Jacking a vehicle and messing up the allignment?

This is a general Technical question that should pertain to Mavericks, but I am asking specifically in regard to my 2004 Dodge Ram 1500...

I did a full 4-wheel brake job this last weekend, rotated the tires (very worn, down to the last 5000 miles or so), and had all 4 rotors turned to remove the glaze.

It was recently alligned and ran nice and straight.

After the brake job, it seems to be pulling a bit to the right...not really bad, but as anal as I am about it, it is pulling bad enough for me to ask this...

Can the allignment be knocked off if I jack and put stands under the lower A-arms?

Since the truck is so tall, I just put the jack under the rear half of the lower A-arm, then put jack stand under the front half of the A-arm while working on it.

If I work on one side of my mav, I do the same thing, but since it is low enough, I can usually jack it by the cross-member frame thingy right under the radiator.

Just wondering if I can damage parts on either vehicle by jacking here.

 

Did you notice the pull after the rotation? Jacking up the truck shouldn't change anything...

 

I have a 03 Ram 1500 4x4 Quad cab and I had problems with the brakes every 10k. I had my alignment done at the dealer and they said it was set when they measured it. My pull was caused by a tire that was on the rear and was moved to the front. I went down to Wal Mart and bought a whole new set of tires. My size is 265-70-17. 4 costed right at 400 with life time ballance and road hazzard, dam good price I think.(the wait sucks though)

 

Sounds To Me Like Who-ever Did Your Brake Job Didnt Clean Out The Caliper Slide And Shims. This Will Cause This On Dodge Rams. I Am A 2 Yr. Certified Chrysler Technician And Parts Manager Now And Have Seen Alot Of This. And If Aftermarket Brake Were Installed, Be Werey Of Them As They Tend To Warp And Warp Rotors. Good Luck

 

Clean 'em and grease 'em - with brake grease that is. I've had similar problems.....

 

Hey Scott, not to change the subject but what do you think of the Ram? I personaly think it's a piece (mine). I say it's an 03 but according to the door it's a 02(1/2). So I think I got the trial version or something. I have had so many things go wrong with it that at one time I almost torched it. My girlfriend gave it to me when it had like 7k and around 10k it all began. She finished paying for it back in November and if it weren't for that I don't think I would keep it. I will sell it soon and get a different lemmon, maybe.

Back to the handling... Do you notice that when you are traveling on the highway and hit a bump or even a small hole the truck seems to try to come around? Maybe this is the cause of the right rear axle flange breaking off when it did at around 5k causing other damage and near heart attack. I have read that this isn't the only one and the dealer wouldn't cover any of it.
There are some winding roads around here that I can't wait to take my Comet on, nice and smooth and a good straight after you come out of a couple of them. I have taken my 90 Chevy short bed there and can dig into the turns... Nearly killed myself in the Dodge at half the speed!
I remember when I worked at Pep Boys I seen alot of Dodge trucks, esp. the Dakotas, have worn out upper ball joints with verry low miles. Mine have no play still but there is a awful klunk sound in the LF that even the dealer can't pinpoint.
I could list the defects I have experienced if you like, or you can just wait and see if you get as many recall notices as I have.
Hey! You got a Hemi in that thing? Wish I did, another downer.

 

I did the work myself. All new clips and pads ("Premium low-dust" from NAPA). I cleaned everything really good, but did not lube the clips (the moveable parts). The bolts that have the rubber boots on them were well lubed.

The tires have 60K on them, and they are the stock ones, with pretty good wear. I swapped back straight to front, then front to back and left/right, like I do at all my oil changes.

New tires at 65k, if they make it that long.

So, the consensus is 1-vote for poor tires (which is a given at this point) and a couple votes for lubing the clips...

What kind of lube is preferred? What is "brake grease"? I have white lithium lube and red bearing lube in tubs, various sprays (lithium, silicone, teflon), and graphite. Is there a special lube I need or will one of these work?

Thanks for the quick and multiple responses.

 

Blu,

I have had similar problems on my 04, but nothing really serious (just not perfect like my Toyota was!).

I have a "miss" periodically, but it cannot be reproduced in the shop, yet they have heard of it, just no fix. My rear does jump to the right if I hit a bump at moderate speeds, kinda scary on small roads. I had the upper ball joint replaced around 35k, the rearend front seal at about 40k, and currently, I have a barely noticeable grind when I turn left at very slow speeds, again, cannot be reproduced at the shop. Also have to swap the door seal every 30k because the door catches it when closing, and slowly rips it. Have a spot on the leading edge of the bed that has rusted through. I sanded it down to steel and put a half-dollar sized POR-15 patch on it and am watching to see how it handles direct sun over long periods.

I bought the 100K warranty, and am personal friends with the tech manager, so he has documented all of this and says to keep driving it until is is bad enough that they can reproduce it, and it will be covered.

I heard lots of poor reviews on the 03s, but the 04 got better reviews, yet it sounds like all the same problems.

I am currently laying away 275/60r20 tires at $800 at Discount Tire. Same Goodyears that are on it stock, since I got so many miles out of them.

What I DO like about my truck is all leather interior, roomy and comfortable. Good positrac rear. The Hemi SCREAMS, yet gets 20-22mpg on the highway...can't complain in a truck this big and heavy. So, worth the money so far, and damned glad I got coverage for 100k!!!

 

Most Short Wheelbase Rams Have Excessive Rear-end And Wheel Hop When Hitting A Bump Or Such At Moderate Speed. From What Dodge Has Told Me, It Is Due To The Excessive Load Capacity Rear Leaf Springs Used On These Trucks. In Turn, W/o Anything Loaded In The Bed It Will Tend To "bounce" More Due To Less Weight And The Excessive Force Of The Rear Suspension. But A Truck With A Load In The Back Has Seen Little To No Problem With The Rear End Of The Truck Jumping Around After Encountering A Bump At Moderate To Excessive Speeds.

 

makes sense to me...

 

It's Kinda Hard To Understand Untill You're Sitting In Their Classes And They're Actually Going Thru It Picture By Picture And The Due Process Of The Situation

 

And A Tip Foe Blu.... Never Get That Engine To Overheat! ON THE 4.7L ANYWAYS. The Head Tolerences Of The Heads Are Only .002" And If Warped, They Are F*&^%$! I Like The Hemi Better, Alot Less Problems And Seems To Be A Better Engine

 

My girlfriends ex is the one that was driving the truck when the axle flange broke actually. When he and the truck arrived at the dealer the dumbass said he had an accident... bad choice of words cause after that they wouldn't cover the failure or anything.

I have a grinding sound coming from the drivetrain when I turn also, but to the right. The dealer said they found a keeper clip(?) worn down and that there wasn't enough modifier in the diff. Funny that they were the only people in there. I don't trust anyone that I don't know to work on my stuff and they (the techs at the dealer here) are un aprochable and know it alls. So know that the warranty has expired (70k) and I do my own repairs, it's actually like a boulder was lifted off my back. Untill something major breaks I guess LOL.
I replaced my plugs with platnums (spelling) and no more missfire on mine, but I don't have the Hemi...

 

I just got off the phone with my tech manager, he said just a light film of grease on the clips. He said Ok to the silicone or lithium spray if I can get it in there without dripping on the pads. He said OK also to the bearing or lithium from the tub if I want to disassemble them again, but said you want just a light film or it will collect dirt and possibly bind up.

 

I did regular plugs, since they recommended them over the platinums. Still $4 each and there are 16 on the hemi, none are easy to reach. Took over 2 hours to swap them, and not a square inch of my hands/arms not cut and bleeding.

as for the miss...I am pretty sure it is electronic, from the computer. I used to think it felt like the differential, it felt like the posi was sticking and then letting loose with a little bump, but after paying better attention, it is just losing fire for a revolution or two.

We better enjoy this thread while we can...a moderator is going to move it to the Dodge Forum

But, I still think all of these issues (minus the wheel hop) are relevant for the maverick/comet.