98 Dakota Steering Wheel noise


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Old 07-27-09, 04:58 PM
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98 Dakota Steering Wheel noise

Hello all. I'm back again. Had the heater core done and while in there replaced evap core. Everything fine. Cold air, no smell or steam bath. Had small problem with brake light switch but that is fixed. Question is when I turn the steering wheel hard or let it return "freewheeling" I have a lot of noise in the steering wheel. Sort of a clunking noise. (It did this before the heater core job) I am just fixing a few annoying problems. It is definitely in the steering wheel itself and not from the suspension. I remember the older cars and trucks had a bearing in there that could be replaced. Does this have one? No mention in the chassis manual. There is no interuption of steering whatsoever. It is going to get ball joints soon but that is totally unrelated.
 
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Old 07-27-09, 05:41 PM
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Might be a U joint type thing..but I can't say exactly. Mine thumped and I sprayed M/C gear lube at everything steering related in the cab..it went away.

I just have to comment cause I owned one and I'm still PO'd that it was such a POS.


Fix it up..make it look nice..and sell it to some sucker....

Sorry..yeah..I'm still bitter. Never buy a vehicle in its first design year..took me two to finally get that in my head.
 
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Old 07-27-09, 06:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Gunguy45

I just have to comment cause I owned one and I'm still PO'd that it was such a POS.


.
??????????????????

Im really shocked to hear that GUN...The Dakotas are amoung the better of our products....And I would still swear by the Older ones...

BARBS......(Barbara ?????)

Two things come to mind.....One is the clockspring for the airbag...Which is a PRO job, because of the equipment required. The other is the Intermediate steering shafts.....Completely DIY'able.

Open the hood and locate the steering Box or Rack and pinion unit...You may concievably have either/Or..... Have an assistant gently rock the steering wheel while you look / listen / touch / feel/poke /prod or any other method you can think of to pinpoint the noise......I usually just Grab on to the lower half of the steering shaft above the joint. if the noise is lower than my hand, it is the lower joint, above my hand is the upper joint.......Just a quick point to keep in mind...there is also a Joint under the dash, which can be checked in the same manner from INSIDE the truck.

I just had this symptom today at work, and the "Pinch Bolt" from the bottom of the column to the shaft was left loose by the guy who did a recall on the truck 8 months ago....Its quite common for the shafts to go bad.....
 
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Old 07-28-09, 09:30 AM
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Would you folks think this would apply to
 

Last edited by bust7015; 07-28-09 at 10:20 AM.
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Old 07-28-09, 03:46 PM
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98 dakota

Well first off...Barbara...NO. I'm a guy. (Sign-inis a spinoff of last name) As far as unloading it..don't laugh it has 187,000 miles but keep in mind it is no means a POS. (Bright red, looks good, keep it waxed, no dents or rust, etc) As with something with miles it needs upkeep. As with most of you people I have DIY experience although sometimes I could use a little advice (doityourself.com. - imagine that...LOL) Anyway I do have the chassis manual and I did read about the clockspring. (Waranty job...this old???) Anyway it doesn't seem like that big a deal to mess with. The book gives the centering procedure. Just remember to disconnect battery for at least 2 minutes to avoid a day ruining POOF! I haven't gotten down under dash yet or really looked into it at all but it sure sounds like it is right in the steering wheel itself although I know sound sometimes travels and is misleading
FYI I am set up with a concentional steering box...no R&P
 
 

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