3in level help

i recently put a 3in level on my truck and now when i accelerate it’s really shaky. as well as when im going a decent speed and turn left. what we did to put the level on was take off the wheel, tried to take off the top sway bar link but couldn’t so took off the bottom one, tried to take the ball joint out but it was really really in there, took out the strut, installed the level, put the strut back in tightened everything and did the other side. i realize now that we didn’t tighten the top sway bar link on the driver side. could that be what is making my truck shake when turning left or could it be something else? i’d also like to say the bolt that holds the nut to the sway bar has a 6 hex and it is stripped so when i try to turn the nut they both just spin.

 

A 3 inch "level" is not a "leveling kit", it's a 3" Lift. Do you have 4x4? A 3" lift with a 4x4 truck is too much, and your cv axles are probably binding. If it's not 4x4, then you likely have a failing front wheel bearing, which is only noticeable when you're turning.

 

yes my truck is a 4x4

 

Well then, it's likely your cv's binding because you have too much lift.

This is also really scary. The ball joints aren't really something to screw with. If you've compromised one of them, especially the lower ones, you're gonna have a bad time.

 

Always use a 6 point socket on 6 sided nuts/bolt heads, especially bigger ones, or ones that are quite tight.

Always torque suspension bits when the vehicle is in compression (not full droop hanging while frame is lifted)

 

so you think it’s my cv axle binding? if so how would i fix that?

 

Lower the truck back down, get adjustable front struts and coils, diff drop, or purchase extended CVs.

 

but why does it only shake on the left side when i turn left? when i turn right it’s perfectly fine.

 

As mentioned, the other possibility is a bad wheel bearing. They can feel fine in a straight line, but once a little side load is on them at speed in a turn, you can get a vibration. Not a shake, mind you, unless they are toast, but you'd probably be able to hear them at that point..

Outside chance- kinked brake line?

Most likely however, are the cvs. 3" is too much lift. 2.5" is ideal, more is just asking for trouble.

diff drops won't help either.. that's been proven since the early 2000s when these trucks were new. They persist only as another thing for shops to sell you.

 

Many aspect to the potential issue:
-torque issue (cv nut, lbj bolts, coilover nuts/bolt, etc)
-driveshaft ujoints rounding off dry spot from lift
-cv joints bind
-cv bushing (it is located on driver side clamshell)
-LCA bushing out of spec from lift

If your sway bar end links are spinning, they're due for a PM.