[Jet764]

Just sat in the truck engine running and turned the wheel. Something is definitely rubbing in the steering column. They did the recall for the brake interlock last august but I received the recall in the mail again. This time when I took it in for service I had all the recalls and I don’t see the brake interlock on the bill but somebody was into the steering column this time around. I see fingerprints and screws out of position. I think they signed it off as done last august but didn’t really do it because I have been getting vehicle not in park warnings over the last 3-4 months. I don’t get those now.

Since they have welded the nuts and sleeve now with the steering wheel in the wrong position I don’t know exactly how they will handle it. I guess the welds could be cut and then welded again after another adjustment. I’d rather see a new sleeve and nuts installed if there is no thread damage to the link arms. What I don’t know is with the thread sizes how much thread engagement is normal if 6mm is minimum. It would actually be 3mm because 1/2 of the ID vs OD interference. Sadly I’ll have to go to the dealer tomorrow when they open and stand there to be a dick. ugh. I want to talk to the mechanic directly instead of the service manager girl but it’s hard to get behind door #1.

 

[Ridin' High]

Seems silly to weld the nuts and remove an adjustment point designed into the steering linkage. Am I missing something here ?

You're not missing anything...I agree 100%.

To me, a better fix would have been drilling a hole through the threaded end and inserting a cotter pin.

Welding is permanent, which is what they want so they don't get sued.

 

[GTyankee]

If your dealership is like mine

They boarded up the windows between the customer waiting room & the service department bays.
They also put up signs that read something like ..
Customers not allowed beyond this point due to insurance reasons

Now i stand outside of the roll up doors & watch the techs work, that irritates the shop manager, he has told me several times that i need to wait inside the customer lounge.
I light up another cigarette & he walks away.
I want to see what they are doing, mostly because another customer caught them using an air gun on the trucks lug nuts & without using a torque wrench lowered the Ram to the ground & got the rack ready to back the truck out the door.
I can't write what happened then !!!

 

[occo]

I have been reading all the horror stories about this and I am even more discouraged about trusting the dealer service proficiencies. I have been looking for alternatives to Ram parts and found the Synergy Drag Link. It runs $300.00 and looks easy to install. Has anyone done this or what do you think of going this route.
https://www.synergymfg.com/steering/

 

[RansRAM]

I have been reading all the horror stories about this and I am even more discouraged about trusting the dealer service proficiencies. I have been looking for alternatives to Ram parts and found the Synergy Drag Link. It runs $300.00 and looks easy to install. Has anyone done this or what do you think of going this route.
https://www.synergymfg.com/steering/

occo, I think this is an excellent idea and the likely route I'll be taking. Thanks for posting a solution for a third party replacement option. Take notice that at the bottom of the recall notice it says we can claim for reimbursement.

WHAT IF I ALREADY PAID TO HAVE THIS REPAIR COMPLETED?
If you have already experienced this specific condition and have paid to have it repaired, you may visit www.fcarecallreimbursement.com to submit your reimbursement request online [3]. Once we receive and verify the required documents, reimbursement will be sent to you within 60 days. If you have had previous repairs performed and/or already received reimbursement, you may still need to have the recall repair performed.

 

[occo]

I am seriously considering their 'Ram truck steering kit'. Part number 8725-01. A bit spendy at $835.00 but it beefs up the whole steering system. Looks well worth it.

 

[Jet764]

Something is bothering me with the measurements in this recall.

If you read the measurement specs page 9 (5.) it says to use vernier calipers to measure and record the major outside diameter of the drag link threads 5mm from where the sleeve was installed.

It says to measure different positions and they provided me with three measurements for the inner and outer drag link. One for the sleeve.

So my values are:
25.4 sleeve largest inner diameter (step 4)

outer drag link 26.77 smallest outer diameter (step 5)

Inner drag link 26.67 smallest (step 5)

The Recall says to subtract the outer from the inner.
26.77
- 25.40
-------------
1.37mm

26.67
- 25.40
-------------
1.27mm

If this number is less than .6 drag link must be replaced, If it’s greater than .6 drag link is ok and continue. .6mm is .024”

There is one problem. These measurements are total so if we really want total thread engagement we need to divide by 2 which would give:

0.685 and 0.635mm If the spec from RAM is correct then .6 divided by 2 would give .3mm or 0.012” of threads. That seems way to little for the strength needed in this joint.

Looking at the table attached. https://mdmetric.com/tech/thddat4.htm
There is no 41mm thread. A conversion gets us to 1 1/4” X 7 thread.

The specs on that thread: http://www.carbidedepot.com/formulas-tap-standard.htm But I’m not sure how to decipher the minimum and minor axis of the thread numbers given to get the thread engagement desired.

I wonder if RAM has a typo and really needed the measurement divided by 2.

 

[Jet764]

Also can a tech with calipers working in mm determine to 2 decimal spaces on something like a drag link thread reliably?

 

[Jet764]

Best spec I can find is in inches for 1.25” thread bolt.

1.1233 Major screw diameter
1.0202 minor nut diameter
Subtract for .1031”

just rounding a little .10” equals 2.54mm

The minimum spec from RAM is .6mm

Something is not right. I’m no machinist so anyone have a background in threads to check my logic?

 

[redwagon]

From what the numbers show it is a 25.4 mm thread and when measuring the sleeve you are measuring the minor diameter of the thread and the drag link is considered the major diameter. Then there is the effective diameter/pitch diameter , but without knowing the pitch of the thread or class of fit all those measurements show is that the rod is not machine/worn undersize or the sleeve is machined/ worn oversize. The pitch diameter is what shows the true effectiveness of the thread.

 

[Jet764]

It must be bigger because if the thread was 25.4 it would not catch on the sleeve which was measured at 25.4ID

the chart I am using, https://mdmetric.com/tech/thddat8.htm

Shows
Diameter D 25.4mm
Pitch dia D2 23.774mm
Minor d3 22.148mm
Thread height H1 1.627mm

For a total interference fit full threads would be 1.627

The 25.4mm looks to be somewhere between 1 1/8 and 1 1/4"

I looked at this chart https://www.newmantools.com/tech/threadmf.htm

Closest I can find is in the 25mm range
The h3 and h1 measurements for male and female thread heights show for M1.5

h3 .920mm
h1 .812mm

But the way RAM is measuring this number should be doubled for thread height of
1.84 or 1.624

I think RAM’s minimum number of 0.6mm is way to small to keep the link together.

 

[Jet764]

I dropped the truck off this am when the service opened. They just called me at 3:00 to tell me the tech can’t fix the steering wheel alignment and it keeps pulling to the right. I told him [email protected]#$ and that they had to simply remove the drag link arm and that if they screwed it back to the same spot it will be correct. He said it’s his senior tech and he can’t fix it. They would need it another day to take to an outside shop for a full alignment.

Plus they didn’t fix the harness rubbing on the inside of the steering column after the parking interlock recall.

I said don’t weld the nuts. Take it off the lift I’m coming to get it. I’ll fix it myself. Bastards.

I have 21000 miles bought it new from them. never off roaded. Stock Firestones just wore out so the new tires have 35 miles on them. The Firestones wore down the the bottom perfectly and it drove arrow straight before this. It still drove perfectly straight just the wheel was cocked off 30 degrees after their first attempt. It cannot need a frontend alignment.

I am beyond pissed.

Do not take your truck to Tunkhannock Automart in PA if you need work done. They are idiots.

 

[Jet764]

Picked up the truck. They had cut the welds, One nut was hand tight on the sleeve and the other was pretty tight.

I test drove it. Steering wheel was still off to the left. I drove it up to the garage door with the wheel in the position that it drove straight on the road.

Then I left it running. Had a person in the drivers seat watch the wheel to tell me when it centered. I loosened the jamb nuts and turned the sleeve. It was sensitive. A turn does a lot. Once centered I tightened the jamb nuts. Using care to keep the ball joints straight to each other so they will be able to move. This was not in the instructions but could cause problems and the joints to wear out or break. Took longer to find the wrenches than to adjust for the wheel to be centered.

Drives straight, wheel is straight. How was that so hard. I think they just wanted to charge me for a front end alignment that would never be done. Then also charge RAM for the recalls.

So I can torque the nuts and weld just like the recall says but I can’t clear the recall from the system because it says "Recall not completed at customers request" on the receipt.

As far as the thread measurements possibly being 1/2 of what they should be, anyone know how to contact RAM engineering?

 

[redwagon]

Why bother contacting them, they won't listen to you anyways your just a lowly customer.

 

[Jet764]

Yes your right. If your getting this recall done and your nuts are found loose they should note the thread measurements on your receipt printout after the recall is completed and nuts welded.

Check that the difference is not less than 1.2mm instead of 0.6mm. If they are look for an aftermarket drag link setup or replace with new OEM.

It will be interesting to see if another recall follows after they figure it out.

 

[Ridin' High]

I went in for this recall and two others today. I declined their "fix" for the drag link. The tech, said no problem, just keep an eye on it. I told him I thought the fix was a joke as you lose all adjustability with the weld. He basically agreed that it was a "band aid" fix without saying too much. Nothing noted on my paperwork.

 

[Jet764]

It’s not the rod unscrewing that is the problem. If the jamb nuts come loose the joint wiggles up and down which destroys the threads. The threaded end would then fail by pulling out of the coupling with no warning at all.

The problem is if it’s loose the measurements from RAM to inspect are wrong. If it’s reinstalled worn and the nut is welded there is no way to reinspect.

I could notice a slight difference in my steering play when the jamb nut came loose. If I grabbed the drag link I could rock it up and down in the threads quite a bit. It’s not a tight fit. over a time it would wear the threads out to the point of separation.

 

[Tommybhoy]

I had my truck in for drag link and tailgate recalls. Before I picked it up service advisor called me and said they found the left front axle seal was leaking fluid so they went ahead and fixed it. When I got home I noticed that my paperwork said that I had complained about a transmission fluid leak which was a lie. I crawled under the truck, saw the drag link repair but no evidence of an axle seal replacement. What should I do?

 

[weaselz]

I had my truck in for drag link and tailgate recalls. Before I picked it up service advisor called me and said they found the left front axle seal was leaking fluid so they went ahead and fixed it. When I got home I noticed that my paperwork said that I had complained about a transmission fluid leak which was a lie. I crawled under the truck, saw the drag link repair but no evidence of an axle seal replacement. What should I do?

Do what I did. I had so many issues with the dealership, FCA couldn't help. So I traded and bought a Ford.

 

[mley1]

I hate dealerships like the ones mentioned above. It’s one reason I use independent mechanic shops. Or I’ll do it myself, if necessary.