make two checks:

1) Drop the intemedate shaft to check for smooth up & down operation

2) Now it's disconnected, grab that spring the encircles the column shaft (it's just above the U joint you had to disconnect to lower down your intermediate shaft), and try to wiggle it back & forth.

If it's worn up inside, it should wiggle pretty easy & you'll feel some play.

Our Rock SolidRam Truck Steering kit replaces the parts that are up inside, against which that spring rests.

You can only see the very edge of this lower column bearing / bushing assy as it nests up inside the column end.

The spring is the most visible part, and it goes away for good.

(One big motiviation for us to engineer this kit was that Dodge sells ONLY the entire column as an assembly for $ 900 - not any individual parts. How completely wasteful of our time & money, to do that when only one small part is defective.....)

It's even possible you don't need our kit, but that your intermediate shaft binding is causing clunking & rattling even so.

Therefore checking it is good policy. Lube that joint with grease to help it remain operating smoothly.

Hope this is of help to you & others.

David B.
www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com

what is name name of that part and what book are you talking about

Originally Posted by sweeney821

what is name name of that part and what book are you talking about

The part / kit we are discussing is our fix we developed for the worn lower steering column bushing. When our trucks age, the lower, internal bushing in the column goes bad - wears out - gains play, and Dodge only sells the entire column, for $ 900 +.

So, we engineered this fix, and it replaces the cheap lower bushing assy - with a stout, precisely made bushing & retainer that cures the 'loose steering' for good.

Sometimes, the column begins clunking or rattling like crazy over pavement joints, etc, rough surfaces, etc, and this is also a sign you have the 'issue'.

Anyhow, we try to shed light on this issue, because it's one of the most cost effective fixes to fix & improve steering performance that can be done to the Rams. There are others, like checking your intermediate shaft for wear & play - we tell how to do that in our kit instructions.

Besides that a Ram truck owner might want to check the steering box adjustment, too.

Those 3 things are about it, underhood.

Under the chasis:

From the steering box down, check steering linkage joints, tie rod ends. Also ball joints, & if a 4x4, longitudinal (runs across your axle) track bar & parallel control arms for tightness & adjustment.

So, do that and the truck should steer real straight & true.

Our kit is here:

www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com

Hope this helps, David B.

I installed your product and it worked for a while. Then in the winter when the cold air kicked in the steering was tight I mean real bad.

Sweeney821,

I can help you with that. There are some tolerance variations from truck to truck, say a few thousandths across a range.

What you expereinced is a combination of factors, column at the large end of the range of tolerance, for the bushing size, then extremely cold weather (bushing shrinks a couple thousandths), and bingo things get tight.

Also, driving a good amount right after installation is helpful, as the driving motion 'seats in' the bushing to your inner steering shaft.

Our intstructions advise to check the fit before finalizing things by installing the retainer washer. This is done by using some fine sandpaper on either ID or OD.

Most columns don't require it, maybe 33 % do. Then once fit is checked, by turning the wheel (truck stationary) back & forth, making sure no binding moves the shifter mechanism.

(BTW, this is only for AUTO trucks; manuals transmission Rams are more straightforward.)

Long story short, we now make the auto bushing a few thousandths less in dimension to alleviate this potential issue.

We guarantee your satisfaction, so if you'll send me a PM with your details, I will get you out a replacement kit, with the new spec bushing & new retainer washer.

At Your Service,

David B.
www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com
1-936-371-1447

RamVanMan i have a question concerning my 94 1500 3.9L V6 auto tranny 110,000KMS
1. my truck pulls to the right if i hold the wheel straight (tires balanced)
what could be causing this?
i have not changed any ball joints or tie rods or done anything to the steering (other than grease the joints every 5000kms
thanks for your help

i have no clunk or noise ,replaced track bar ,had allighment done ......i have to saw to keep the truck straight ,even been pulled over twice for crossing the center line ...would this help my truck to go straight ?

TruckRam Rod:

Probably needs alignment. Our Ram Steering Fix Kit helps you have control over the suspension, but it's the suspension settings that effect how straight your Ram goes, ultimately.

It couldn't hurt to have your column operate with more precision, could only help, but I think your immediate concern is elsewhere.

Bass 2 catch: I think we can help you. The 'sawing to keep straight' is a common complaint. Even when new, our Rams tended to have this characteristic. By the time our Rams are 10 years old or more & have miles on them, the lower column bushing has lost precision. Our kit restores it, even better than day one.

My father watched my hands, on our first highway test drive, and said: "We'll you don't even have to tell me it's better. Your hands are still and you're staying straight as an arrow. You were sawing on the wheel since the first day you owned this Ram. Big improvment !"

Our kit includes the whole instuctions laid out simple with lots of color pics to eliminate gueswork. We also explain how to check the intermedate steering shaft (it needs disconnecting from the column anyhow) for play at that time.

Details at: www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com

At Your Service,

David B.

i have ordered the kit .is it still 2 weeks ship time ? also i tried to move the spring on the collum it was tight but i noticed some play in the shaft where it goes in the firewall

Hi RamVanMan,

I just purcahsed a 97 Ram 2500 4x4, Auto this past Saturday. One thing I noticed is that if I turn the wheel very slightly left of center, I feel a vibration in the steering wheel, sort of a light clunking noise that you describe, like the truck has a worn steering component. However, I checked the front end of the truck when I got it back home Saturday and besides for a VERY slight about of play in the ball joints on the right side, everthing seemed tight to me. I felt no play in the steering when I checked both front tires (trying to move the tire at 9 and 3 as you would for state inspection. I'm not sure how to check that track bar though, I am completly new to these Dodge trucks.

My truck has just over 147K on it. I really like it so far. Any thoughts? Do you think your kit would cure this issue? (I know it's tough to definitevly say online).

Also, I read all pages of this thread. Have you included instructions on how to install your kit without removing the steering column? How involved is the install if you do it without removing the column? Do you have any pics of the in-vehicle proccess?

Thanks for the help,
Greg

Congrats on the Ram 2500 4x purchase - gas or diesel ?

Ok, to your question: the track bar provides side to side location of the axle.

[Its like a 'panhard rod' for your front axle - cars or trucks with coil spring rear ends always had a sideways rod, anchored to the frame, to secure the rear axle side to side.]

The little ball joint that mounts it's end to the drivers side frame rail, it gets a bit lose, allowing some minor movement - boom bye bye goes your steering precision. But when this is really bad, the truck will 'track' poorly, primarily.

I used Luke's Link to rebuild mine - very reasonable $ 75 or so, adjustable & greaseable. (www.lukeslink.com) or upgrade to a 3rd gen bar, if you prefer.

What characterizes the worn lower column bushing problem is excessive steering play - that dead inch or so of play on either side of 'center'. If you've checked & replaced every steering & some suspension components & still have play, that's probably it.

Dodge offers only the entire column - $ 900 ouch. Only the lower bearing / bushing part has gone bad. Our kit upgrades it to more precision than it was new.

If you have clunking noises that are louder with your windows up & cab quiet, or if you also 'feel' the clunk in your feet / pedal area, that's also a 'deal giveaway'.

What is confusing is that both the 'play' & the clunk indicate the problem, but they don't always occur together.

The play usually occurs first. Once it's gotten greater, it starts to clunk. Now you really have an issue.

On the removal instructions: yes we include many color pics. The procedure to do it 'on truck' is also included. You simply cut the retainer & spring from the side angle, instead of from below. Pretty simple really.

We'll also tell how to check that intermediate shaft which could be worn & causing some play, too.

Hope this helps you....take care,

David B.
www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com

RamVan,

Thanks for the detialed and through reply, I really appreciete it. I have some other issues to work through on this rig at the moment (brake pulsation, ETC), but when I have time, I will look into this issue more closely. I will do the check by grabbing the steering shaft near that spring to check for play. If I have an excessive amount
present, I will be ordering your kit for sure!

BTW, my rig has the 360 V8, no Cummins unfortunately, but it will do what I need it to do anyway.

I love the styling of these trucks!

-Greg

Well I order it, but I was wondering, I am replacing a bunch of ball joints and a tierod end this weekend and the truck is going in for an alignment this week, Should I wait until I get this bushing in as well to get the aligment, or would it be fine to install this fix after the alignment?

Ordered the bushing fix from Rock Solid Ram. Should I expect an email when it ships out?

Originally Posted by expensivehobby

Ordered the bushing fix from Rock Solid Ram. Should I expect an email when it ships out?

Yes you should, well I did anyways.

I pretty much got a confirmation email later on in the day that I posted this. Can't wait to install it!

Thanks.

Originally Posted by RamVanMan

Sweeney821,

I can help you with that. There are some tolerance variations from truck to truck, say a few thousandths across a range.

What you expereinced is a combination of factors, column at the large end of the range of tolerance, for the bushing size, then extremely cold weather (bushing shrinks a couple thousandths), and bingo things get tight.

Also, driving a good amount right after installation is helpful, as the driving motion 'seats in' the bushing to your inner steering shaft.

Our intstructions advise to check the fit before finalizing things by installing the retainer washer. This is done by using some fine sandpaper on either ID or OD.

Most columns don't require it, maybe 33 % do. Then once fit is checked, by turning the wheel (truck stationary) back & forth, making sure no binding moves the shifter mechanism.

(BTW, this is only for AUTO trucks; manuals transmission Rams are more straightforward.)

Long story short, we now make the auto bushing a few thousandths less in dimension to alleviate this potential issue.

We guarantee your satisfaction, so if you'll send me a PM with your details, I will get you out a replacement kit, with the new spec bushing & new retainer washer.

At Your Service,

David B.
www.RockSolidRamTruckSteering.com
1-936-371-1447

Sorry for tha late reply, what do you mean by PM with your details?

P Sweeney