Leveled truck just too many problems?

I have searched, read, and asked question after question. However, the time has come where I am about ready to throw in the towel on having a leveled RAM.

My history with leveling in my 2009 has went, Bilstein's @ 2.8, down to 2.1, down to factory. Then to Rancho Quicklift's, then back to a new set of Bilstein's @ 2.1.

My truck @ 2.1 sits higher than many Ram's @ 2.1. I am about 40 1/4 from ground to center of my front wheel well. I currently love the stance, but I am struggling with the new front end noises that have developed. Between the clunking when almost at full lock, to feeling the suspension creaking when coming to a stop or turning, with no real solutions found online I can't help but wonder if my level is just too much for my truck. The rancho's only gave me about an 1" height over the Bils at factory ride height, and the stance resembled more factory then leveled but I had no front end noise with them also. Mind you the noises that are occurring are not Shock noise but steering noise.

Do I throw in the towel? Do I drop the Bils to 1.4 and see if that resolves some of the noises? Is it time to look at Zone's front differential drop? When do I just give up?

I've tried to do everything per recommendations. Despite being an 09 I installed the Zone UCA's, I installed the MaxLinks Leveled Sway Bar End Links, I've replaced all my LCA busings, I made sure the washer was installed on the piston rod, I replaced my factory top plate & spring seat just in case I did some damage with the first set of Bils when I installed the washer in the wrong place. So what else is left? How do I get this truck looking as they should, yet not sound like I am driving something that the tires are going to fall off of.

The picture above is set at 2.1"? That looks like 2.8" or higher. Are you sure the coil cup was installed correctly when the struts were assembled?

I agree it sits stout, always has. I am pretty certain everything is installed correctly. I've done this install so many times that I even started second guessing myself this time around, so I posted questions about installing the top plate, and the top spring seat. Even though I thought it was pretty self explanatory. I had a local mechanic with years of experience confirm that I had the struts assembled correctly before I put them back into the truck.

I currently have the C clip in the 4th Groove which is the 2.1" setting. I'm at a loss.

I do have 275 65 20's installed.

I'll have to look at mine over lunch but I don't remember being able to see 4 grooves even with mine set at 2.8".....

stimpy433 said:

I'll have to look at mine over lunch but I don't remember being able to see 4 grooves even with mine set at 2.8".....

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Let me know. I did take look at the thread "Cv angle(not much at all) with bils set at 2.1" and I know member _simm_ns posted a pic with his at 2.1 and you could see the 3 grooves just like mine.

Looks correct to me ...

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2k9ram said:

Let me know. I did take look at the thread "Cv angle(not much at all) with bils set at 2.1" and I know member _simm_ns posted a pic with his at 2.1 and you could see the 3 grooves just like mine.

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Yeah looking at his picture it does look about the same.... Did you get an alignment after you installed them???

stimpy433 said:

Yeah looking at his picture it does look about the same.... Did you get an alignment after you installed them???

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Yep sure did.

Had it into the alignment shop again this morning to see if they could figure out what is going on. They can hear the noise, but said they can not determine where it is coming from. Said that nothing looks strained and everything that is supposed to be is tight.

Such a disappointment....

Can you post up pics of your upper ball joints ?
I'm assuming this has been verified , but I'd like to see a pre 2012 uca ball joint ...thanks !

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R.L.K. said:

Can you post up pics of your upper ball joints ?
I'm assuming this has been verified , but I'd like to see a pre 2012 uca ball joint ...thanks !

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I'm no longer running the factory UCA's but rather the Zone UCA's. However, I will post some pictures later today.

any play in your CV's?

I'm being told that the CV's are solid.

As much as I don't want to I fear I might have to pull them out and go to 1.4. I sure wish there was a way to compress the spring enough with them installed that would allow me to move the C clip down a notch so I could drop them to 1.4 without having to tear them out.

I locked it in 4x4 today to see if the noise was any worse. The 4x4 wobble was present, but the noises were not any worse. I guess I didnt really expect them to be any worse considering the noise exists when I am at a standstill turning the wheels left and right.

Everything is sound when going over bumps. It's just when turning and when slowing down to a stop sign. So annoyed!

Seems like it wouldn't be too difficult to isolate if the noise is present just turning the wheel back and forth. Have you climbed underneath and had someone turn the wheel?

Phylodog said:

Seems like it wouldn't be too difficult to isolate if the noise is present just turning the wheel back and forth. Have you climbed underneath and had someone turn the wheel?

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Yes I have climbed under and was not able to pinpoint where it was coming from. I also took it to my local wrench and they had a couple of guys trying to figure it out and couldn't pinpoint it. I then took it to another wrench who has been doing it longer then I have been alive and he was baffled. He was questioning if maybe it was my brake caliber, but that did not make total sense either.

We could hear it as I would drive forward straight and stop, then I'd put it in reverse and stop and we could hear it.

So did you have issues with bilsteins at 2.8 and 2.1 prior to the zone shocks?

I have had a noise that sounds about what you might be hearing, and I have discovered that my CV axle has pulled off its press fitting at the differential on the passenger side. I could mainly hear it driving slow and coming to a stop. The way I found it was when I had the wheels off for a header install, I grabbed the axle at the boot and pulled it toward me, and it moved. I could pull the axle outward far enough that I could see the splines on the shaft. I rotated the passenger wheel too and recreated the same clunking sound I had been hearing while driving. The driver's side doesn't do this at all. I'll pull your picture from above in a minute and draw on it to show you where I looked. I've had my wheels rotated several times and an alignment, and they never said anything about it. I'm going to try to tap it back in place, but I'm wondering if I'm going to have to get an entirely new assembly. My CV angle is identical too. Bils at 2.8. Otherwise no issues except it rides a little stiffer.


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jake09 said:

So did you have issues with bilsteins at 2.8 and 2.1 prior to the zone shocks?

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I did, but the last was more of shock\strut noise then steering\breaking noise. The last set when I was going over bumps at low speeds it sounded just like a failed rear strut in a front wheel drive car. But at high speeds all was fine.

Make sure all the alignment cams on the upper and lower control arms are tight. A shop left one of mine a little loose and it would clunk just like you described

R.L.K. said:

Can you post up pics of your upper ball joints ?
I'm assuming this has been verified , but I'd like to see a pre 2012 uca ball joint ...thanks !

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Here is a pic as requested.

jake09 said:

Make sure all the alignment cams on the upper and lower control arms are tight. A shop left one of mine a little loose and it would clunk just like you described

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I'll double check this! One would hope that the shop that did the alignment would have checked this out when I brought it back to them, but I also know good help is hard to find.