3rd Gen Dakota 2005 - 2011 Dodge Dakota Tech - The ultimate forum for technical help on the 3rd Gen Dakota.

Alignment issue - dealer is blaming it on the tires

Old Mar 28, 2011 | 11:12 AM
  #11  
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I know this is a bit of a stretch but considering these trucks have been known to experience caliper issues, could it be a dragging front right brake? I had my right caliper seize and before it got bad to the point of bad smelling smoke my truck was pulling to the right for a while. Is the front right wheel abnormally hot or hotter than the left after a drive?
 
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 12:52 PM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by Robk1971
I know this is a bit of a stretch but considering these trucks have been known to experience caliper issues, could it be a dragging front right brake? I had my right caliper seize and before it got bad to the point of bad smelling smoke my truck was pulling to the right for a while. Is the front right wheel abnormally hot or hotter than the left after a drive?
I'm not sure. I'll have a gander after my ride home this afternoon.

I just bought the truck from the dodge dealership, and they have been through a safety, and a full inspection, so I'm assuming all that stuff checks out, but I'll have a look regardless.
 
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 03:48 PM
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It's not the wheels and tires, that is ruled out.

It has to be suspension component or steering component related. So, how are the ball joints, tie rod ends, the steering rack? Wonky steering is the result of either something being shot in the front end, or an absolutely terrible alignment.
 
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by mezerr
I'm not sure. I'll have a gander after my ride home this afternoon.

I just bought the truck from the dodge dealership, and they have been through a safety, and a full inspection, so I'm assuming all that stuff checks out, but I'll have a look regardless.
It's worth a check. Mine pulled pretty bad when my caliper started to seize. Maybe jack up the front and see if the right wheel turns as free as the left. Like MonkeyWrench4000 stated above, the tires have been ruled out, if you rule out sticking calipers that leaves ball joints, bushings, rack, and tie rod ends. All contribute to the alignment but I wouldn't be too quick to believe the dealer saying everything checks out when the truck pulls. The thing drove straight the day it was new.
 

Last edited by Robk1971; Mar 28, 2011 at 05:48 PM.
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 07:21 PM
  #15  
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its awd the left front shaft is shorter so the majority of the power will transfer to the left. thus causing a slight pull but to the right thats not normal. i would be measuring ride hight and checking camber and caster. also check tire pressures. run the recommended on the door not the tire. even on and alignment rack you can have the service tech show you what 5 lbs of air in any said tire can change the alignment rather fast!
 
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Old Mar 30, 2011 | 08:12 PM
  #16  
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It very well could be a tire issue. Each tire has a natural pull built into it. Depending on the pull of the tires you could run into issue where it seems like the alignment is off. For instance. I had an alignment done on my dakota three weeks ago. Going down the road I noticed that I still had a little pull to the right. I had the alignment verified at a dealership that also has this machine.
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/how.cfm The dealership did a roadforce balance of my tires and found that the front passenger tire pulling 7lbs to the right and the drivers front pulling 14lbs to the right. The rear passenger was 8lbs to the left and the drivers rear was 10lbs to the right. What the dealership did was put the 8lbs to left and 7lbs right tires on the front. Those tires essentially counteract each others pull. Also I required less weights to balance the tires as the roadforce machine tests the balance with a roller weight pressing on the tire. Now my truck drives perfectly straight and is even smoother than it was.
 
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Old Apr 10, 2011 | 02:13 AM
  #17  
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Default Watching this issue.

My 2010 Dak (its a traditional 4x4, not an AWD though) has always had a slight pull to the left (the dealer even did an alignment a while back but no change.) Its not huge, but I notice it. The truck is at 13K miles now so I am thinking of having the local tire shop do a rotation anyway and maybe that will improve things.
I also notice this latest Dak gets AWFUL highway mileage. Way worse than my previous Dak's and also seems to have less low end. I assumed the lack of low end pull was due to the compromises made to get the top end HP up and the bad mileage due to the 3.92 rear-end, but maybe something else is up?
I actually finally got decent highway mileage today though (16 mpg running e85 on a 2.5+ hour trip to the Air Force museum in Dayton - cool place BTW.) Previous trips had been about 14MPG, so maybe whatever the issue is is working itself out?
 
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Old Apr 10, 2011 | 01:24 PM
  #18  
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With 3.92s you wont see as good highway mileage on the freeway compared to guys with 3.5s (if they even came in the 08-11 4.7l trucks). But, your truck is fairly new. You should see the mileage improve as things wear and break in. Your low end is probably dissappointing because of the Drive-by-wire throttle body. I would suggest looking in to a superchips. As for e85, its crap if you are looking for mileage. For the little bit you save at the pump, you are better off filling up with 87 and getting the better mileage. You will also see better performances with 87 octane. In order to run e85, your engine retards the timing. On average, its estimated that for every degree of retard, its a loss of 10hp. I recommend that you fill up with 87 next and see how you like it, and Im positive you will get another 2-3+ mpg. The $300 for a Superchips 3865 will also make the truck blast to drive, and should increase the throttle response greatly.
 
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