leathermaneod

I'm sorry, I don't recall if they said why they thought that. May have just been coincidence, but a few guys said it. It was a thread over on CF. Maybe worth looking into before you make your decision.

Well XDP can't get it to me on time for my alignment. Is there any reason to think the steering damper will change anything with the alignment? Or could I just wait and put it on after?

This doesn't apply to the quad, buts it's something I always wondered about. I always got better mpgs with the Smarty than I do with the edge comp. smarty would get me almost 22 on the highway, where I don't think I've ever broken 19 with the edge. Just something odd ive noticed. I don't know enough about how either of them fuel to know why this is, other than the the smarty fully re writes the ECM and the edge doesn't. Sorry is this isn't relevant, just seemed like a good spot lol

Just want to let you know, in my recent reading about death wobble, several guys have said they thought the BF Goodrich KO2's caused DW on their trucks...just what I've read

So this damper is made by Cofap for Chrysler. Anyone know if they are good or bad?

Ok. That's what's making me wonder. I realized after thinking about this that I haven't driven on the highway as much as I thought since I removed the damper. Idk we'll see here in a few days I guess if the alignment and damper fix it. I'd really like to have the Bilstein, just because if I don't get it and the problem isn't fixed, I'll wonder if a possibly better damper could have fixed it ya know? I'm going to call XDP tomorrow and see if there is any way they can get it to me on Monday. I'm only 2 hrs away but I don't have time to drive there on Monday lol

Thanks for the reply! Have you done much highway driving @65+ though? That's the only time it happens for me....Alignment will be fixed after Tuesday :-)

Thanks again for all the replies guys @Haggar, sorry it's taken so long to reply, been very busy. In answer to your question, I have never replaced the upper control arm bushings, so that is on the to do list. In other news, it happened again today. No weight in the bed really, but four people in the cab. At highway speed, hit a slight bump and bam! It was weird because I could feel it starting before it actually happened. I have a family friend who is a retired lifelong mechanic and he is pretty sure putting the steering damper back on is going to fix it, so wheel see. I was planning to use a Bilstein 5100 because I have their shocks, but it got sent to the wrong place and at this point won't be able to get it till Tuesday at the earliest. So I may just use the OEM I picked up today. Any thoughts? Will the Bilstein be that much better for this? I also got to thinking and i realized I don't have as many highway mikes on without the damper as I thought I did. So maybe it is all lack of damper. We also did switch the tires yesterday. They aren't great, a set of off brand Chinese made mud tires with about 7/32's, best I can do right now. They all match and balanced up fine and don't leak. My alignment is scheduled for Tuesday and I'd like to have the damper on by then....anyone have any experience with the Bilstein 5100 damper that can tell me yes I should wait for it rather than use OEM? Btw the OEM one I have is for a newer truck with the 4th gen steering if that makes a difference. It's pretty stiff. Ps- I like the OEM because it's plain black already so I don't have to paint it like I will the Bilstein to keep it from rusting. I have the Bilstein 5100 shocks and they are very nice, but I really have to keep them oiled or they will rust. So unless the Bilstein is gona be a heck of a lot better, it's not really worth it anyway, only upside in that case is that it's cheaper, but I hate always having to wait days on parts lol

Yes thank you! That is very informative! Is it certain that an 03 hemi would have this? Or might it still have a Dana? Now what about the front axle in a 4x4 3rd gen? How does it work? Is it tied together all the time or is it open like a 2nd gen?

I like Mike's idea a lot as I always prefer to keep things as close to stock and as clean as possible, but Katoom also makes a great point. Much as I would like Isspro EV2 gauges, I can't just go out and buy them when I already have a good set of Autometers. I think I personally would hide that little box behind the dash and just rely on the alarm, but the drawback, in my opinion, is having to tap the fuel line in another spot for the pressure sender. This would be easier for someone who already has an electric fuel pressure gauge. Anyway all that said, I sure hope this guy patents his idea and sells it to one of the diesel vendors because people will certainly buy it lol

How does the gear driven LS work anyway?

Sorry I should have clarified, not different size, just different brand/tread. Is it certain that his 03 Hemi will have an AAM, or could it be a Dana and that's why the stealership told him it needs LS? Also, is it safe to run different tread patterns on the front axle as well? Thanks for the reply btw!!

I did a good bit of digging into this a month ago when I flushed my coolant. Sure I could have spend all the money on fancy HOAT coolant, but why when the factory fill is plain old green from Napa and costs only about $10 for a gallon of concentrate? Mike has pics of the inside of his rad after running creek water and Walmart or Napa coolant and it's clean as a whistle! Besides the cost, I'd like to have something readily available in an emergency rather than some special HOAT. I didn't even go with the high mileage coolant as I plan to change it regularly. Just my opinion of course :-)

What is the source for this rebuilt ECM? It certainly looks very professionally done! Seems like something we should all stick in our back pocket for a rainy day. Maybe a sticky on the forum if nothing negative is found this source...

Hey guys, My dad has an 03 2500 ext cab lb with a hemi, yuck! lol anyway, he was asking me if I knew anything about what fluid he needs for his diffs. I only know what I read over on CF and that is that it should have an AAM axle with gear driven limited slip, if it even is limited slip, and so should not need any LS additive. He said he could find any identifying info on the axle sonintold him to ask the dealer. He did and they told him his truck does have a LS rear and that he does need fluid with LS additive. Does that sound right? I though all 3rd gens have AAM axles which have gear driven LS and so don't need the additive? They didn't tell home what axle he has. He said they didn't seem too knowledgeable. Can someone set me straight here? Also, do you have to be careful with running the exact same tires with a gear driven LS like you do on the 2nd gens? And can you safely run two different tires on the front axle of a 3rd gen? Thanks guys! Any help is much appreciated and I trust you all way more than I trust CF or the dealer lol.

I'd be hanging out with you every chance I got if only I lived closer!

It doesn't work for me either. I can see the link but I get the error with the Detroit diesel runaway when I click it. Then again no one called me to verify that I'm legit yet either lol

Thanks @dripley. I am sort of going to take care of the tires and alignment first. I can't justify new tires right now because at the moment, I have 12 tires at my disposal, all of which are about half tread give or take. I need to get some more use out of them lol. What I am going to do is put a matching set of 4 on so that they are at least the same. I'll get a fresh mount and balance, and get the toe and caster checked to make sure its all in speck. I'm betting/hoping the toe is off more than I'd like to think and I can blame it on that. Then just give it some time and see what happens. I'm really not expecting it to happen again very soon. Of course I'll also check to make sure nothing is loose. I may put a damper back on some time in the near future as well. Thats going to be about it for now barring any unforseen issues or it becoming a regular thing. BTW just want to throw out a big thank you to everyone for all the helpful input on this!!

We just measured from the outside edge of the tread with the weight on the axle. Then made it the same with the new tie rod.

I like your post Hag, but you didn't offer and opinion on what to check first lol I think I am honestly leaning mostly toward my tape measure toe being off and not enough. Also maybe a combination of that, my two different tires, and lack of steering damper. Then besides all that, it may have just been a fluke.

This does not sound like how my wife described what was happening on my truck. I'll have to check back with her and make sure, but she said the wheels were wobbling back and forth, as if I were turning the wheel back and forth. Not up and down I don't think.

I maxed out the caster by turning the adjusters. I have the marks pointing forward. Basically making the control arms as long as possible. I thought that should still be within spec. That would be fine except I don't think I could get it to do it again. Certainly not right away, and I can't drive the same stretch of road because it's 300 miles away. As I said it's only ever done it once. Even in the 300 mile trip...the caster wasn't even the same on both sides before. I will get it checked when I get the toe checked though.

But what's the deal with the caster? Before I was told to max it out, but now @alanack6795 is saying it may cause death wobble?

Whoa hold on! I though caster was supposed to be maxed out on these trucks?? I literally just got done doing the lower control arm bushings and maxing out the caster to improve my return to center. Could that be what caused this??

Just to clarify, I don't think Bilsteins are any more than Ranchos at about $70-$80 each. I don't have any other high dollar suspension stuff, just recently replaced stuff, the tie rod upgrade, and steering box brace. Nothing else extravagant. I'm also not going to be spending any big money on trying to fix this unless it starts becoming a regular thing. As it sits, having only happened once, I will be getting my toe checked, since I never did, getting matching tires on the front, and maybe putting the damper back on. I'm not quite sure why you have had such good luck when few else do, but my guess would be two things. First is that you have owned your truck since new, and I doubt you have ever abused it. Used and worked it yes, but some people are incredibly hard on things for no good reason and I know you are not. Second is the way you meticulously maintain your vehicles. Most of us who own one of these trucks, especially young guys like me, are not so lucky as to have bought it new and took good care of it since. We are stuck fixing the issues the PO left go unresolved. Just my $.02 of course :-)