Archived Death wobble back from the dead

[FUMINS]

OK well ive replaced everything that you can replace under the front end of this truck and my death wobble went away for about 6 months and now its back full steam ahead. ive replaced





BD TRACK BAR

BD STEERING BOX BRACE

NEW MOOG BALL JOINTS ALL OF THEM

NEW MOOG INNER AND OUTER TIERODS (98-99 HD STEERING INSTEAD OF THE Y CRAP)

NEW CONTROLE ARM 3INCH LONGER POLY BUSHINGS

NEW GEAR BOX

AND HAVE HAD IT REALIGHED PROBLEY 5 TIMES.

2 SETS OF NEW TIRES.



I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO BUT I NEED MY TRUCK BACK FOR THE WINTER ITS MY ONLY 4X4 AND I WORK 70MILES FROM MY HOUSE AND ITS THE ONLY WAY UI CAN GET TO WORK WHEN IT SNOWS. I WAS THINKING OF GETTING THE DOUBLE STEERING STABILIZERS FOR IT.

 

[AEdelheit]

I would make sure no bolts loosened up and one of the BJ's didint allready go bad. What tires do you have? you also dont mention having a steering stabalizer, that wold make a big difference.

 

[JFought]

how many miles on each component that you replaced?

 

[DAWG-1]

How old are the front shock? Sam

 

[GaryOwen]

Any play in your steering? I know you already replaced it, but track bar bushings seem to be the major cause from searching posts. I had my first death wobble a couple of weeks ago and replaced my track bar bushings yesterday. Steering is good and tight now, but was pretty sloppy before. I also replaced my front stabilizer bar links.

 

[Sticks]

Wheel bearings, tire balance, trailing arm bushings...

 

[WCPoe]

Track bar bushings are the most probable cause!!!!

Any play in your steering? I know you already replaced it, but track bar bushings seem to be the major cause from searching posts. I had my first death wobble a couple of weeks ago and replaced my track bar bushings yesterday. Steering is good and tight now, but was pretty sloppy before. I also replaced my front stabilizer bar links.

I think Gary is right. The track bar bushings are the culprit. This issue of the TDR magazine, (Issue 74), says you could be replacing the track bar bushings as frequently as every six months. The TDR article starts on page 13 and it looks like the cure might be just rebuilding the end links with a "Luke's Link" rebuild kit.

You might want to check it out.

 

[AEdelheit]

The TDR article starts on page 13 and it looks like the cure might be just rebuilding the end links with a "Luke's Link" rebuild kit.

You might want to check it out.

For the 2nd gens a 3rd gen track bar kit will last much much longer then a lukes link will. The frame side design of the 2nd gens is just a weak design, no matter how many ways you attempt to fix it its still a weak design.

 

[ewcmr2]

Bilsteins. If the axle can't bounce up & down the axle won't bounce up and down...

Cheap shocks are valved so loose (to give a "good" ride) they don't do their job (damp the oscillations of the springs) and axles are free to bounce around wildly.

 

[FUMINS]

Ok well i have the new bd diesel track bar with poly bushings on both ends. i have had two sets of tires on the front first was a set of cooper atr's and the secound where unaroyal at. i have only put about 10k on all these parts ive checked everything under the front end a number of times. I dont have a steering stabalizer because every body tells me that there just bandaid fixes and cover up the real problem. And the shocks are new. and the reason i put 3inch longer control arms on there is because i have 2 1/2 inch leveling kit on the front.

 

[Sticks]

You need to have a stabilizer on there. Replacing the stabilizer every time you start to get a minor DW is the baindaid.

Have your tires and wheels "Zero" balanced (have them check for runout as well). Find a decent shop and they will know what I am talking about. Your average shop does "Close enough".

Double check your pitman arm, steering box (mounts loose?), and steering column shaft u-joints.

 

[Bob4x4]

If your control arms are trueley 3'' longer than stock how do they fit in the fender??

In your case get a damper on there first. The factory engineers would not have installed one unless they felt it was needed-no extra money will be spent in production

 

[04blackcherry]

Check caster angle.

 

[Bob4x4]

Bilsteins. If the axle can't bounce up & down the axle won't bounce up and down...



Cheap shocks are valved so loose (to give a "good" ride) they don't do their job (damp the oscillations of the springs) and axles are free to bounce around wildly.

I don't think so:-laf:-laf:-laf Even 3'' Kings with extreme valving will not stop d/w

 

[ewcmr2]

I don't think so:-laf:-laf:-laf Even 3'' Kings with extreme valving will not stop d/w

Then DW isn't what people have posted on YouTube as being DW. My '96 2500 4x4 never did anything but wander when parts wore out so I can't speak from experience. The online DW videos show the front axle bouncing up & down Violently. If the axle is bouncing, the shock isn't doing it's job.



I didnt know King made street shocks, I thought they were into off-road and off-road racing. Off road shocks (dampers would be the correct term. . ) are typically set up with soft high speed compression to allow them to soak up big hits (think boulder @ 80mph) without breaking mounts or shoving entire vehicle up in the air. Once you have the soft compression you can't go too crazy with the rebound or the vehicle will "Jack" itself down to the bumpstops.

 

[AEdelheit]

Then DW isn't what people have posted on YouTube as being DW. My '96 2500 4x4 never did anything but wander when parts wore out so I can't speak from experience. The online DW videos show the front axle bouncing up & down Violently. If the axle is bouncing, the shock isn't doing it's job.



I didnt know King made street shocks, I thought they were into off-road and off-road racing. Off road shocks (dampers would be the correct term. . ) are typically set up with soft high speed compression to allow them to soak up big hits (think boulder @ 80mph) without breaking mounts or shoving entire vehicle up in the air. Once you have the soft compression you can't go too crazy with the rebound or the vehicle will "Jack" itself down to the bumpstops.

FYI Bob, myself and many other dodge owners run king shocks on our trucks, all the way up to 3. 5" diameter, they valving that Sage Carli and Don Thuren do are far beyond basic compression and rebound valving, try doing a you tube search on carli or Thuren suspension. DW is not the axle moving up and down but more the wheels going side to side or a loose joint allowing the axle to move side to side

 

[Bob4x4]

Then DW isn't what people have posted on YouTube as being DW. My '96 2500 4x4 never did anything but wander when parts wore out so I can't speak from experience. The online DW videos show the front axle bouncing up & down Violently. If the axle is bouncing, the shock isn't doing it's job.



I didnt know King made street shocks, I thought they were into off-road and off-road racing. Off road shocks (dampers would be the correct term. . ) are typically set up with soft high speed compression to allow them to soak up big hits (think boulder @ 80mph) without breaking mounts or shoving entire vehicle up in the air. Once you have the soft compression you can't go too crazy with the rebound or the vehicle will "Jack" itself down to the bumpstops.

You might want to have a bit more knowledge before trying to help solve an issue you are not familiar with.

 

[Sticks]

Read This Link on DW. Disregard the main vehicle in discussion is a Jeep, it applies to every vehicle (I've seen it live on 5 different makes and models)

 

[GKPremier]

I had the wobble bad and I replaced the track bar bushings, new link at the pitman arm with a new adjustment sleeve, centered the steering wheel and the problem was solved completely. My left front wheel bearing is just a little bit loose and I haven't replaced that yet but it wasn't part of my problem. Bushings seem to be the problem either on the track bar or on the sway bar links.