Dodge Dakota steering feedback and other weirdness

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DemoFly

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I have a 2002 Dodge Dakota 2WD.

Since I bought it there has always been steering feedback. More than what I feel is usual. To the extent to where it makes me white-knuckle when hitting asphalt seams on overpasses, etc.

It has been getting worse, but lately there is a new symptom.

The truck wants to track straight. Normally that wouldn't seem like an issue but it is. Turning is difficult and if I let go my grip on the steering wheel it will quite ferociously try to straight out. As if my truck has the caster of a chopper motorcycle.

The truck has always had power steering whine near full-lock. And lately when I turn on the A/C or turn on the defroster the power steering becomes heavier.

Are all of these symptoms related to a power steering pump?
 
I believe the steering intermediate shaft is a problem area on these trucks, but I am not sure if it would cause the symptoms you describe.

The rack itself is just as likely to be a culprit as the pump.

So, unfortunately the answer is it could be just about anything major in the steering system.
 
The upper a-arms on these (at least on my 94) have lots of adjustability for alignment. Could see your caster getting screwed up. At least make sure the bolts are tight; they sandwich two friction surfaces together to hold an alignment. Have someone watch while you crank the wheel; if you have a lot of caster the front end should raise up when you go to sideways lock.
 
I would take it in for an alignment. The shop will be able to tell you if any parts need to be replaced before he aligns the truck. The steering column intermediate shaft is easy enough to check yourself.
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Its a 02 Dodge Dakota 2WD, expect weird.


funny you said this, as i was thinking the same exact thing reading the title of this thread.

As to the OP, check for binding steering shaft, fluid leaks/seeping from pump or rack. Could also have weak pump and/or restricted steering gear (fluid restriction).
 
Dodge Dakota's are not weird...I own one and I am not that weird either..You can spray the u-joints on the intermediate steering shaft with WD-40. If the steering gets better after that, you need a new shaft. It has been known to be a common problem and the shafts are hard to find.

If the shaft is OK it sounds to me like the ps pump is going bad. You can buy a pressure tester or have a shop test it to be sure. Is it leaking? I replaced my own PS pump and both hoses maybe a year ago. It was not too bad of a job. It could be the rack too but if the rack moves freely with the front axle on jack stands, I would suspect the pump is bad.
 
I found an intermediate shaft for $70 new.

But I am not sure that I need it. My steering is very tight with no play and no popping/clicking. Could my issues still be related to the intermediate steering shaft?

Also, when turning the steering wheel from lock to lock the truck does raise about a half-inch. This leads me to believe the caster is bad. Would bad caster cause steering feedback over bumps?

Jimmy, we have identical trucks down to the mileage, except mine is an 02. Is yours white, too?

I'm gonna go put the truck on some jack stands and do everyone's troubleshooting.
 
My truck is silver, a silver 2001 Dakota Sport with a V6 and the NV3500 5-speed manual. it has been a great truck and the best, most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.

I am not sure on the steering rack or other comoponents raising the truck up like that. Never heard of it myself. The guys over in the Second Generation Dakota section on www.dodgeforum.com will have more info for you on that. You might have bad control arm bushings, possibly bad ball joints (Dodge is known for ball joint issues) or maybe you have problems with the stabilizer bar end links or some other front suspension parts. Is there any give/wiggle/wobble or other play in the front wheels? Grab them at 6 and 12:00, then 3 and 9:00 positions, pull out, push in rock back and forth, see if there is anything there that could indicate bad ball joints, wheel bearing/hub assemblies, UCA or LCA problems, get a good look at all suspension bushings and check for signs of leaks whether it be grease, power steering fluid or maybe there might be a broken part somewhere. Is there any noise or vibration while driving at any given speed?
 
The wheel tug and pull test shows that they are solid. The driver's side wiggled before but it was a bad outer tie-rod that I replaced.

Everything in the front end feels solid.

There is no driving noise, and no body vibration. Only feedback going through the steering column.

I think we've narrowed it to alignment, steering rack, intermediate shaft, power steering pump.
 
A little rise like 1/2 inch sounds okay, you have "some" caster. Probably still ought to get your alignment checked out.

I agree with Demofly's probable list. I wonder if some valve in the rack is shot and boosting/ not boosting appropriately. A PS flush would be a good quick thing to try.
 
I think your PS pump is bad. If you have a bad intermediate shaft it would clunk and pop when you turn the wheel, probably not happen that much at speeds. Personally I think you would have more serious problems than just steering feedback if the rack was bad.

Others here will not agree with me but I put a Cardone reman PS pump on my truck, got it at Auto Zone and it is doing fine, no problems at all. I think it is a good idea to replace both hoses with the pump so you don't have any PS problems for a long time to come. When my OEM pump went bad the first indication of a problem was that the return hose leaked. I replaced just the hose itself and not much later the PS developed other problems. It was very stiff to steer at slow speeds but the steering was OK from about 30 mph on up. It made a lot of noise too.

Here is a thread I started when I replaced my PS pump:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/a-word-about-atsco-auto-zone-power-steering-pumps.170777/
 
There are no leaks in the power steering system and fluid level is normal.

Steering isn't stiff, with no high spots and resistance is even from full-lock to full-lock. It just whines near full-lock.

I think I will just take it in for an alignment and inspection. I'm sure the guys at Les Schwab will give me a long list of things that are broken and cost $1000 each like usual.
 
Took it to Les Schwab and after the shakedown they spotted a bad lower right balljoint and bad right upper control arm bushings.

Ordered them of the Rockauto just now and will go back to Les Schwab for an alignment after.
 
Ball joints can do all sorts of weird things - glad they found it. It's surprising the ball joints had not been making any noise though. Usually they will creak and groan going over bumps when they start to get sloppy. How many miles does the truck have? If over 100K and you plan to keep it a while longer, I'd go ahead and do all four ball joints if possible. If one is worn, the others probably aren't far behind. It may be overkill, but I think matching suspension and brake parts on both sides is a good idea.

As for your PS pump whining near full lock, it's probably normal. All of my Fords have made a whining/hissing noise at full lock, but Fords are known for loud PS pumps.
 
I agree. If it were me I would do all 4 ball joints at one time and be done with it. When my lowers went bad I replaced just the lowers. Two months later I had to pull it all back apart again to do the uppers..Lesson learned.

As for the control arm bushings, unless you have a shop press or can pay a garage a decent price to press the old ones out and new ones in, it might be worth it just to replace the control arms as a unit. If you do that, the new control arms will come with new ball joints and bushings already installed. It may be cheaper in the long run and will definitely be less work. The OEM ball joints are riveted in place. If you keep the OE control arms and replace the ball joints separately, be prepared to have fun with chisels, hammers, and drills to get them out. Once the old ball joints are out the new ones bolt in nicely. I put TRW lowers and Autozone Duralast uppers on my truck. I have read online that TRW makes the Duralast ball joints for AZ anyway. That was over 2 years ago and they are still all doing fine.

My PS pump whines a little at lock, not much. I makes a little noise when it is running too, but so did my OEM pump. It's all normal.
 
My middle daughter is nursing a tired old Durango. been a pretty good vehicle for them, not too expensive. When me and her Hubby did the ball joints last summer I talked him into control arm bushings as well. The parts were surprisingly cheap!

The important lesson on front ends learned here is that it is likely that ALL components are the same age. When we start on a front end in our fleet we will normally replace most everything that is serviceable unless we plan to sell the vehicle soon.

Flush the pump with some ATF4 and forget about it. It may whine forever...
 
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
I agree. If it were me I would do all 4 ball joints at one time and be done with it. When my lowers went bad I replaced just the lowers. Two months later I had to pull it all back apart again to do the uppers..Lesson learned.

As for the control arm bushings, unless you have a shop press or can pay a garage a decent price to press the old ones out and new ones in, it might be worth it just to replace the control arms as a unit. If you do that, the new control arms will come with new ball joints and bushings already installed. It may be cheaper in the long run and will definitely be less work. The OEM ball joints are riveted in place. If you keep the OE control arms and replace the ball joints separately, be prepared to have fun with chisels, hammers, and drills to get them out. Once the old ball joints are out the new ones bolt in nicely. I put TRW lowers and Autozone Duralast uppers on my truck. I have read online that TRW makes the Duralast ball joints for AZ anyway. That was over 2 years ago and they are still all doing fine.

My PS pump whines a little at lock, not much. I makes a little noise when it is running too, but so did my OEM pump. It's all normal.

I should be good to go. I have a shop press and an air chisel.
 
Buttoned her up and took her in for an alignment.

She drives like a peach now.

I would say the issue was the upper control arm bushings. It's funny how the ear is more inclined to hear things once you know what to listen for. There was a pretty severe clunk from the upper control arm going over large bumps.
 
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