Funny response from front end after parking funny

[omniplex]

Ok, so the last two days the parking lot at work has been full. Since I'm driving a large heavy truck, I figure I'd park on this snow bank that's blocking a parking spot. The snow bank is small, but since it was frozen, I could only push my way half way through it. Not to bad, I'm parked so the front left side ( drivers ) is lifted from the ground about 3-4 inches.

Today, someone in a lighter truck parked on the spot, so I had to park in a different snow bank. This snow bank put both front tires off the ground and on the snow bank. I think it lifted it about 4 inches or so, and the truck sat like that for about two hours. Not a bit deal I don't think.

So I'm going to lunch, and reverse out of the snow bank. When driving forward, and turning the steering wheel, it starts to stiffen up a bit like I applied the brakes ( more like 4WD was engaged ) and the braking felt funny. Driving forward and turning left to right feels like the 4WD system is engaged and that I'm trying to turn sharply to either direction. I checked the switch and it was still in 2WD ( not Auto ). I got out and looked over everything, and it appears fine in the front. So I get in the truck and start driving. This time I drive over a speed bump, turn to the left, and hear some noise that sounds like snow and ice is falling from the front. I apply the brakes and more of the same noise. I get out and check, and everything looks fine. I drive off again, and everything feels fine, except that the steering wheel seems to require being turned just slightly more to the left now in order to stay in a straight line.

I'm going to take it back to the dealer and have them look at it, but this seems rather odd and I don't want to drive around if it might loose steering on me while going down the road.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this ( yes, I searched, but nothing I found seemed to match, plus not sure exactly what to search for )?

Thanks.

 

[Castle_Rock_AV]

I do this regularly in Colorado - parking on the ice hill at the end of the row - in order to get a better parking space. I have had the whole suspension twisted - three tires on the ground and one up 6-8 inches - and left there for an hour or so - never had a problem. Hope it is nothing major...


Good luck

 

[gthomas]

Sounds to me like you got your rear end to lock up when pushing up the snow bank.. It will unlock when you get up to 20 mph. I've had this happen to me when parking on a snow/ice bank. Back out and when I cut the wheel, got to apply some gas where normally idle will keep moving the truck. Get it up to 20 and then it should free up.

 

[omniplex]

Oh, this sounds similar to what might have occured. I'm going to drive up on the same snow bank.
It's possible the rear locked because when I got up on the snow bank I think I hit the gas again to see if I could go any further, and the drivers rear just spun on the ground, and I believe that it's the passenger rear that normally provides power ( not sure though ). I'll see what happens when I do it again.

I believe that the snow bank put me at about a 20 degree angle, dunno if that makes a difference either.