2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission dangerous bumpy ride

[Stevel]

I have a 96 4x4 and I know others have had this problem, but I am trying to solve it again. When I am at 45 mph or higher and hit a bumpy road the front end will sometimes start to shimmy very aggressively and only stops when I slow down and I have to slow down or it feels like the front end will surely fall apart. In fact it happened a couple of weeks ago to my daughter and the muffler fell off due to the violent shimmy. I am afraid to let my wife or daughter drive it. We pull a 24 ft. horse trailer and it's very dangerous. I did put on an aftermarket track bar but no luck. I have not been able to find any forums that discuss it. Maybe the forums are deleted after awhile. Anyway this problem is severe enough that I want to sell if I can't find an answer. I do remember discussions in the past that discussed everything from tires,alignment,new gear box,track bar. What, do I have to replace everything. Why doesn"t Chrysler address the issue or at least admit to an engineering design flaw. It seems to occur more when the hole or bump I hit is with only one tire or the other. Can anyone lead me to a discussion on this or help. Thanks a lot from a disgruntalled fan. I like my Dodge and am even enjoying the rumble without a muffler. I think I'll leave it off for awhile or at least until I consider selling, just kidding. THANKS

P. S. I forgot, this is a 3500 duelly if that matters.

 

[rrausch]

I don't have this problem since I have a 2WD, but I believe this is called the "Death Wobble" and if you do a search using that phrase you will find a lot of thread on it. Good luck.



In High School I had a '46 Chevy Panel truck that I had put a Pontiac V-8 with Tripower in, and the front susp. was shot to heck. It too had a death wobble and it was really scary. But being young and dumb I just kept driving it. Luckily for me it wasn't licensed because I didn't have a title, so I didn't drive it too much.

 

[tp0d]

I`d bet with the age of the truck the ball joints are toast. Also check the steering stabilizer, that is a cheap fix. Bad shocks can aggrevate this, same with worn tie rod ends. If you do a search on alignment here, there is a special spec that these trucks should be set at.



good luck



-j