Dunno what to tell ya except the Ali bearing fits in the OEM cup (shrug)

 

Well, that answers the question then - it's a non issue.

I figured that extra 2mm would be beneficial anyway - a slight press fit is much better than an EXACT fit, otherwise the bearing would constantly slide down over every big bump.

 

Hey boys, can anyone report on how this bearing setup worked out? I have mine apart right now since I've got the driver fender off. The stock setup appears to be in good condition, I could clean it up and re-install if necessary, but if this has produced any marked improvement, I'll slam a full bearing in there. I ordered a good NSK Japanese bearing in that size before taking mine apart, so now I'm just faced with the decision of whether to use it or the stock setup.

 

If you already have it, might just as well install it.

 

I guess I'm just curious if there's any need for the axial control. I mean why would Chrysler use such a weird type of bearing instead of a standard one in the first place? I have a hard time believing it was significantly cheaper, but maybe it was. Idk.

 

It's chrysler. Someone probably mis-ordered them for some other application, they would fit, so dodge figgered "Why not."

 

Lol, that's true.

I'm probably going to make the swap. Any reason to re-install the preload spring with that bearing?

 

Not sure what it's purpose is, so, I don't have an answer for that..... I would be tempted to reinstall it, just *because*.....

 

The purpose is to preload the centering ring that interfaces with the "wedding ring" bearing. The force of the spring is actually what centers the steering shaft. Without spring pressure it would wobble a fair bit, and I suspect because of the fact that the retainer has no groove on the shaft to create uniform installation, there were probably a bunch of trucks where that spring preload was weak and/or the retainer just slipped over time because it was trying to hold onto a slick surface, explaining the desire for people to seek out this Rock Solid solution to begin with.

In some sense the benefit to this arrangement is that it does allow for some play, which might absorb a little NVH. But mostly the benefit was probably that they didn't have to be that precise with the machining. Just slap it on there and let the spring preload take up the slack.

After more reading, I don't think the spring will serve any purpose with a full groove bearing.

 

Yeah, I do believe you are correct. So long as the bearing stays in place, you should be just fine.