pulls crazy to the left.

[shortchevy84]

anyone know how to stop my truck from pulling horribly to the left. its gradually gotten worse. and now, i'm pretty sure its because of the steering problem, my truck has a sorta rumble too it. shaky. i know i have a bent sway bar holder thingy. where it attatches to the frame. i can't bend it back cuz its 1/4 inch steel, and i can't get it off the truck. now i know this caused the bar to be pulled forward a bit, but i managed to suck it back a bit so its almost perfect with the other end. but its still pulls just as strong and rumbles. so i don't know what else to look for. the piece was bent b4 it was pulling this bad and rumbling. so i don't know what to look for. its bad enough that after about 2 seconds of no hands on the wheel on the highway, that i'll be in the ditch. all my tires are full and tight. i am no expert on the steering assembly but something is definitely not right. i can still turn fully both ways. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

[87swb]

i know exactly how you feel about that because my truck does that. i just hope you don't have any frame damage, but then again mine was in a minor wreck .but anyways i was always told that the crown of the road makes it do that. you know the crown is the way the road kind of slopes down for water to drain.so it throws off the steering.maybe you need an alignment done.has it ever been in a wreck? does it wear tires? i know on my truck after i had an alignment done i can hold the steeering wheel straight and it will pull to the left.so to keep it straight i have to @#%$ ther wheel a little to the right and this is on a straight road too. seems like no technician can get them right. but good luck to you.  

[aprice]

have you checked the rest of the steering componets, tie rod ends, pitman arm, etc... Bad ball joints will make noise sometimes and could have the same effects

[shortchevy84]

no, i haven't check the tie rod ends, pitman arm and whatever else, not too sure what to look for. i did look at the whole works up front all assembled and i couldn't notice anything standing out.  there isn't any noise at all, it just rumbles like a wheel is ready to fall off. it doesn't matter if i'm turning, going straight, or actually turning the wheel, it always feels shaky now. it just started happening a few weeks ago, and has gotten really bad now. b4 i thought it was maybe just my imagination. now i can't stop thinking about what it could be. what should i look for in tie rod ends and ball joints? and which side should i be checking if its pulling left. i'm assuming the left side. my brother also mentioned sticking breaks?? he's not too good with cars, but he said it used to happen to our old van before my time. anyone else heard of this? if it is tie rods or whatever, are they easy to replace? anyway, thanks for the input so far. i still need help though, its very bothersome to feel like i could flying off the road at any time. my tires wear normal, maybe not now, since this just started happening a few weeks ago, but they were wearing normal. anywho thanks!!

[aprice]

you shouldnt be able to rock the tierod ends from side to side, same with the the drag link, to check the ball joints jack up the truck and grap the tire at the top and bottom and wiggle it from top to bottom, there should be no movement with good ball joints.

the tierod ends are easy to change. although the ball joints are more difficult, and require a special tool to do so.

how are the tires in the front? are they both pointing straight forward or does one seem to point one way or the other? also check if they tilt in or out. another thing might be the bearings but i think they make more of a high pitch noise

[shortchevy84]

i'll try and check that stuff this weekend. as for the tie rods, my buddy says i have to get an alignment done after i replace them. is this true? what about ball joints? i know my whole front end could probably use a good tune up, but i want to do as much myself, and mainly get rid of the rumble and pull to the left. as far as i can tell, the tires are pointed normal, and the camber is normal.anyway, thanks for the help. i'll update when i figure out what the problem is, or need more help. hopefully, i find the problem and fix it cheap!! thanks!

[aprice]

you should have it realigned both after the ball joints and tie rod ends so if you can do it all at once and then have it aligned. the trick to tierod ends is to count the turns as you remove them and then count that many turns as you install the new ones. after wards measure the front tires in front and behind the tires in the center and get it so both measurments are as close as possiable.

[shortchevy84]

ok, i checked the tie rod ends, they seem to be fine, they don't wiggle or twist and they look in good condition, but the passenger side boot is blown and grease just poors out of it. i greased all the nipples i could find . could it just be that joint needs a new boot?? i know i should replace it soon, and i will, but would this actually be the cause of the problem? i'm pretty sure its the same boot that has had a hole in it since i bought the truck and i haven't noticed anything till now. i checked the ball joints by jackin the truck up and trying to move the wheel in and out and its solid. the bent mount that holds the sway bar, i unbolted and tested without it attached, and it still does the rumbling. i have no idea what else to look for. i would take it to my mechanic but i don't have enough money, since everytime it costs like 200 bucks for me. anyone know of anything else to check or better tests for the ball joints and everything else up front??is there any chance its in the actuall steering column or something? i'm really stuck on this one since i don't know alot about the suspension/steering. thanks for any help!!!!

[shortchevy84]

so it turns out i can twist both tie rods. i just wasn't trying hard enough before. the whole tie rod twists up to where it connects to the steering linkage or whatever its called. do i just want to replace the ends on either side then get it aligned?? thanks for the help.