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Old 10-01-2017, 07:55 PM   #1
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Wheels not centered - F250

I have a 2002 F-250 7.3 Diesel 4wd. I recently put LT 285-75-16's on it. The tire on the passenger-side front is in the center of the wheelwell. The left front sets back about 2". That causes it rub when turning hard left on the splash guard. I researched it and found that it could be remedied by a front end alignment. The shop I use said that it is a pain in the a.s to align the front end on my truck. and if it isn't pulled to leave it alone. What do you more experienced people than me think? It has never been wrecked and I bought it brand new.
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Old 10-01-2017, 08:00 PM   #2
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I'd get it aligned personally. It may be a pain in the ass but it will be right. Tires will probably last longer as well. Depending on whether it needs and annual inspection, it would possibly fail for making contact with the body parts in any way.
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Old 10-01-2017, 08:02 PM   #3
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I would look for another shop if I were you. Maybe you can find some other F-250 owners in your area and find out what shop they use. I had an '06 F-250 and the local Ford dealer couldn't align it, they subbed it out to another tire shop. I have been using that tire shop ever since.
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Old 10-01-2017, 10:07 PM   #4
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Agreed! Find a shop that's not lazy.

Not to hijack your thread but I will be replacing the tires on my F350, what brand do you or others prefer?

I want the Bridgestone Dueler AT's but I was told there is no warranty and if on the road they are hard to get in some areas, so I should go with Firestone.
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Old 10-01-2017, 10:23 PM   #5
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passenger-side front is in the center of the wheelwell. The left front sets back about 2".
That does NOT sound like an alignment issue. Certainly have a frame shop or big tire shopr look at it for their evaluation.

Possibly the wheel well material is rusted and has dropped into a different position, but 2 inches difference in geometry of your front end does NOT even seem possible without a wreck of some sort.
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Old 10-01-2017, 11:05 PM   #6
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AFAIK (not a Ford guy) the truck has a solid front axle with leaf springs ? Stock height or lifted ? Either way, measure the wheelbase left and right. If it's shorter on the driver side then there's something seriously wrong, axle moved on the spring e.g..
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Old 10-01-2017, 11:41 PM   #7
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That does NOT sound like an alignment issue. Certainly have a frame shop or big tire shopr look at it for their evaluation.

Possibly the wheel well material is rusted and has dropped into a different position, but 2 inches difference in geometry of your front end does NOT even seem possible without a wreck of some sort.
X2. Somethings wrong!
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Old 10-02-2017, 06:54 AM   #8
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X2 on the need for alignment. Sound like your teenager is jumping curbs or you hit a big pothole maybe and knocked it out of alignment.
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:21 AM   #9
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If the tire is 2" back... you've likely got a broken center bolt in the leaf spring. This needs to be fixed ASAP it's very dangerous to continue driving it this way.
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Old 10-02-2017, 08:27 AM   #10
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X2. Somethings wrong!
X3
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Old 10-02-2017, 08:41 AM   #11
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Does the truck have a lift or leveling kit on it? Those can sometimes cause the issue you are having. Different animal but my truck needs an adjustable track bar to bring the front wheels back to center.

I wouldn't care how "difficult" it is to do an alignment, I would get someone to do it.
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Old 10-02-2017, 09:23 AM   #12
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Please come back and let us know what the problem was.
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Old 10-02-2017, 10:55 AM   #13
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First how are you measuring to get 2" difference?
Your truck is a solid axle leaf spring truck that has the front spring eye fixed to the frame. There is NO alignment front to aft to give you two inches.
Does the truck "lean" to the drivers side when looking at it from the front or back?
I would check to see if you either have one or a combo of problems such as:
Flattened out driver side leaf spring, front and/or rear.
Flattened or rusted out body mounts driver side.
Completely wiped out ball joints.
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Old 10-02-2017, 10:56 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by 05CrewDually View Post
First how are you measuring to get 2" difference?
Your truck is a solid axle leaf spring truck that has the front spring eye fixed to the frame. There is NO alignment front to aft to give you two inches.
Does the truck "lean" to the drivers side when looking at it from the front or back?
I would check to see if you either have one or a combo of problems such as:
Flattened out driver side leaf spring, front and/or rear.
Flattened or rusted out body mounts driver side.
Completely wiped out ball joints.
I would disagree with you on this.
They're is a bolt through the leaves, it aligns the axle to the spring.
Many times this bolt is sheared off
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Old 10-02-2017, 11:09 AM   #15
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I would disagree with you on this.
They're is a bolt through the leaves, it aligns the axle to the spring.
Many times this bolt is sheared off
You're not disagreeing since I never mentioned it. I didn't mention it since it's a fixed point and non adjustable but could of rusted and sheared but I doubt it unless he was in a collision which he stated never was.
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Old 10-02-2017, 11:31 AM   #16
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I've seen it several times actually, and no it's not an adjustment... But still a part of the alignment.
It actually holds the axle in alignment.
I can't imagine a ball joint worn to the point the axle moved back 2" that's one bad ball joint
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Old 10-02-2017, 12:14 PM   #17
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X2 what 05CrewDually said. It's not alignment, as that will cause front end to pull either way, and you will see abnormal tire wear. Most likely A frame bushings, or as others have said broken or sheared spring pin. Yes, ball joints can also be worn but that doesn't cause this type of issue.
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Old 10-02-2017, 01:37 PM   #18
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Tires not centred

Hi sgtsdj I agree with previous posts. This truck needs to be taken to a alignment/ frame shop and be checked out. Something is wrong in your alignment. This could be an accident waiting to happen.
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Old 10-02-2017, 02:53 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by dea49 View Post
Agreed! Find a shop that's not lazy.

Not to hijack your thread but I will be replacing the tires on my F350, what brand do you or others prefer?

I want the Bridgestone Dueler AT's but I was told there is no warranty and if on the road they are hard to get in some areas, so I should go with Firestone.
Merchant's Tire has Bridgestone that is made only for them. Almost same design as the AT's. Comes in OLW and 50000 mile warranty plus a rebate! I'm quite happy with mine.
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Old 10-02-2017, 03:04 PM   #20
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No lift or leveling kit. Truck has 75,000 miles.
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