Why are the front wheels on my 98 Ram van 1500 are toed in at the top?

 

Welcome to the site. I moved this thread to the second generation Ram section,
FF

 

When is the last time you had an alignment?

 

Could be due to worn ball joints.

 

I just bought it and have not had an alignment done yet. Whats the best way to check the ball joints? Do you suspect upper or lower ones?

 

To check the ball joints, lift up one wheel with a jack under the lower control arm till it is high enough to get your hand under the tire tread. Grab the tire at 12 and 6 oclock, push and pull on it. There should be no slop/ movement.

Here is a video of my very worn upper ball joint that caused me to rebuild my entire front suspension.
http://s557.photobucket.com/albums/s...t=MVI_3740.mp4

If there is slop it most likely is in the upper ball joint. Do not replace with cheap service grade parts, but spend the extra for MOOG or Raybestos professional grade. Amazon has good deals on MOOG suspension, with free shipping. Get the part numbers from Rockauto.com and google them.

If the ball joints are worn, after replacement you will most likely need an alignment.

The increased camber can be also caused by worn suspension control arm bushings, or tired coil springs which are allowing the front of the Van to sag too much, or even seriously worn/ loose wheel bearings.

 

Thanks landyacht318. I will check all that out. I appreciate your advise

 

I also have an annoying "clunk" when i hit sudden bumps in the road. No clunks on smoother bumps. Could this also be the upper ball joints? Also, how do i check the lower ball joints?