Front Axle Adjustment?

[Cerd]

I was thinking its an optical illusion, but I picked up a 2003 Ram 2500 a few months ago. I have been slowly repairing things that I need to make sure are reliable, but as I was changing the tires, I noticed that the front passenger wheel is sticking out about an inch to 1.5 inches farther than the front driver side.

I plan to bring it to an alignment shop soon, but I was curious what would cause this?

I am fairly mechanically inclined, but I have never owned a vehicle without independent front suspension, so the solid axle is a bit foreign to me.

Photos attached. For reference, I tried to line up the front tire to where I can just barely see the rear tires. I hope this gives some consistency regarding the placement on the body. I can also feel about an inch difference with my hand from the inside of the top of the tire to the coil spring top mount on the frame.

 

[rzr6-4]

The left-to-right spacing is determined by the track bar, but it changes dynamically with your ride height. Mine was in the center but after I added a level (2" raise) it is now about 1/2" off to the driver's side. Since yours is off to the passenger side, I wonder if A) your truck is lowered or B) your springs are supper worn out and it is beginning to squat down, causing a similar issue.

If its lowered and you want to keep it that way, this can be corrected with a shorter track bar. If its not supposed to be lowered, then new springs could raise the front end back up and put everything where its supposed to be.

Me and my brother both drive leveled 2500s with the stock track bar. If you look for it its a little goofy looking but it won't hurt anything the way it is.

 

[seems fishy]

I hit a curb with my 84Firebird when it was a couple years old,and I bent three wheels,and a spindle.After the alignment the front wheel on one side was always sticking out further on one side .The car always pulled a bit to that side afterward.Was yours ever in an accident

 

[Cerd]

I dont have a frame of reference to how high the suspension is compared to how it should be. I would estimate that it is about 10 inches from the top of the 33 inch tires to the fender center. The flares do not add much below factory lip.

To the best of my knowledge, it has not been in any accident. There is no known report and I did not see any indication of such when visually insoecting the body and frame.

 

[Smokeybear01]

If someone were to follow you down a perfectly level road and it looks like your truck is going crooked down the road, chances are the frame is bent. It doesn't take an accident to bend a frame and they can be straightened if that is the reason your tire is sticking further out on one side. An alignment shop will have the answers your looking for. Good luck,

 

[Cerd]

If someone were to follow you down a perfectly level road and it looks like your truck is going crooked down the road, chances are the frame is bent. It doesn't take an accident to bend a frame and they can be straightened if that is the reason your tire is sticking further out on one side. An alignment shop will have the answers your looking for. Good luck,

The shop called and said they can't spot anything out of the norm. But they did confirm with their Hunter Laser Alignment system that the axle is offset by about 0.5 in. He agreed that the trackbar is the most likely culprit. It was recommended to measure the track bar and compare with OEM spec length or see if I can find a trackbar that allows a small amount of shorter length. The latter seems more difficult since most of them are for lift kits since that is what sells, but if push comes to shove, then I could buy an aftermarket adjustable one and shave off about 1/8-1/4" from the end and it should be about perfect.

 

[Dean2]

My two cents, if it drives good, tacks well and tire wear is even, I would not be messing with it. No one but you will ever notice the difference. There are WAY more important things to spend money on with an older pickup.

 

[Scottly]

**IF** the trackbar was replaced in the past and they used a part number for a Power Wagon and not a regular 2500, that will cause your issue. The PW trackbar is longer because of the added suspension height of that truck.

 

[Cerd]

My two cents, if it drives good, tacks well and tire wear is even, I would not be messing with it. No one but you will ever notice the difference. There are WAY more important things to spend money on with an older pickup.

It is not a priority as much as curiosity. The guy showed me the difference in spacing from the springs to the frame. He did also mention that the ball joints are on the way out, but they don't need to be done yet. That will be my fall project.

They did also say that for as old as it is, it actually rides pretty good - primarily because the gearbox was shot and a new Cardone was all I could get my hands on. They are not fans of Cardone and I don't blame them.

 

[Dean2]

It is not a priority as much as curiosity. The guy showed me the difference in spacing from the springs to the frame. He did also mention that the ball joints are on the way out, but they don't need to be done yet. That will be my fall project.

They did also say that for as old as it is, it actually rides pretty good - primarily because the gearbox was shot and a new Cardone was all I could get my hands on. They are not fans of Cardone and I don't blame them.

Borgeson makes very good steering gear, boxes etc for that generation of Dodge. Have some of their parts on my 1996 2500.

Power Steering Boxes

Power Steering Gear BoxesModern Quick Ratio Power Steering for Optimal PerformanceUpgrade your vehicle’s steering with Borgeson's modern quick ratio power steering boxes, tailored for the most popular applications. Each power steering box is meticulously assembled and rigorously tested in our...

www.borgeson.com

 

[Daw14]

Long shot , could the wheels be different from each other ? Different backspace or width ?

 

[Cerd]

Long shot , could the wheels be different from each other ? Different backspace or width ?

Worth asking, but not a chance. They are all OEM steel with chrome skins and I just replaced all 4 tires.

 

[Cerd]

Borgeson makes very good steering gear, boxes etc for that generation of Dodge. Have some of their parts on my 1996 2500.

Power Steering Boxes

Power Steering Gear BoxesModern Quick Ratio Power Steering for Optimal PerformanceUpgrade your vehicle’s steering with Borgeson's modern quick ratio power steering boxes, tailored for the most popular applications. Each power steering box is meticulously assembled and rigorously tested in our...

www.borgeson.com

Good to know about them. I had trouble finding a steering column knuckle for another vehicle and I lucked out finding NOS OEM. If I didn't find that, then I would have been up creek.

 

[Smokeybear01]

As mentioned earlier, if the tire wear is even and she rides right for you, the only downside will be if you ever have to slam on the brakes---she will yank in the direction of the tire that is further out from the frame. Hopefully you're never in that situation.

 

[Dean2]

As mentioned earlier, if the tire wear is even and she rides right for you, the only downside will be if you ever have to slam on the brakes---she will yank in the direction of the tire that is further out from the frame. Hopefully you're never in that situation.

Actually, the offset should have no effect on even hard braking. Yank is caused by one brake applying more pressure than the other and a 2003 has ABS braking on the front for sure. My 96 2500 does on the front disks but not on the back as iit is still drum rears. Not sure what year they went to discs on the rear but that same year ABS was also in the rear.