Dang it, got another truck. (or: diagnose me)

I need more vehicles like another hole in my crotch, and yet I bought it. 02 Dakota 4x4.

You may recall the "PA title wrecked vehicle" thread from a while ago. It is a steal. My friend (who sold it to me) took it "offroading" after someone sideswiped her. She went 360 at least twice before going down through the weeds.

I put it up in the air today to try to see why the steering/alignment was off. I don't see any smoking guns, but I haven't pulled the boots off the steering rack/inner tie rod to see if they're bent or damaged. The steering also seems to be higher effort than it should be. At first I thought it might be from the alignment, but it does the same thing with the truck off the ground, and its only at certain points in the steering wheel travel (by that I mean that every 90 degrees of turning the steering wheel there appears to be a friction point.)

Damaged rack?

The good news is that the front CV joints seem fine, no leaks, no dents in the pans, and the only evidence that the underside ever had any contact was some fresh dirt on the front crossmember.

I love that generation of dakota's and am seriously looking for something exactly like that with a manual if possible. 4x4, v8, manual, 2 door extended cab. Semi-unicorn, but I just like their size and the way they look. They need an l33 or other GM truck engine, which may bump mileage up to high teens/low 20s.

Itll already do high teens/low 20s if you skip the 4wd. You can do a double spin into the weeds with 2wd just as well.

I dont see how the steering issue could be anything other than the rack.

That's not what fuel economy.gov says, but I'd like the 4wd anyway. I've developed a taste for remote fly fishing locales. The subaru didn't quite cut it this weekend!

Sounds the the rack gear is damaged or its coincidental and you have a binding steering U joint, try some WD 40 on all the steering column u joints first.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Sounds the the rack gear is damaged or its coincidental and you have a binding steering U joint, try some WD 40 on all the steering column u joints first.

I'm thinking u-joint too. I've seen (not on a dakota) where the u-joint slipped up the steering shaft and the shaft itself was causing the joint to bind. That was on an 80s fwd GM though..

U joint is a good idea. That would also explain why its binding every 90 degrees.

I originally grabbed the tires and up/down (ball joints) test OK, but front/back (tie rods) showed play on the right side. I pulled the boots off the inner tie rods. Looks like the right side of the rack has some play in it. When I push the steering back and forth the rack end moves up and down a bit. Left side is very solid. Zero slop at all.

Bushings, control arms, shocks, and everything else look OK. Just makes me curious why the steering wheel is at 45 degrees when I drive it. Something bent I just can't find it.

Looks like (cross fingers) the other driver's insurance will come through and accept liability which means I can buy a reman rack and still come out way ahead.

In case you missed the other thread - my friend wrecked it and doesn't know diddly about insurance (she had liability only) and assumed it was a write-off. She said she was selling it for $2000 just to get rid of it and I was basically buying it to save her from herself. The intent was to fix it, sell it, and give her the money (less what I put into it). At least that way, some other undeserving soul wouldn't benefit from her poor choices. Now it looks like the at-fault driver's insurance might actually accept liability and pay her about $4000. That means I don't feel so bad accepting a $2000 truck.

Anyone have a labor guide? In order to give the insurance company a supplement I will need labor times.

Looking at: Replace rack, add tie rods, add alignment, and add replace bumpstops.

Teh E36 M3 wrote: I love that generation of dakota's and am seriously looking for something *exactly* like that with a manual if possible. 4x4, v8, manual, 2 door extended cab. Semi-unicorn, but I just like their size and the way they look. They need an l33 or other GM truck engine, which may bump mileage up to high teens/low 20s.

I'm not a fan of the cheap plastic and the rattles, but I am impressed so far with the design. Every possible space has a nook, cranny, cup holder, or power outlet. The center console even has a little notch in the opening so you can close the console while having a place for the power cord.

Too bad about the factory speakers though