Changing caster angle solved problems with G-177 tires

[michigandon]

I wouldn't do that. WAY too much caster angle then. You're going from one extreme to another.

Just pull it apart and stuff some shims in it like I did. Mine drives quite well now.

MikeON's post above, as well as your thread on 'that other forum' convinced me that that is the right thing to do.

Planning on working on it today.

 

[michigandon]

Can someone give me the torque value on the U-Bolts for when I go to put it all back together (yes, I'll admit to being too lazy to go rifling through the TMs to find it myself.)

 

[Aswayze]

I do not remember the value but I do remember this:

Make sure your retorque them a time or two in the weeks following if you are doing a bit of driving with it. It took about 3 times on mine for everything to finally settle into place and stay at spec.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I just slapped the G177's on my M109, and have been loving them ever since. Sorry some of you guys are having problems with them.

I run 80 front and 70 in the rears, and it is still dualed.

 

[jesusgatos]

I wouldn't do that. WAY too much caster angle then. You're going from one extreme to another.

Just pull it apart and stuff some shims in it like I did. Mine drives quite well now.

Actually, that's about the perfect amount of caster, but ok. Works out to about 5.5-degrees though.

 

[michigandon]

I don't see how its even possible to reinstall the OEM shims in an inverted fashion, at least not on this particular truck (I tried!).

This one had alignment pins for the springs installed in a "staggered" formation, with the pin on the axle fitting into the offset hole, and the pin on the springs fitting into the chamfered hole. NOW it looks as though I'm going to hafta find a way to hog out
the center hole on the new shims in order to make everything fit back together.

This is supposed to be FUN, right? Just double checking.

 

[jesusgatos]

Yeah, I had to drill new locating holes. There are pictures in that link I posted.

 

[michigandon]

Well I'm certainly not drilling in that iron. Don't even have the means to do so on the premises.

 

[jesusgatos]

(drills easy)

 

[davesgmc]

I do not remember the value but I do remember this:

Make sure your retorque them a time or two in the weeks following if you are doing a bit of driving with it. It took about 3 times on mine for everything to finally settle into place and stay at spec.

always knew you had a screw loose, just didint know it was in your suspension.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Don't forget that each deuce is a little different. What works well on one might not on another. There's no rhyme or reason, it's just that way. Aswayze's deuce steers like it has power steering almost.

 

[exryan]

I just bought a pair of 3 1/2deg shims from oreillys for $20.00 they need slight modification but it should set the caster at 4deg total.

could you post the part number for the correct shim? Do you have pictures of your install? From reading the posts I thought that this would be a specific 1 piece wedge, but what is available on O's website they are 50 pcs

 

[michigandon]

could you post the part number for the correct shim? Do you have pictures of your install? From reading the posts I thought that this would be a specific 1 piece wedge, but what is available on O's website they are 50 pcs

Not from O'Reilly, but this is what I bought yesterday at a local 4x4 shop:

 

[sandcobra164]

I'll be trying this trick this evening. I worked on the drivers side for about 15 minutes last night and couldn't get the axle to come loose from the springpack. I started late and ran out of daylight so we'll try this again in the evening.

 

[Aswayze]

Are you having trouble with the bolts or is it all just sort of stuck together?

Mine came apart with little to no hassle at all but that is also sort of just the way my truck is, it's never particularly disagreeable when being worked on.

 

[michigandon]

I only got the passengers side apart right now, but the U-Bolts on mine came apart very easily as well.

 

[sandcobra164]

I got the u bolts loose finally, lots of rust on them. The fronts came out easy, the rear ones were the pain. The passenger side rear came out with a jack pushing up on the long side of the rear u-bolt. The driver's side required bolting the front u-bolt back in place and then working from short side to long side of the rear u-bolt and some PB Blaster and the jack to get it loose. Anyhow, I tried the Gringeltaube approach and removed the shims, ground down the leading edge roughly 5/32 of an inch and re-installed them. My Goodness what a difference in steering feel. It returns to center and can be driven down the road with one hand. Thanks to his expertise, I'll be driving the truck more and am now motivated enough to order and change out the oil leaking head gaskets. Well, the front is the only leaking one but might as well change both while I'm in there. Plan to have the heads magnaflux checked while I have them off just to be sure as well as have the seats and guides looked at. It runs fine but for the amount of work involved, it just seems like cheap insurance.

 

[michigandon]

After much trial and error (and wasted $$$) I also ended up "gringeltaubeing" my spring perches as well. I think I still prefer the way the steering felt with the NDTs, but maybe this is just the nature of the beast and I need to get used to it? Anyways, the wheel returns to center now and I can control it, THAT is the important thing.

I will say this much...I was going to either put an Air-O-Matic or one of Toms Hydraulic kits on this truck, but I don't think it needs it now!

 

[michigandon]

Duplicate post, sorry!

 

[Kohburn]

unless i read it wrong, the gringletaub method results in negative caster angle. it reduces steering effort and helps with centering. however it is not ideal for handling and tire wear so if you add power steering you want to go to a positive caster angle of 3-5 degrees normally. You have to be careful with generating too much negative castor or you can induce the deathwobble effect.

combining the gringletaub method of grinding the high side down with flipping the plates would seem to be a happy combination.