[JoeBobBilly]

Hi all… I’m new here so any help will be REALLY appreciated!!

I just put Nitto Terra Grappler 295x75x16 tires on my 02 - 7.3 - F250,.
I also had to put on a Ranch Hand lift kit, so the front tires would not rub…

I took it to my shop of choice to have it aligned, but they said that it would pull to the right slightly, because of the lift kit, and I would need my passenger side “king pin” replaces/fixed, to the tune of $400.00 plus bucks… OUCH!!
It does pull to the right...:ugh:

My questions are:
Is that something I could replace, and why would that break??
It that something I could adjust?


BTW… I put on the Ranch Hand lift kit myself. I am also VERY pleased with the ride of these new tires... VERY little road noise


Thanks,
Joe


02' F250 quad cab, 7.3, 4x4 104,000 miles...

 

[Reg Reich]

Well, one thing I would check first, is the front & rear brakes. Be sure none of them are sized on the slide pins. Make sure you do not have a caliper piston sized on any of the brake caliper locations. If all these are OK I would find a long stretch level area & see if it still pulls. Sometimes the crown on the road can make your vehicle drift left or right. I would note if it pulls, drifts, when you are driving with no brakes applied or just when you appy the brakes. If all the pistons are free & not creating any drag, and all the slide pins are free, & it does not pull on brake application then it may be a bad tire. Even though the tires are new one or more can be bad and cause a pull or drift. Try rotating some tires & see if this corrects any pull or drift. A GOOD alignment shop CAN adjust your alignment to allow for a road crown condition but it wiil not always work on every road condition you drive on.
Hope these suggestions help your investigation.

Reg

 

[JoeBobBilly]

Thanks Reg!

I'll check the brakes this afternoon, (instead of my nap) and take it for a spin down the interstate...
I guess I should of been more specific, but braking doesn't seem to have any effect at all, but maybe there is something that is rubbing/dragging on the right side.

And I have swapped out the tires, front to back... no change, left to right still no change.
Just driving down the interstate, I can straddle the crown and it still pulls (maybe I should say drifts) slowly to the right. Does the same thing if I find a really long straight stretch that is fairly flat.
One more thing, if I am on the left side of the crown it seems to want to go straight, but if I get to the right side of the crown, it wants to drift to the right.

Thanks again!

 

[2006f350psd]

I guess your shop is talking about ball joints because it dosent have king pins and if the camber/caster is off on the right side that would create a pull or drift get the ball joint done and ask for a printout off the alignment machine and see where the camber/caster readings are they sell cams to get the camber/caster adjusted if its out so you can have your front end aligned to the correct specs

 

[scoutguy66]

Replacing the ball joints is not really that hard if you have/rent a ball joint kit. It will save you about $200. There is a write up on it on the site somewhere, check it out and see if it's something you can tackle yourself.

My lower balljoint on the pass. side was really bad, I would say unsafe bad, but I didn't know it untill I jacked up the truck to rotate the tires one day. I did have a pull but only when braking hard and blamed it on the siezed calliper pin on the drivers side. Every truck is different though, and if their is any doubt I would change it out and have it realigned.

 

[FMTRVT]

They may be talking about a bad balljoint, but they also may be stating that they did the best alignment they could (slight pull) but will need to install a different alignment collar on the top balljoint to get the alignment perfect.

 

[Reg Reich]

Yes JoeBobBilly. Thats why I suggested you check the brake system for ANY kind of condition that could cause a dragging brake to cause you a pull left or right. If it is only pulling to the right then it would suggest to me the possibility of a brake drag on the right side brakes. Don't forget to check the brake line hose for anything that may cause brakes to want to drag. ie, not allowing the hydraulic pressure to release. If it is just a drift to the right when you are on the crown of the road & becomes a left drift when you are over the crown, then it may need just the way it is. I know on my truck I have, and always have had, a slight right drift or pull & just live with it as it is very slight & changes on the road I am driving on. Good luck.

Reg

 

[JoeBobBilly]

Well all... Thanks for all the advice! You don't know how much it means to me. Sure gives me confidence that I can do this myself! And working on my own truck makes me feel so much better!

I took the front calipers off and installed new pads just because I didn't know how many miles were on the old ones... The old ones were not too bad off, but now I know for sure.
Couldn't find anything dragging, jacked up the back and spun the tires, and nothing seemed to be rubbing or dragging them either.

FMTRVT. I think you are correct about the top balljoint and the king pin.
I was looking today at all the "how to" some where here on TheDieselStop and found the ball joint repair and replace page. It was the top one the shop was talking about.
What is an alignment collar and where would I get one?

Thanks!
Joe... My friends call me JoeBobBilly sometimes cause they think I am redneckish...

 

[GrampyJim]

What is an alignment collar and where would I get one?

Thanks!
Joe... My friends call me JoeBobBilly sometimes cause they think I am redneckish...

These collars (offset bushings actually and sometimes called "slugs") are available through most parts stores (though many will likely have to order them).

MOOG and Specialty Products are only two of many suppliers. Your alignmnet shop should have these in stock - if not, I would strongly consider backing slowly towards the door....

Now - the tricky part... these slugs are available from zero degree to over 2.5 degree offsets (depending on brand) and can be installed in several positions... Knowing your start caster/camber reading and the existing slug offset are crucial to achieving a desireable caster/camber setting.

The "magic".... it isn't enough to get the alignment readings inside the "window" (manufacturers specs). The settings on one side influence the settings on the other...

A vehicle will pull to the side that has the most positive camber. A vehicle will pull to the side that has the least positive caster. And caster and camber can be used to offset each other. (Don't worry, this part can confuse even a lot of journeyman techs...). The idea is for the alignment tech to induce about a 1/2 to 3/4 degree pull (using cross-caster and cross-camber settings - this would be the side to side difference) to offset road crown.

As ever, it is vitally important to check toe in after any front suspension or steering linkage adjustments have been made.

 

[FMTRVT]

In other words, your not doing this at home.

 

[JoeBobBilly]

Thanks Jack... your post was just below the bottom window as i was reading GrampyJim's reply and I'm thinking... Man, how am I going to do all this at home...
Needless to say when I scrolled down, your post made me laugh out loud...:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Thanks for the laugh... I needed it after this long Monday, maybe Tuesday will not be as long.

Thanks GrampyJim! I'm gonna print that out and try to digest it for the next couple of days

Ya'll have a great week.

Joe