I am interning this quarter which causes me to travel 60 miles per day (all highway). I have noticed a few problems. trucks pulls to the left A LOT. I am holding the wheel roughly 1:30 to go straight. Also at speeds 70mph and up the whole truck shakes pretty bad...... and when making a mild left at those speeds it shakes even more. Now I am not an expert when it comes to suspension diagnostics but what can i look for ? What are some common problems ?

I have replaced the front shocks a few months ago but didnt get an alignment after. I am also thinking about a wheel balance. So please help me out and list a few others things worth looking at / replacing before I take it to the shop for the alignment.

truck
97
2.3
5spd
88k

 

i would imagine with the alignment and wheel balance you wouldn't have a problem.

 

x2

 

wheel alighnment, wheel balance, and maybe tire pressure

 

Try rotating your tires front to rear first and run the highest air pressure your tire lists on it.

 

Whats your tire wear like? That will be a good indicator for starters

 

Replace the brakes. Worn brakes are usually the culprit with the wheel pulling to the right or left.

 

I had simlar problems and I would suggest while you got the truck in the air to rotate the tires try to rock the front tires. If either one of them moves you probably got a bad wheel/hub bearing. I got an 03, so mine were sealed, and I had to get the whole unit.
I just checked my Chilton it also recomended that you spin the tire and listen for any noise. If you hear any, along with tire movement, bet on the bearing. Otherwise it said to clean all your joints look for leakage/cracked boots, and then have a friend rock the tire from the bottom, and the sides while you look at the parts to see which ones are allowing the movement to help you pinpoint what could be the cause. If there is any movement from rocking the tire from the bottom your culprit most likely is the balljoints. If you can grab the tires on the sides and while pushing with one hand pulling with the other get movement it said to check your steering gear mounts and tie-rod ends for looseness. One other thing if your tie rods are loose your ball joints have a higher likelyhood of being bad also. Hope this helps and made some sense.

 

I typically deal with stuff like this at my work, so im putting my money on the pulling is definatly your alignment. As far as the shaking goes, from what you described it sounds like your wheels are out of balance.

If the car shakes when you put the brakes on then you should have your brakes looked at. While the tires are being rotated just have them or take a look yourself at the brakes.

So try the following and see if it helps.
Rotate tires and Balance (all)
Alignment.

 

In addition to Dave Warner, If you're haveing a hard time pinpointing a wheel bearing vs. a balljoint, have someone step on the brakes while you wiggle the tire. If it wiggles while on the brakes, then it is a balljoint. If it wiggles while off the brakes, and has no wiggling while on them, it points towards a wheel bearing.

 

thanks for the tip

 

it could be numerous problems. If it's pulling while you are driving (not on the brakes), and the steering wheel is pointing somewhere besides straight when you're going straight, it definitely needs aligned. I would get it checked as soon as possible. The high speed shake could be due to loose parts, such as tie rods and/or ball joints. You really don't want those parts breaking while you are traveling at speed. It's dang hard to steer when the wheels aren't pointed in the same direction.

 

get an alignment and rotate your tires and problems solved