How to replace the track bar in a Dodge Ram
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- I demonstrate a worn track bar in my 1998 Dodge Ram, and I show how I swapped it for an aftermarket Moog bar. Track bar movement is one of the possible causes of front end vibration, causing a syndrome of "death wobble", sometimes described in Dodge Rams and Jeep trucks. Although I had some steering wheel drift, I did not notice any form of front end wobble on my vehicle.
This video is published for entertainment purposes only, so do not misconstrue this as an instructional guide. I am not a professional mechanic, and any misadventure resulting from your attempt to repair your vehicle is your responsibility.
In this province the inspector is contracted by the government to do the inspection, paid by the driver. The private inspector then offers to repair any defect they discover, for going rates. This offers financial incentive to the inspector to find what he can to boost his profits. I don't completely disagree with the system, since the end result is that imported vehicles need to meet a high standard. But abuse of that power is a potential down side.
I would also recomemd to replace your intermediate steering shaft. It ultilizes a rubber joint which tends to fail over time. They have a new solod complete one. Because if fluid gets on that rubber it ruins the joint and causes excess play. Its easy to swap out as well
The provincial guidelines are very clear about this and I don't doubt that they failed it in good faith. However the design of a system where the inspector may profit when failing a vehicle is open to abuse. I appreciate your feedback, and your comment was my initial reaction. On further review it's not so clear cut to me. Certainly I didn't notice a big improvement from the drivers seat.
21mm at the tie rod end, 3/4'' at the other end. Remove old and replace pivot end first, the jack up drivers side of frame until the tie rod end lines up with the jam hole. Blue thread lock at the pivot end and a cotter key at the tie rod end and your done. A $68 part. you do not need a Moog
I was replacing mine for the same reason as you, an annual inspection, and I was amazed how much less the body seemed to roll just pushing on it with the new trackbar. It is not yet roadworthy, but when it is, I expect it to handle more tightly.
Yeah, I don't use my torque convertor very often, but when I do it makes these kind of tasks much more controlled. The planetary gear design is amazing old technology.
If you have a good quality impact that would work, too, but my impact tools don't have the stones to take this kind of bolt off. There wasn't much room for a breaker bar.
Really nice job of showing the removal of parts which is always the hardest part to figure out. Other people skip over those details so they are not nearly as helpful for us DIY guys.
That original track bar wasn't bad at all. They shouldn't have failed it.
I agree, the mechanics(inspectors) in my area ALWAYS try to get you for ball joints- I think they figure most average joes don't have the tools required to swap them(when there is nothing wrong in the FIRST place)
Wow,that's pretty wild your inspection checks that throughly. In NJ we only have to pass emissions, they don't even check of your lights or wipers work let alone access that a track bar had some play in it!
I would hate to live in a state that gets that much in your business. It is all about money not safety.
Great tutorial! I like that you included the socket sizes and the torque specs. Keep up the good work!!!
I got an identical one and now it wont fit... Nothing has changed. Was hoping your video could help but i guess not
I got it, the entire change took less than 30 minutes. Only challenging part was turning the wheel so it would align to where I could put the new bar back in.
So you turned your steering wheel all the way to the driver side to get the bar to line up correctly? I'm having an issue getting mine lined up
Thank you for stating the ft lbs required for torque! Saved me allot of time and frustration!
I'm glad it helped; thanks for the feedback.
what is the name of that converter tool? I tried searching everywhere on the net.
Trucks are not afraid to get dirty (grin).
Old trucks are made of heavy steel.
Only 'pussy' truck makers put plastic covers and paint on undercarriage parts.
With such heavy steel, makers of old models aren't too worried about a little superficial rust.
This truck wasn't expected to survive to the point of gasoline at $4.00 a gallon.
Gee, we could make up a Letterman top ten list, ha ha.I'll bet you guys could give me a few other cogent answers. Thanks for watching!
I guess you would call it a 'no name brand' bought at Princess Auto here in Canada. It's better than my crappy air tools, and it fills a niche, but it would not be considered an essential tool....
I know what you are saying, but it's not causing any functional problem and the only reason it was noticed was at a routine inspection, now passed. Do you think there is harm in driving until it actually causes a problem? Thanks for your input.
Huh... Found this cause my brother's 97 Dodge Ram needed a track bar. I don't know how much they actually are but as my brother put it "A $300 hunk of steel"
Yeah, those track bars for the Ram are surprisingly heavy.
very good !! This video can help me at my 2nd gen 3500. Very much on this vehicle is done the same way, maybe with a bit more weight.
Thanks very much from germany!!!
You're welcome, I'm glad it helped.
Yes, should be OK. Bang on the part that the bolt goes through. A Pitman arm removal tool is pretty cheap if you can't get it off, or even a three jaw puller would probably work.
I think you're right, Patrick. And my worry was that they wouldn't pass it, but it did pass the second inspection. I'll keep an eye on that. Thanks for your comment.
Dave
Did I miss how to reinstall it?
Often wondered if a guy could just buy a ball joint and weld it to the bar, colman racing sells them (I am a welder certified welder, im gonna go grab my fitter lol) Love your channel !
was your sterring wheel out of adjustment after
What I did here will not affect steering wheel position at all. If your neutral position for the steering wheel is incorrect, and you haven't worked on the steering wheel linkage, then you need a wheel alignment. It saves money in the long term by extending tire life.
Thanks for posting this. I found the install a bit tricky, but ended up doing the following.
1. Put the front end up on jack stands so wheels could turn without the engine on.
2. Get the track bar into the pocket of the frame on the passenger side.
3. Have a friend steer back and forth until the threads go up into the driver side mount hole.
4. Put a jack under the track bar near the front differential with slight upward pressure.
5. Have a friend go left and righ until threads align pushing up with the jack slowly.
6. Put the nut on the driver side hand tight to snug,
7. Remove the jack.
8. Have a friend go left and right until hole aligns on frame side.
9. Add lock-tite and put bolt in passenger side....tighten to proper torque.
10. Tighten driver side to proper torque.
The trick was getting it up on jack stands so my friend could actuate the steering to get things to align (with the engine off).
I've heard that from others as well, OEM Dodge not as good as aftermarket steering components. Thanks for your comment!
When putting the new bar in, I just lifted and pried it into place. To take it out I used a pitman arm removal tool.
iv got a 95. play in steering wheel but driveable. im wondering do i just do a track bar or they have 8-12 piece kits for all that steering stuff
The best thing to do is to get it up in the air, if only on jack stands. Lifted trucks have many weak points, and you can expose them when you take weight off the axles and do a little prying here and there.
@@spelunkerd indeed. thanks
is he talking about the vehicle inspectors you get an inspection sticker...they dont do shit in our state except give you a sticker
And the new gearing down tool was invaluable :-), dam handy device.
What an odd shaped steering bar, makes you wonder what drug the designers were on that created it, lol.
Great job, good vid :-)
It's likely they caught the problem before excessive play started causing major wear on bar. On some, the passenger side bolt gets battered so badly that the bolt's body is thinned down 2mm or more. This creates play in the system that can cause shimmy or wobble and beat the crap out of the mounting holes. Good rule of thumb is to replace the rightside bolt and nut when you replace the bar.
My 96 1500 failed too and I didn't notice anything with it. Maybe I'll replace mine anyways .
crap looks like i need a new track bar lol
Great video,thanks for the tongue specs.Am glad I subed you a while back before I even had a 98 2nd gen.🙂
A torque converter for sockets?? 🤯 Mind blown 😂
I don't use it very often but it is very interesting. It has a planetary gear inside, and the handle walks the opposite way so you need to brace it against the frame for leverage. There is a popular variety designed to take lug nuts off tractor trailer wheels. The main advantage of power tools over this is the way power tools shake and rattle, disrupting rust. Of course we'd all like to have a lift, so one could use body weight to aid in leverage.
@@spelunkerd true indeed. Pb Blaster is my torque converter 😂
Thank you for the Great video I have one question... I noticed at the 2:26 minute in the video that the steering stabilizer nut had moved as you were using the torque multiplier . I don't think that this supposed to move at all .
who makes the torque converter tool you used and where did you buy it?
I did this once on my 02 2500 ram and the steering wheel was all out of whack. I need to do it again and am trying to see how to not make that mistake again :(
Good repair
I'm about to do this today, and I was wondering how you'd pop it off without that tool. Could it be pried off?
Have a 98 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 and it pulls to the right when I brake, I’ve changed the calipers, brakes and rotors and recently the brake lines , they said I needed a bunch of front end parts and I do have quite a bit of play but what bothers me is that dang pull to the right , what can it be?
Gee, I'd have focused on brakes, too. You might get a laser thermometer and compare temperatures of rotors to get a clue as to which one is heating up more. Don't forget the back wheels, maybe a shoe in the back is causing the shift. I suppose that could be a suspension/alignment issue....
What tool did you use to press the track bar into the right hand bracket?
they don't even inspect brakes here let alone the track bar?
Well done !!
Great news, thanks for updating this thread.
Thanks for your thoughtful remarks.
please get back to me asap about this
practical video, thanks...
Did you jack it up at all or did you just put the axle stands underneath it for safety? Do you have to jack it up or is this a job you can do on the ground?
As I recall I did jack it up, if only to gain better access and help to get the new one in. The hardest part of this job is putting the new bar into place, and I think it would be quite a bit easier with both wheels off the ground.
You have all the sweet tools!.
spelunkerd is the track bar and the stabilizer bar the same thing? if not im having troble finding one
This vehicle has both. The stabilizer bar and sway bars control the up and down centripetal tipping of the chassis when the vehicle goes around a curve, and they are present on all modern vehicles. The track bar is there to tie the steering hardware to the frame when the truck turns, and it's not present on all vehicles. For a demonstration of what a track bar does, go to the channel Briansmobile1, and see a video he posted last year of how the steering hardware shifts side to side when he turns the steering wheel on a vehicle with the track bar removed. That side to side shifting makes for sloppy steering control.
Maybe that's what's wrong with my 96' dodge 2500. It's got a 10" lift with 37" tires and my wheel moves about a quarter all the way around... I did notice that joint looks worn. Thanks for the video!!
Was the trac bar the issue with your wheel play?
Sometimes its the itermediate steeri g column. They use a rubber joint and over time that oem lart fails or weakens
They make a solid reacememt model.
If you hit the knuckle where any ball joint goes they drop out after a couple hits. just some help and time saving info.
Do you live in Ohio Shane?
Why is your streering wheel not aligned after you installed the track bar?
Parked in the driveway, wheels weren't pointing straight ahead. While driving on a straight road, it's perfect. Changing the track bar alone would never alter that, and I've never done work on the steering wheel mechanism.
my puller keeps slipping off and i can't get the top link to let go. any suggestions?
These are tight and I'm not surprised that some have difficulty. You could try beating on the female end with a big hammer, try shifting the steering either way or move the car a few feet. Perhaps try heat on the female side. Impact hammers are sometimes used for this, but avoid beating on threads. Spray down the area with penetrating oil and let it sit for a few hours. In some situations you can put a nut onto the end and beat on the nut, but in this situation I recall that isn't possible because there's not much room for a good swing. Other times a big prybar or even a jack might give enough leverage. Good luck!
theres actually alot of difference. before there was alot of loose play, now its a more firm steering wheel
Glad to hear it, thanks for the followup.
I LOVE MOOG!!
I can't get my track bar to go back in. Anyone have any tips on that?
Without a lift, it's not easy because of your body position. First be certain the new bar is identical to the old. When you bolt the bar in place at one end, thread the first bolts in loosely, so there is some play to allow movement. I used a prybar at the other end to line up the bolt holes. It's all about gaining mechanical advantage without breaking anything. If it's not working when starting one side first, switch sides to bolt the other side in first. Good luck!
Nice job!
What kind of pitman arm puller are you using? Brand/size please. Thanks.
Generic puller, I think I got it at Princess Auto here in Canada.
Did you have any troubles installing the trackbar? I took mine off on my 1997 dodge ram 1500 4wd, not bad to take off with air tools. But when I had to put new track bar on a MOOG copy from ebay, I had problems getting the ball joint end back in, I put in the frame end in first then tried to get the joint in with no luck?? Can you tell me if you did anything special that Im not doing. Thanks in advance. Which province are you in??
I put the ball joint back in first, then muscled the frame (passenger side) end in. Yup, it was tighter than I expected but not so bad. I think I remember using a prybar to slide it up there. I didn't tighten either down until both bolts were in place. I had the front end up on stands. Briansmobile1 has a vid, I think the title was "what's a track bar" or something like that. He shows how the front end slides, side-to-side, when you move the steering wheel, if the track bar is removed. If you are having trouble, you might ask a friend to move the steering wheel when you try to push it in to place (I didn't do that but after watching Brian's video it might be worth a try). The torque spec on the frame side is really high, which is difficult to achieve if you don't have a lift. I live in Victoria. Good luck!
Can I send a picture of both track bars? Tell me what you think the shape is slightly different but similar.
Hello from Vancouver!
Murphy Chow As long as it fits I don't think a slight difference in shape should be a game changer. I don't think a photo would help me to help you if the two look pretty close to similar, since the only way to see if it fits is to mount it on the vehicle. You could double check with the parts guys, whether it is right for your truck. If your truck is lifted, it might make installation more tricky, but the old bar was fitting so it may be just a matter of muscling it into place.
The rest of that wobble is in your steering console. There's a small rubber boots inside the steering shaft down low that gets worn out
Often overlooked.
Yes, there is a fix for that if it gets bad but over five years there has been little change.
Just did mine today not too bad whole joint snapped while going 70 on the highway
Yikes, that must have been an unsettling surprise.
spelunkerd definitely woke me up after a 14 hour work day that's for sure!
I have 98 as well. Failed the out-of-province inspection, so I whacked a brand new moog in there! it had just as much if not more ply then the one I took out!! They passed the inspection. I got three years out of the Moog. Replacing it with an after market adjustable!!
What's the small vertical bar that is in front of the coil over shocks? 3:07
That's the stabilizer bar link in the Ram, sometimes called a sway bar link in other vehicles. The stabilizer bar reduces the tendency of the vehicle to lean to the outside when rounding a curve, by equalizing forces. Specifically it uses the force generated by downward pressure on the outside wheel to apply equalizing downward force on the inside, so the cab remains more flat as the vehicle rounds the curve. When the bushings on the stabilizer go bad, the vehicle can have a clunking sound as you round a curve.
@@spelunkerd thanks, I just bought a 95 ram and the rubber boots on mine are really brittle and cracked.
My play is very perceptible! Do you need that puller, or can you pound it out?
+husq48 Without the right tools, jobs like this can be punctuated by many swears (grin), not to mention the extra damage caused to the vehicle. Yeah, it's possible. You may be able to rent or borrow tools like the puller I used. Otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to ask a pro to do it for you.
+spelunkerd "Pro?" I am a pro...singer/lawn care!
+spelunkerd I got that tool, but it kept sliding off the stud as I tightened down on it...
Pickle fork did the trick!
How much did you pay for the track bar?
I don't remember but I think it was a few hundred Canadian dollars from a local brick and mortar parts dealer. Usually much cheaper in the US and online.
check rockauto.com. I just gor my moog trackbar for my 01 part was $86 usd and with shipping was $105 usd.
what size is that pitman arm puller? I tried a 2 and 3 jaw puller and it can't grab the front facing lip
+Dylan Stubenrauch Get a pickle fork!
Pickle fork ain't doing it. And I don't want to heat it up because it will destroy the boot, and of it still doesn't come off after the boot is shot I won't have a vehicle to drive
Why can't you drive it w/out the boot?
+husq48 Those boots keep dirt and water away from the moving parts, which otherwise are quickly destroyed by rust. Imagine a piece of sand in the joint, grinding away at the smooth surface of a joint that needs to move. Eventually the joint becomes seized, resulting on extra strain being shifted to adjacent parts of the suspension system. So, pickle forks are only used when you plan to replace the boots anyway. We've all used pickle forks, and they are an easy and quick way to get some of these parts off. But if the new part doesn't fit, you have burned a bridge if you've destroyed the boot.
Ok, how hard is it to find a new boot?
Thanks for not showing how you put it on dip
It's opposite of removal. You can change a light bulb cant you?
is the track bar the same as a center link? I can't get an answer from anyone
The center link is part of 2WD steering linkage, not seen in 4WD models (4WD use a drag link, not a center link). The track bar is a different brace designed around the added complexity of a front differential. Briansmobile1 did a good track bar video, showing how the vehicle behaves with the track bar completely removed.
spelunkerd I failed inspection too. I have 4wd. 97 ram 1500. they said center link is bad. but I bought a track bar. that's what my AutoZone store sold me when I asked for a center link. so am I replacing the right thing?
thanks for getting back to me btw! I don't think the guys who did my inspection are as knowledgeable as they try to appear
Although the center link and the track bar are not at all the same part, your parts man made a reasonable guess at what the inspection services people wanted. To know for sure, you'll have to look underneath, preferably with somebody else moving the steering wheel like I showed in the video while you look for movement at the joints. Or, you could phone the inspection people and point out there is no such thing as a center link in a 4WD Ram, and ask for clarification. Usually these kind of steering problems come when a truck is lifted, but there are a few weak points in the Ram steering system.
ok thank u much! I'm gonna contact the inspection people to clear this up. thanks for your help. all ur videos are super helpful!!!
Didn't even show the process
Out of respect for most viewers I try to delete or shorten clips that aren't worth peoples' time. If you feel there is a need for that, remember to give back to the community and show the process yourself.
spelunkerd exactly!!