Hi, I recently had replaced both my steering gear box, and the driver's side lower control arm. Both had already been replaced before, but were defective. The control arm broke off a piece by the stabilizer link, and the steering gear box started leaking. So I had them both replaced under warranty, and took them to my mechanic so he could do the job. I don't hear the clanking noise anymore from the broken control arm, and also the steering wheel is much harder(normal) than before. The steering wheel now turns back to the straight position after making a turn. The old gear box, you had to turn the wheel back.

My mechanic could not do a wheel alignment on my truck because his machine had to be fixed or adjusted, so he told me to come back next week. Now, ever since I got it back, I have to turn the wheel to the left, to keep the truck straight, or else it will go to the right side. And the biggest problem is that I hear this humming, (or rotational sound as the wheel spins) when going straight. It gets louder as I go faster, and you can really hear it when you take your foot off the gas, and just let the truck cruise. I know I definitely need a wheel alignment, but my question is, will it solve my problem, or could it be a hub assembly or something else? I have only noticed it while going straight, I haven't noticed if it does it while turning or not.

I forgot to mention that I have also noticed that the front driver's side tire seems to be showing very minimal wear on the outside edge. The tires only have about 10-15 thousand miles. I am also due for a free tire rotation at Sears where I bought them.

 

The alignment will likely correct this problem. Your mechanic should have made arrangements to have an alignment performed at another shop instead of allowing you to take a truck which has not been fully repaired.

 

Ok thanks. Yea, I know that he should've completed everything. I thought about going to my local Firestone and getting it aligned, but I think it would've been more expensive. My mechanic is only going to charge me $50 to align it. Hopefully I can have it done first thing tomorrow morning, if not, I might just decide to pay a little more and get it over with at Firestone. I also have to go to Sears where I bought my tires and have them do the tire rotation that I am scheduled for. I appreciate your help, because now I don't have to go crazy trying to figure out what it could be. Thanks a lot.