Junkman

You really need to climb under and have someone turn the steering wheel while you look for any play. DW can put you in a ditch at speed and you haven't listed any specific diagnosed part that needed replacing. I had horribly worn shocks on my 4x4 and there was no DW. Granted, different steering set up but solid axles are more prone to DW.

This is ridiculous. If adding spacers on the tie rod tightens things up, there is your problem. Find out what isn't fitting and why. The vid looked like there was also slop in the connection to the pitman arm. Do a proper fix not some rigged, untested piece of crap. These are old trucks with old technology. They need to be repaired and not hacked. "It looks like (whatever)" is not the same as "it's engineered, tested and improved". Do you really want to take the increased chance of wrapping the truck around a tree or bouncing off another person or car for the price of new parts? If so, please stay off the road. I don't want to take the chance of you damaging my truck or person.

If your system is empty so you don't need to pay to evacuate, see this. I haven't tried it but you may get lucky.

Climb under the truck. With the engine running, have a helper turn the steering wheel lock to lock while you look for any movement in any joint in the linkage between the steering knuckles. I'm talking about excessive slop. There should be exactly 0. "Movement" will show up when they change direction and start turning to the other side. Replace anything that has play in it. That said, DW is "mostly" caused by play in the track bar. The fix is to replace with stock lifetime part or 3rd gen track bar. Don't go for all the hype.

No, these trucks fall apart around the beautiful engine that is Cummins. Dodge skimped on heavy duty parts and under-built the trucks. We are at the point where fewer people fix them and more are moving on.

Call them. They answer the phone and make quality products. I find it hard to believe that weathertech wouldn't make a mat for something as common as a 2nd gen. When did WT start in business? A friend in the parts business says 2nd gen part sales have dropped off in favor of newer vehicles.

Call WeatherTech. They are helpful and have more information than what's on their site. I recently bought mats for a Volvo V60. The data on the site was confusing so I called. They said the mats would fit. and I bought. This car has 3 mats. Two out of 3 mats were the wrong color which may have been my fault. Regardless, WeatherTech replaced the mats and paid shipping. The mats were a little more expensive than I wanted but I'm happy with the results.

I need to buy a better volt meter because my alternator is going out and I want t measure AC voltage on the replacement before leaving the store. I don't want to spend the money on a Fluke and am looking at an innova 3340. Will this work?

I must have screwed something up. Ball joints are in and axle is back together. I drove 2 mi round trip to get an alignment and a yellowish fluid is all over the passenger side wheel. Alignment shop said "brake fluid" but I suspect it is diff fluid from the passenger side axle seal leaking. I thought the seal was put in correctly. (I'll look at the brakes just in case but I don't think they're the problem. What axle seal install error is likely causing the leak? Will pulling the outer driver side axle cause a leak there?

Hard start after sitting may be as simple as air in fuel system especially if you had the hard lines off. Could also be leak in the return line or T at the back of head or grids not working correctly. I would scan it just because and in case there are codes. This is becoming convoluted. Exactly what is the complaint causing it to not be reliably driveable?

Every time I get frustrated and want to hire a shop, I'm reminded that they are expensive, few are competent and none locally are competent and familiar with Cummins Rams, 80s era Mercedes diesels or 78 Datsuns. I get stuck figuring it out which o always do - eventually. Are you sure no metalfrom the first pump is causing problems? There are only a few things in the system. You could replace all at less expense than having a shop diagnose and repair. Most shops are parts changers only. Pull both pumps as a unit. Make sure they both turn together freely. Block the return ports and make sure they are leak free. Run a clear hose from the pressure port into the reservoir and make sure pump works and air bleeds. A cheap plastic line from a hardware store will suffice. Something simple is,wrong and needs to be found.

I just had my PS pump off and bleeding was easy as pie. Unfortunately, there may still be a small leak somewhere power steering pump related - in one of the hoses or perhaps the reservoir where one of the lines connects. There is an o-ring in the spring loaded connector (I think that goes to the pressure line - I'll look tomorrow). The REALLY unfortunate thing is that there is lots of fluid by the driver side axle. I just replaced both diff seals and the passenger side looks dry. I only drove 2 mi to get an alignment & return. I'm hoping it's a brake line or caliper leaking because the fluid felt like brake fluid. The 2nd time is always easier but I'm getting tired of messing with this thing. It's close to boat and bike riding season & the truck needs to be off my plate.

There are rebuild kits available for sealing the PS/Vac pumps. There are also vids on youtube. Peter Gould has some that go into detail. The drive cog can be replaced. I saw destructions in Peter's vid.

I found it at O'Reillys of all places for $3 and change. Edelmann PN 148420 https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/edelmann-3479/hardware---fasteners-16585/brass-fittings-16690/pipe-thread-fittings-18437/edelmann-1-8-inch-flared-fitting/148420/4290480 The Cummins part is upwards of $10. I "think" the threads are "NPTF". "F" is a fuel designation and allows for a "dry seal". I'll know tomorrow if it works. Some machinist's threads said that these fittings are not necessarily reuseable because the NPTF threads compress to seal. Here's the specs from O'Reilly's. Warranty: 1 Year Limited Warranty Unit of Measure: Each UPC: #21597601500 Thread Size: 1/8 Inch Tube Size (In): 1/4 Inch Applications for this product Select a vehicle to see vehicle applications. Detailed Description Male Connector - 1/4 Inch Tube (7/16-20) Male SAE Thread X 1/8 Inch Male Pipe Thread; SAE 45 Degree Flared Fitting; Male Connector - 1/4" Tube (7/16-20) Male SAE Thread x 1/8" Male Pipe Thread

What I think I've learned is that the connector going into the pump has "NPTF" threads which are the same specs as NPT EXCEPT that NTPF has "interference" threads and seal dry. I didn't find any specific information that says sealant will prevent them from working but lots of info especially "machinist's forums" say sealant is not needed. The connection to the hose is a "JIC" fitting and also is not supposed to need sealant.