joshthemule
1/2 ton status
LOTS OF DETAILS SO PAY ATTENTION
First. 91 Burban with custom Alcan lift springs and Kingpin D60 with cross over. Stock tie rod. 37" H1 radials on 16.5 wagon wheels. When I did the cross over, I put in new upper kingpin springs and bushings. I pulled the axle out of the original CUCV it came from so, it never had oversized tires on it but I'm sure it was abused.
Under normal driving conditions the truck pulls the the right on laterally level road. Its not a progressive pull. Its just that when steering is in a state of equilibrium, its turning slightly to the right. Enough so that I have to hold constant pressure against it. After the axle swap it also had a death wobble only when I hit a bump on the right side (the side it pulls to) and only at slow speeds. I put a big fender washer under the right king pin spring and the wobble went away. Now its starting to wobble again. I have not taken apart my knuckles to check the condition of bearings and such.
Here is a weird note to add. If I go around a right hand turn hard enough, when I straiten out, the truck drives strait with out pulling. But, after a few seconds of strait driving the truck starts pulling to the right again. Also, the truck leans more to the right when turning left than it does to the left when I turn to the right.
So here are all the things I thought of and why they might be true or untrue
1st, I wondered if the axle was square and if the center pins in my custom made leafs were miss aligned. I did measure from the hanger bolt to the axle and the axle seems to be squarely under the chassis. I haven't pulled the springs out and actually measured the pins though.
2nd, I wondered if the right side spring is sagging more than the left. Since the spring center moves more towards the rear of the truck when compressing, this would explain the axle being off center and pulling to the right. This would also explain the tendency to lean so much more to the right when turning. I'm not sure if the constant correction to the left would help cause DW or make it more susceptible to it. But, as I mentioned above, when the truck is sitting in my driveway, the axle is squarely under the chassis and it does not seem to be leaning. (I measured from the ground to the front hanger bolt on each side)
I think what I need to do to eliminate or prove the above possibilities is swap the left and right front springs around. Its just so F'ing cold out lately but I'm sure I'll end up doing it before long.
3rd possibility. My right side lower king pin bearing is worn out. This is my favorite possibility because I get to buy something and tear apart something I've never torn apart before. Also, it could be spindle bearings. The lower kingpin bearing could definitely explain the pull because it would affect camber and caster. It also explains the DW. That poor spring (even though it was new when I did the swap 3 months ago) just wouldn't have the strength to hold the lower kingpin center and even with the fender washer shim, its getting worn out. Now, this may be a stretch but if the right side knuckle is misaligned, it would cause more drag on the right side of the axle and thus pull the leaf spring to the rear some. This pulling could cause the leaf spring to compress a little and exaggerate the compression in a turn. Also, the knuckle would have a chance to recenter itself when its offloaded in the right turn so that could be why it drives strait for a few seconds then starts pulling again.
Here is my plan, I'm going to swap the front springs and if that solves it, the guy at Alcan springs is going to replace them free. I'm doubtful that this is the problem though.
Next, comes a kingpin rebuild kit for both sides. As much as i would like to do this (just because I like putting new **** on the truck) it cost money and there are other things I'd like to do when I get it apart (new locking hubs) and I really don't have the money for that.
So, I'm looking for your ideas and suggestions obviously. Is there something I'm not thinking of? Should I go about trouble shooting in a different order or is there another way to trouble shoot?
First. 91 Burban with custom Alcan lift springs and Kingpin D60 with cross over. Stock tie rod. 37" H1 radials on 16.5 wagon wheels. When I did the cross over, I put in new upper kingpin springs and bushings. I pulled the axle out of the original CUCV it came from so, it never had oversized tires on it but I'm sure it was abused.
Under normal driving conditions the truck pulls the the right on laterally level road. Its not a progressive pull. Its just that when steering is in a state of equilibrium, its turning slightly to the right. Enough so that I have to hold constant pressure against it. After the axle swap it also had a death wobble only when I hit a bump on the right side (the side it pulls to) and only at slow speeds. I put a big fender washer under the right king pin spring and the wobble went away. Now its starting to wobble again. I have not taken apart my knuckles to check the condition of bearings and such.
Here is a weird note to add. If I go around a right hand turn hard enough, when I straiten out, the truck drives strait with out pulling. But, after a few seconds of strait driving the truck starts pulling to the right again. Also, the truck leans more to the right when turning left than it does to the left when I turn to the right.
So here are all the things I thought of and why they might be true or untrue
1st, I wondered if the axle was square and if the center pins in my custom made leafs were miss aligned. I did measure from the hanger bolt to the axle and the axle seems to be squarely under the chassis. I haven't pulled the springs out and actually measured the pins though.
2nd, I wondered if the right side spring is sagging more than the left. Since the spring center moves more towards the rear of the truck when compressing, this would explain the axle being off center and pulling to the right. This would also explain the tendency to lean so much more to the right when turning. I'm not sure if the constant correction to the left would help cause DW or make it more susceptible to it. But, as I mentioned above, when the truck is sitting in my driveway, the axle is squarely under the chassis and it does not seem to be leaning. (I measured from the ground to the front hanger bolt on each side)
I think what I need to do to eliminate or prove the above possibilities is swap the left and right front springs around. Its just so F'ing cold out lately but I'm sure I'll end up doing it before long.
3rd possibility. My right side lower king pin bearing is worn out. This is my favorite possibility because I get to buy something and tear apart something I've never torn apart before. Also, it could be spindle bearings. The lower kingpin bearing could definitely explain the pull because it would affect camber and caster. It also explains the DW. That poor spring (even though it was new when I did the swap 3 months ago) just wouldn't have the strength to hold the lower kingpin center and even with the fender washer shim, its getting worn out. Now, this may be a stretch but if the right side knuckle is misaligned, it would cause more drag on the right side of the axle and thus pull the leaf spring to the rear some. This pulling could cause the leaf spring to compress a little and exaggerate the compression in a turn. Also, the knuckle would have a chance to recenter itself when its offloaded in the right turn so that could be why it drives strait for a few seconds then starts pulling again.
Here is my plan, I'm going to swap the front springs and if that solves it, the guy at Alcan springs is going to replace them free. I'm doubtful that this is the problem though.
Next, comes a kingpin rebuild kit for both sides. As much as i would like to do this (just because I like putting new **** on the truck) it cost money and there are other things I'd like to do when I get it apart (new locking hubs) and I really don't have the money for that.
So, I'm looking for your ideas and suggestions obviously. Is there something I'm not thinking of? Should I go about trouble shooting in a different order or is there another way to trouble shoot?
