Steering with front hubs locked

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kodoz

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2015
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Hemi 6.4
I'm behind the 8 ball with this Ram I have (2007 Ram 3500 crew, 145k miles)--my first Dodge, it's got many mods installed by the previous owner, and I'm on the road so can't just drop in to my regular mechanic. Just looking for some help understanding what might be going on so I can call up the shop at home and get the mechanic just the info he needs:

Symptom: Steering wheel locks after about 1 turn, either direction, when front hubs are locked
When: Only when the front hubs are locked, 2WD or 4WD doesn't matter. Performs as usual when the hubs aren't locked
Equipment: Aftermarket manual locking hubs. ARB front and rear air lockers have been installed as well, but I'm pretty sure they are disengaged and not causing the problem.
What I can see/hear: No weird sounds. I can only get about 1 turn before the steering wheel feels like it hits its lock, and the turning radius...making a turn on a normal road wouldn't be possible without adding a few points to that turn. My only experience is with Toyotas, and this isn't the same feel as you would get trying to turn in 4Lo or with the rear diff locked under road conditions where you have no business doing that. I did find that the left axle U joint has a tiny bit of lateral play in it, the outer seal gasket looks like its falling off, and if I grab the U joint (right or left) and try to rotate it, it binds several times throughout the rotation. My limited mechanical knowledge says that ain't right. I don't have access to a floor jack or jack stands right now. There is a fair bit of play in the steering...don't know if that's normal for this model (and it's hauling a camper in the bed) or if that's also a symptom.

Is that axle U joint likely causing this problem or should I be looking at some other component (hubs and bearings maybe)?
How bad is this...fix it before I pick up and move again, or drive it 1500 miles home and get it in front of my usual mechanic?
 

crash68

ACME product engineer
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If your trying to spin the front u-joints by hand and your getting binding, you'll want to start there. You said there's a 145K on the truck with sloppy steering along with I'm guessing oversized tires you may just want to go through the entire front end and replace all the wear items (ball joints, u-joints, bearings, etc.).
 

crazy jerry

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sounds like the axle ujoints might be shot ( among other stuff needing repair also ). keep hubs unlocked and drive home
 

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