Draglink

[Kiqman]

Dealing with steering wander and tracking problems. I've centered in on the draglink because when you grab it you can twist it forward and back like a motorcycle throttle. This is with the truck sitting on the ground...not jacked up. How much movement, if any, denotes a worn draglink? Should it not move at all under hand-power.

My manual says to jack the vehicle and support it on stands to replace the draglink ends...why is this? It seems they could be replaced with the truck just sitting in park...wheels straight?

Lastly...this vehicle is a daily driver but it does go off road several times a year. 33" tires and a 3" lift...should I skip the stock replacement and look for an aftermarket draglink?

 

[Triaged]

The drag link should twist. It should not move up/down or front/back. Give it a shake in those directions and see what happens. You can also have someone turn the steering wheel while you look to see if anything is moving that shouldn't (or isn't that should).

If you do need to replace it just use good (perfect circle or moog) stock replacement parts. The instructions were written for a non-lifted truck. If you can change it without taking the tire off then do it.