truck wandering

If the tie rod end boots are torn you can bet they are worn beyond healthy. Best get them replaced before one falls right off and you have no control as to where you are going at all.

 

You can check the tie rod ends, your self, on the left side, you just hold the steering shaft, and twist it back and forth, put your finger on the joint if it has and slack it is junk, get someone to do it, to check the right side one. You do not need any force to feel the slack.
If you did the king pins the front wheel bearing are good. Jack up the rear axles and check the rear wheel bearings, and the bushings in the end of the springs, and check the "U" bolts. Hit the "U" bolts with a hammer and they should ring, thud and they are loose.
You may want! AFTER you fix everything that has slack, get a full front and rear alignment.

 

check to make sure wheel bearings are torque to the proper spec,,, i had the same thing on my driver steer... it was shimming ,,

 

If you installed the king pins to tight "you" could be doing the wandering by over steering. When the truck drifts you turn the steering wheel to correct and if the king pins are tight they bind and you turn the wheel harder, and then your over steering and then your turning the wheel back the other way to again to compensate and with the binding you over compensate again without realizing your doing the wandering and not the truck. I hope this makes sense and helps you out.

 

How much did it cost for th tie rod and labor?

 

New tires can cause this, I installed Dunlop 881's on one of my units and the same thing, truck was line to line and horrible on curves, so I swapped tires to a different unit and the problem also followed to that unit. Tire shop said to break tires in for 2 weeks and the problem went away.

 

I would recommend replacing both ends. I would also look into replacing the whole tie rod bar with new ends. We are finding it is actually cheaper to get the new bar complete with new ends vs just the ends separately. It is also faster to change the complete tie rod bar as an assembly vs one end separately because your not fitting with turning out a seized tie rod end.

 

Heavy is right...a seized tie rod end makes a good day turn bad quick...have to heat with a torch....sometimes. I know you fixed it...but talking about front end stuff...Watch those u-joints on your steering shaft close. They will get play in them and you won't realize it. Can be easily overlooked. Grab the shaft like was said earlier to check tierod ends and be easy. Sometimes it takes a light hand to feel. Turn back and forth and push foward, backward, up, and down. Listen, feel, and look....ecspecially the one up by the firewall...it can be ellusive. Just something else to watch.