I always here people talking about how the front ends of dodges are always bad. What goes bad in them, when will you know gene they neeed to be replaced, and how can you check everything to make sure it is good? Also, I need a new power steering pump, any suggestions?

1 minute ago, Marcus2000monster said:

Yes it is

Is it more complex than just screwing the bracket back on?

This is a sway bar bushing. This could cause the sway bar to fall off and the axle to move around how it wants under the truck. 

A liitle play is not going to hurt anything it just a pain to steer. Potentially it could cause deaths if something fell off and th truck drove itself off the road. 

1 minute ago, Kane4sythe said:

Is it more complex than just screwing the bracket back on?

See if the bolt is broken or just fell off?

2 minutes ago, Marcus2000monster said:

if the bolt is broken or just fell off?

I’ll have to look at it in the morning, but I think it fell out 

Just now, Kane4sythe said:

So is this something serious that’s needs to be immediately fixed?

It's your tortion bar or anti-sway bar.  Keeps the truck from swaying to one side during a turn or evasive maneuver.  So I would address it as soon as you can from a safety standpoint.  You can completely remove the entire bar and drive it until you fix it to keep it from hanging down and possibly causing other issues.  I have driven my truck without one before.  The truck just felt top heavy and not as sure footed and the suspension felt softer.  Not as safe feeling but could be driven carefully if you had to. 

29 minutes ago, dripley said:

farm it all

What do you mean by farm it all out. I feel so dumb, I don’t know what any of these terms are . Does it mean just to replace everything?

 

1 minute ago, Bullet said:

It's your tortion bar or anti-sway bar.  Keeps the truck from swaying to one side during a turn or evasive maneuver.  So I would address it as soon as you can from a safety standpoint.  You can completely remove the entire bar and drive it until you fix it to keep it from hanging down and possibly causing other issues.  I have driven my truck without one before.  The truck just felt top heavy and not as sure footed and the suspension felt softer.  Not as sa

Well how hard is this to fix? Is it just as simple as screwing it back on or is it more complicated than that?

3 minutes ago, Kane4sythe said:

I’ll have to look at it in the morning, but I think it fell out 

If it fell out just bolt i5 back together. If it broke off it’s a pain in the back to fix. If you don’t have a welder then plan to take it to a fabrication shop if it’s broken to have a stud welded on. They’re is a nut on the inside of the frame rail and it’s impossible to fix without welding a stud. That is what I did.

1 minute ago, Marcus2000monster said:

If it fell out just bolt i5 back together. If it broke off it’s a pain in the back to fix. If you don’t have a welder then plan to take it to a fabrication shop if it’s broken to have a stud welded on. They’re is a nut on the inside of the frame rail and it’s impossible to fix without welding a stud. That is what I did.

What he said ^

1 minute ago, Bullet said:

3 minutes ago, Marcus2000monster said:

 

What he said ^

Well crossing my fingers for it to have just fallen out. I guess I will let you guys know in the morning.

2 minutes ago, Kane4sythe said:

Well crossing my fingers for it to have just fallen out. I guess I will let you guys know in the morning.

Better say a prayer too...cuz the last time I pulled mine out they were rusty to the point of rotting threads.  Had to run a tap back up in it and get new bolts and applied some RTV for anti-corrosion purposes. 

One of my sway bar bolts had been replaced with a different bolt when I got the truck and the thread pitch was different, It didnt fit tight and worked its way out as well. I have a tap and die set so I found the one that fit best and tapped it out. Then went to ace hardware and matched a bolt up to the tap. Its been holding good and tight for several months now.

9 hours ago, Kane4sythe said:

What do you mean by farm it all out. I feel so dumb, I don’t know what any of these terms are . Does it mean just to replace everything?

By that I meant hire some one to do all the work. It will get very expensive unless you can handle a lot of the work your self.

Alright everyone. It broke off. What are my options/ the next step? Is it possible for me to get it out my self?

I would just take it off for now. Mine was damaged about a year and a half ago so I removed it. There is a difference in handling but so far I have not missed. I would however like to get it back on in the near future. Head gasket first though for me.

Is thier access to get a drill good and square under it? If so that would be my first line of stack. Start with a small bit and work your way up to a larger, use good bits and go slow, If you can get the hole large enough you might have luck with an easy out, if not just keep drilling it larger without damaging the threads, eventually you should be able to work it out.

Having a oxy/act. torch handy would be helpful as you could heat the broke bolt cherry hot and break the bond from the rust and corrosion, or even a welder by welding a cap to the broke stud to get a wrench on it.

1 hour ago, Kane4sythe said:

Is it possible for me to get it out my self?

Yes, first eye protection.  Next apply heat to it with an acetylene torch and let it cool; this sometimes brakes the rust bond between the bolt and nut and takes the hardness out of the metal.  Next center punch the broken bolt and, starting with a small drill bit, drill a hole through the bolt and increasing the bit size until either an easy out extractor can be used, or the hole is big enough to rethread the weldnut with a tap, or a stud MIG welded into the hole.

 

If you use an easy out be carful not to break it off in the hole. They can be snapped off and are even harded to get out.  

If you don't have access to all the tools needed It might be cheaper to have some one else do it.

 

@01cummins4ever same thoughts 2 minutes before me.

Edited March 23, 20196 yr by IBMobile

1 hour ago, dripley said:

 

I would just take it off for now. Mine was damaged about a year and a half ago so I removed it. There is a difference in handling but so far I have not missed. I would however like to get it back on in the near future. Head gasket first though for me.

 

So you just drive around with no swag bar in general?

 

18 minutes ago, IBMobile said:

 

 

@01cummins4ever same thoughts 2 minutes before me.

We must have went to the same school  

1 hour ago, 01cummins4ever said:

thier access to get a drill good and square under it? If so that would be my first line of stack. Start wi

Well I could bend the bracket back to gain access 

1 hour ago, 01cummins4ever said:

the hole large enough you might have luck with an easy out, if not just keep drilling it larger without damaging the threads,

See, this is the hard part. I do not know how the sway bar works so I’m not sure what thread I’m trying not to damage. The thread that the bolt that holds the bushing on goes into?

So I was planning on going on a little drive today maybe half and hour to and back wich involves about half high way and the rest town. Is it safe to drive on? If not I don’t want to take the risk

I have had my sway bars off for over a year now and loved it, ride seems much smoother. It does have body roll but nothing crazy. 

 

Go to www.dodgeoffroad.com and pick out what ya want they have everything listed. Lots of goodies. Good quality too. 

If you are at stock height it's not a big deal to drive without one.  If you are lifted the swaying effects are multiplied the higher you are lifted and therefore less safe to drive without one.