is it maybe the other U joint?

 

Yes but the others probably had open diffs?
Welcome to the Dodge 4x4
and The DF

 

ok update.... i have replaced the other u-joint and it was def worse than it looked lol all but one cap were rusted and pins were gone to dust lol

jerking still happens... It could be dodge specific but the fact that it happenes in the snow still makes me believe its something more

and you guys can quit telling me its hard pavement u can drive 4 wheel drive on pavement just not for too long or continuously. I understand you will bind and break stuff but if somethings wrong you have to troubleshoot right?

in anycase My next step is to replace all the ball joints that hold together the front steering tie rods and linkage... i can rock the bar back and forth quite easily all four ball joints seem really loose

if anyone has any more ideas i welcome you

 

Have you ever had a solid axle front 4x4 truck before ? just out of curiousity because they do act ALOT different then half shafts or cv's. Take my wifes mountianer for example, i can turn alot smoother with hers than i can with my ram, for one it's got cv's "half shafts" on the front and has alot shorter wheelbase.

 

Is the squeaking still there? What speeds does it do it at?

 

it doesnt have any problems going straight its only when i turn. I can only turn at like 5 mph anyway so it happens every turn speed isnt the issue i dont think but it could be the no open rear thing. I dont know i'll start asking around if changing all the ball joints doesnt help.

thanx again

 

I was wondering the same thing when I first bought mine. Never had a solid front axle and it scared the hell out of me when I forgot to take it out of 4 wheel and tried turning into my driveway. It's just the way they are. Mine will jerk and hop on snow, ice, dirt, not so much mud, but it will do it if I try. Whats happening is, as explained before, the front tires want to do the same speed, when you turn, the inside wheel is trying to travel a shorter route than the outside front. As well as trying to move at a different speed than the rear wheels. Think of it almost like a tank or skid steer. It wants to keep going forward. This will put alot of stress on the drivetrain so be careful. Hope this explained it well enough to keep you from breaking anything in the future. Good Luck!

 

thanx man... i just dont understand how i can get it to stop and act normal... why would it do it sometimes and not all the time if its the way it was built??

also i was messing around with the steering wheel in 4H and when i turned the wheel all the way right (not driving) it kinda got stuck i had to really put effort to turn the wheel to get it unstuck...any thoughts?

 

Thats normal, mine does it so bad sometimes you actually have to put it in reverse and roll back about a foot in order to get the wheel to break loose. I think it's something to do with the trackbar and steering linkage exceeding the area of travel they are ment to do.

 

Yup. That's what mine is doing. Had to bend a couple trees and roll back so I could turn the opposite direction. I'm looking into some kits for complete steering overhaul. Also, try taking out the steering stabilizer completely. It helped me but on the road you will get alot of the bumpsteer. Another good thing to consider would be a upgraded steering box. I hear they help this problem too.