Excessive front end sway (wandering) in an f-250

[wushaw]

The steering damper is less than a year old. I went from 265 to 285 both were load range E. I did notice today that the play seems to be in the steering wheel. I can move it 3 to 4" in either direction with out a change in the wheels. So maybe the steering box?

Matt T.

If this is sitting still and nothing starts to move for 3 - 4" of steering wheel movment then you need to look at the steering gearbox for adjustment or replacement.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I don't appear to have any while turned off.

Matt

 

[wushaw]

Has the track bar been checked?

 

[wkpoor]

The problem id F-O-R-D. Hehehehehe Drive a Chev new then a Ford new. Ford might build a tough truck alright but they never quite perfected how they drive. My FNL has a Ford full size van that does that exact same thing. My Chev full size van goes down the road nice and straight with or without my 14K behind it.

 

[RobertN]

Has the track bar been checked?

how do you check the track bar?

 

[Builder]

Are the tires brand new, like less than 100-200 miles?

If so, all new tires take a while to "seat their beads" and will have a swaying/wandering feeling until they get a few miles on em.

 

[firemanpat2910]

check the damper again, there is a lot of talk on ford truck enthusiest web forum, about the ford "death wobble" I just got 40,000 miles on my 07 started to wobble and wander a little but I just had "mud in my tires" you might double check the ballancing on all four, it really made a huge differnence on mine when I pressure washed the mud outta mine.

I know you can picture Joe Pesci in "my cousin vinnie" saying how do you get mud IN the tires???????

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I put a little more air in the tires and that helped. The wander is being caused by the deadband in the steering wheel. I can move it 3" back and forth without a change in travel direction. So when going straight down the road with the wheels straight the wheels can wander till they eat up the dead band of the steering wheel. Then I most likely over correct and it makes the situation worse. I'm going to have a shop look at the dead band of the steering wheel and go from there.

Matt T.

 

[wushaw]

how do you check the track bar?

Check for loosness in the bushings, bolts and see if it is bent. If it is loose it can allow the ft. differiental to move around.

 

[Ryan03]

If this is a 4x4 model, check the joint where the drag link meets the pitman arm. Get a large pair of channel locks, and try to compress the joint. If you can compress the ball/socket assembly 1/4 inch or more, replace it. Also, I have seen seized front universal joints in the front drive axles [the ones where the spindle meets the axle housing , between the upper and lower ball joints] on straight axle 4x4s cause some very eratic handling characteristics that can be hard to diagnose. Often the steering feels very numb on center, and once off center, will not return by itself comepletely to center. Also, as mentioned earlier, be sure the frontend is not toed out, as this will also cause the vehicle to wander. Good luck, Ryan.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

One observation I had today was on the tire. The sidewalls are not as stiff as the stock tire. So while changing lanes at highway speeds I can feel the flex in the sidewalls.

Matt T.

 

[Builder]

Are these load range D tires? If they are, you will definately have more sidewall flex.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

No, they're E range but wider than stock. I haven't been super impressed with the tires overall. I'm thinking of going back to stock. I'm also looking into rear sway bars and new shocks. I'm thinking of getting a double steering dampner. If I don't notice any improvement I'll probably replace the steering box.

Matt T.

 

[rojo]

I have a 03 f-350 that had the same problem. I changed ball joints 4 times before 60,000 miles. The set in there now are OEM and have lasted 25,000. To check your ball joints, jack up the truck and watch the ball joint when the tire leaves the ground. Any movement is significantly magnified with the weight of the engine and highway speed.

 

[RobertN]

My '01 Dodge 4x4 came stock with Michelin tires, in basically a street tread. Worked ok for the street. When they wore, I replaced them with a stock set of take-offs from the dealer(My Dad worked there). They were BFG Rugged trails. Handled well.

After that, I got a set of Big-O Bigfoot XT mud treads. I had had a set of 35x12.50's on my previous Ford. They were great on that truck. Well, I got stock size this time, but they had a partially redsigned tread. They were aweful! Had less than 100 miles on them when I returned them! Put Big-O Bigfoot AT's on instead; they were an ok tire.

When those wore, I got the current set. They are 285's, in a Dick Cepek Mud Country's. They have been a great tire. Larger than stock, but still fits stock rim fine. Handle nice, and work really well off road. I did go with a "D" rating, but the overall weight rating of the tire is the same as my stock tires. I thought they would squish a bit. But, I have had the truck and trailer loaded down with rock, gravel, tractor etc, and they worked just fine. They did have the "E" rating in the 275, but I wanted a little bigger tire.

So far, when these wear, I plan to go with another set of Dick Cepeks.

Dick Cepek Radial Mud Country

No, they're E range but wider than stock. I haven't been super impressed with the tires overall. I'm thinking of going back to stock. I'm also looking into rear sway bars and new shocks. I'm thinking of getting a double steering dampner. If I don't notice any improvement I'll probably replace the steering box.

Matt T.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Robert, those are pretty cool looking tires. It's also good to hear your positive experiences. I'm being told by severel sources that ford diesels have an adjustable. I'm not going to attempt to make adjustments myself. It's just too critical of an adjustment to me to make.

Matt T.

 

[Builder]

it'd be great if you could swap tires & rims with a buddy just so you could eliminate the tires being the problem.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Builder, I still have my stockers mounted on my stck rims.


Matt T.

 

[krackerjack9]

The higher and wider one goes the more unstable its going to be, add a trailer and then its all about leverage especially if your ball sits higher than your trailer when level. Have a friend who tows his 25ft trailer with 5 ATVs, not alot of wieght at all but he has his jacked up pretty high and the ball is a good 5 inches higher than it should be while towing, you can fell the truck Porpise up and down going down the road. Bad thing is he really dosnt think its that bad. I told his wife that he keeps driving 65mph with it set up like that... more than likely your going to get a call saying he has crashed. So her eyes lit up and said " Life insurance policy!!!"

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had a Dodge truck(1988) that wandered like that also. Had it checked and rechecked. Dealer just said it was normal for the Dodges. Never bought another one since. The company I work for uses Fords exclusively in the states. All Fords I have driven seemed to have the same problem. Kind of liked to follow any little difference in the road contour. I had to really keep my eye on the road and make little minor corrections all the time to keep the trailer from swaying or even empty to keep the truck centered in my lane. I drive a Chevy now and dont have that problem. I have to admit that I havent driven a Ford in over 7 years, since I have been out of the country working for several years, so they could be better now.