Alignment going out every 6 months

Fake-Account27 · May 25, 2021

I have to realign my truck every 6 months even though I hardly drive it. Each time it pulls slightly to the right. Under normal driving I can not even notice, but when I pull my trailer it is noticeable enough to be annoying but not dangerous or anything.

Truck only has 16k miles between the last two alignments I maybe put 1000 miles on it. Dealer looked at it and could not find anything wrong.

Any suggestions?

Daw14 · May 25, 2021

Find new alignment shop, someone’s not tightening things tight or something else ain’t right.has it ever hit any thing?

mtnrider · May 25, 2021

Are you sure the alignment is actually "going out"? Do you have the previous print out to compare and see that it actually changed? The only way it is going to change is loose or worn parts. With that few miles I'd be more inclined to look at your tires as the culprit then the alignment.

.

bm02tj · May 25, 2021

Adding the trailer changes every thing
Have the shop run numbers with and without trailer and adjust specs in the middle
You will need a shop with a drive on rack with pit

tron67j · May 25, 2021

What are the numbers before and after? Perhaps your truck and tire combination are just more reactive to the natural crown in the road that would cause your truck to feel like it is pulling to the right when in fact that is naturally occurring with all vehicles although how much is unique to the combination. Each person's individual vehicle reacts with various roads differently so pretty much impossible to gauge the issue in writing. Your numbers will tell the story and you don't want to over compensate the adjustment or you will end pulling left on roads sometimes.

Princeton_Man · May 25, 2021

What's the trailer weigh and are you using a weight distribution hitch?

indept · May 25, 2021

Princeton_Man said:
What's the trailer weigh and are you using a weight distribution hitch?

^^^^^ This

Too much tongue / bed weight?

joelmic · May 26, 2021

tron67j said:
What are the numbers before and after? Perhaps your truck and tire combination are just more reactive to the natural crown in the road that would cause your truck to feel like it is pulling to the right when in fact that is naturally occurring with all vehicles although how much is unique to the combination. Each person's individual vehicle reacts with various roads differently so pretty much impossible to gauge the issue in writing. Your numbers will tell the story and you don't want to over compensate the adjustment or you will end pulling left on roads sometimes.

This has been my experience, our roads in MO are crowned sometimes horribly, it's hard to even find a FLAT road to test on

And if you are in the right lane pulling that trailer, you are tilted right anyway...

Fake-Account27 · May 27, 2021

Princeton_Man said:
What's the trailer weigh and are you using a weight distribution hitch?

Yes WDH, Reese Straight - Line Hitch. Certified Scale is 6200 lbs on the trailer Axles, so my guess is my towing weight is between 7000 and 7200 lbs in total.

Fake-Account27 · May 27, 2021

Daw14 said:
Find new alignment shop, someone’s not tightening things tight or something else ain’t right.has it ever hit any thing?

I have never hit anything, but I bought it used with 3k miles. The truck is a Repo so it is possible something could have happened in those 3k miles, but there is no sign of any damage or history of anything.

RodeoRam · May 27, 2021

If you only notice the pull when you're trailered up, that would seem to narrow it down to the trailer, or how it's hooked up that affects the truck. Have you verified the trailer axle(s) and frame are true? Are the trailer tires aired up equally side to side? How about the axle bearings? If you have trailer brakes, are the right side brakes dragging? Is the trailer heavier on the right side? Are you using a separate anti-sway bar on your WDH? Is it adjusted correctly?

I'm not sure, but if it is your trailer that is pushing or dragging your truck to the right, I would expect to see abnormal wear on your truck's rear tires like more wear on the right side of the tread. That is, if most of your truck mileage is from towing, but proper tire rotation might hide that.

Princeton_Man · May 27, 2021

Fake-Account27 said:
Yes WDH, Reese Straight - Line Hitch. Certified Scale is 6200 lbs on the trailer Axles, so my guess is my towing weight is between 7000 and 7200 lbs in total.

I'm going to have to join in with others and say something has to loose. Maybe upper control arm bolts aren't tight or maybe a frame member is loose. After a tow, you may want to have the frame checked out by a frame shop to confirm it's square and straight. A factory screw up or some undisclosed mishap between the factory and the dealer maybe. I would think that with so few miles, if the truck hasn't been involved in any accidents, you might want to attempt to get FCA involved. It doesn't sound like you're using the truck for any unintended purpose. There's no reason you should have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars looking for a manufacturing defect.

Fake-Account27 · May 28, 2021

RodeoRam said:
If you only notice the pull when you're trailered up, that would seem to narrow it down to the trailer, or how it's hooked up that affects the truck. Have you verified the trailer axle(s) and frame are true? Are the trailer tires aired up equally side to side? How about the axle bearings? If you have trailer brakes, are the right side brakes dragging? Is the trailer heavier on the right side? Are you using a separate anti-sway bar on your WDH? Is it adjusted correctly?

I'm not sure, but if it is your trailer that is pushing or dragging your truck to the right, I would expect to see abnormal wear on your truck's rear tires like more wear on the right side of the tread. That is, if most of your truck mileage is from towing, but proper tire rotation might hide that.

It is the alignment as each time I bring it in to the shop they run they have to realign it. (3 times now). I will need to keep the print outs next time to compare.

Gary2 · May 28, 2021

If aligned correctly you should have a little more caster on the right front wheel which is to compensate for the crown of the road. On straight axles its built into the front axle . It's not a lot but should have more caster than drivers side . I have seen many alignment sheets with it backwards and will still show in the green for the most part so the amateur aligner would think its OK .

Bob Macknight · May 28, 2021

find a shop that does old school,with a pit.They should adjust the caster,as mine the arrows are at the six oclock ,drivers rear pass forward just a smidge. then do toe using chalk method

MAC830203 · May 31, 2021

Check front and rear bushings. Tighten everything down.
Check rack and pinion with steering column disconnected. See if it creeps one side or the other.
Some repair shops will compromise adjustments to get the truck to drive straight. Put a load on it and it’s a new ballgame.

Dusty · May 31, 2021

If this is a 2500, wasn't there a recall to weld the drag link coupler?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 051441 miles.

RaptorHD · May 31, 2021

Dusty said:
If this is a 2500, wasn't there a recall to weld the drag link coupler?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 051441 miles.

if its a 2008 the actual recall replaces the steering link assy. the old was a "Y" type and the new changed it to the "T" style...

Also, I would suspect the ball joints, they are notorious..change them to a Yukon or carli,,never replace them again..

RaptorHD · May 31, 2021

Here you can see the two types of steering, the top unit is stock, the bottom is the upgraded/recall version..

I changed my system out and went with the Borgeson HD box and steering.. I do not think they make this kit anymore,,but here is a Box: https://www.cjcoffroad.com/collecti...box-upgrade-2003-2008-dodge-ram-2500-3500-4x4

There is plenty of room for improvement on the 2008's.. That is why I did it.. On another note, when I saw just how HD the 2019 is, I bought one, a 2500 HD,,its more heavy duty than my 2008 4x4 Dually was!!

mtnrider · May 31, 2021

Dusty said:
If this is a 2500, wasn't there a recall to weld the drag link coupler?

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 051441 miles.

Yes, there is a recall on the drag link. They either weld or replace it.

The truck in his signature is a 2018 so all that info above about the old steering style doesn't apply.

.

Alignment going out every 6 months

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