Front diff steering problems, *need help* on road trip

Thanks for the help guys, spent most of the day trying to get stuff sorted.

Drained the diff and it had 0.5 quarts. Capacity is 1.4 quarts. Used Valvoline 75-90 dino. Bought 5 quarts. Came back, filled it and it was leaking worse than ever. Called around to a couple places so see if anyone could do CV seals and none in a timely manner and none that I want to pay an arm and leg to do, especially since Im capable of doing it on my own, I just need to get to my destination. Really wishing these had manual hubs.

Looked around and found this product called "BlueDevil Stop Leak" They say it should work on diffs. Its supposed to swell the rubber seals. So I bought it and put it in to see what happens.

Checked everything with the rack. Everything is tight and nothing has changed.

Its still doing the thing where it keeps going the direction I turn and not returning to center. I took a look at the wheels and the passenger side has negative camber and the driver side has positive camber (hmm). Symptoms of off camber can make the wheel not return to center.

Decided to take it to a shop to check alignment to rule it out and the guy talked me out of putting it on the rack even though I was telling him I can see with my bare eyes that the drivers side camber is positive. So I leave and then Im thinking maybe I should let go of the wheel and just slam on the brakes to see what happens. As soon as I slam on the brakes it pulls hard to the left. Then Im like, fuck I knew it was off. I turn around and go back and the guy is gone for the day. No wonder he talked me out of checking it.

It could be the rack but Im thinking not. When I turn the wheel at a stop, it moves normal. Its not dragging or underpowered. And when I take the cap off the pump its swirling pretty damn good.

Going to a shop in the morning and demanding it be put on a rack. Ill get back with the results. As far as the diff leak goes, Im gonna keep my skid plates off and check/top it off every 500 miles. We shall see if that BlueDevil Stop Leak does anything. They say it takes 100-200 mile for it to take effect. So far I put 50 on it.

 

Checked it and its not missing any fluid.

 

Its def gear oil. It was down a quart and only gear oil smells like gear oil, I hate that smell. Its coming from in between the CV and diff housing on both sides.

 

Looks like its rated for it

 

You had recently had an alignment?

Are the LCA alignment cams/bolts torqued?

 

The alignment was done the day before I left (2 days ago). I guess Ill find out tomorrow.

Thats the only thing I didn't check because the guy only adjusted the tie rods or thats what he told me. When I tried to loosen the LCA bolts a week ago to install 5100's they might have been welded on. I couldn't even get them free.

I wanted to jack my truck up today to have more of a look and shake everything but the bottle jack I have isn't cutting it anymore because the truck is too high. Gonna need to find something new.

 

I ditched my bottle jack the 2nd year I had the truck when I realized it could only be useful for the rear axle to lift it maybe an inch...

 

an inch is all you need to change a tire?

my bottle jack is still sealed, never used, tucked away back under there still lol
i have used the spare tire puzzle rod thing once recently

 

sure, if you only need to change a rear tire, wouldn't even touch the front LCA :\

 

oh my, i never knew that!

i have only had 1 flat tire in driveway that needed repaired in 156k miles
other car has had numerous flats and needed plugged many times

 

I've been carrying a cheapy HF aluminum jack for a few years but before that I just hoped to not have a flat. I did carry my 2.5 ton 90 lbs jack for a while but realized I hated to drag it out so the 20 lbs HF one is nicer and cheap enough that I don't really care about it

 

Stop by the local Home Depot / Lowes / whatever and get a short 2x10 cut up into a bunch of 16" pieces. Absolute life saver when using the stock jack (if for no other reason than making it way more stable)

 

I’m having the same issues with my 1st gen
Maybe a few weeks after I installed my bilstiens I was driving and car pulled out in front and I locked up and then went on about my business when I went to turn I lost control just zigged zagged really bad and steering wheel wouldn’t return to center
I’ve changed the Rack and pinion, inner and outer tie rods,new LCA bushings, new LCA ball joints, new way bar links, still same problem
Recently took the steering column out and everything seemed perfect nothing wrong besides the bushing at firewall
Got a new one and just finished install and its still doing it when I turn won’t come back to center and just keeps going that direction and I’m having the same symptoms of like heavy steering but power steering pump is good and have new high pressure line