2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Death Wobble First Timer...HOLY COW

[Clinton]

I've seen the DW posts and read quite a few of them. I figured if I hadn't experienced it yet I wasn't going to; not so my friends. Chattanooga road construction sent my rig into a frightening wobble that sent me into a double-super freak-out.



I'm still searching the threads for answers, but a few observations and general thoughts on my experience: despite the truck wobbling and my heart rate spike, I felt like I had pretty good control side to side. That is, it didn't pull and kept going straight down the road. This was good as concrete barriers were lining both sides and I didn't have a shoulder right then and there. I'm wondering what sustains this condition. If you had the nerve and didn't slow down, would it just keep wobbling? As I slowed through about 25 mph it stopped. This was when I realized it wasn't a blow out, but I still stopped at the end of the barriers to check the tires. I was lucky, it happened about 1:00 a. m. and traffic was light. This could have been a lot uglier.

 

[jwalton]

I know the feeling. The same conditions hit me on a WV highway under construction. I did the alighnment like the guys said and had the new tires put on at the same time so im just waiting for it to happen again. I have repaced 2 steering gears that I think were weakened by the DW so you should keep an eye out for that too. Good Luck. Joe

 

[T-Bone]

I know what you mean too. I just experienced the death wobble for the first time last night on the way home from work. I hit a rough patch in the road and the next I knew... no fun. I did go straight, it was just a little hairy getting the truck slowed down. I was probably doing 45 mph and slowed to 25 to get the wobble to stop.



I know I need a new track bar and I have a new DT ready to go on. I was hoping to do Skyjacker springs and larger tires at the same time as the track bar. I don't think I will wait.



T-Bone

 

[Clinton]

T-bone did you notice I have a DT trac bar and levelling coils? I also have good shocks, a brand new steering stabilizer, and a fresh alignment. I'm not positive about my condition, but I think it was brought on by the tires being worn uneven and road condition. My front passenger side tire wears the fastest and I need new tires all around; that one is pretty bad right now. The road had a step-down seam across the lane, kind of like where two road surfaces met. Also there was a pothole that my passenger side tire fell into right at the seam. I saw it coming and already had both hands on the wheel as it looked rough. I hit the seam and BAM, welcome to Wobble City. Who knows, I bet if you took 10 Ram CTD 2500 4x4s through that stretch at 70 mph you'd get a couple that would wobble. I'm not too freaked out at this point because that's a first in over three years. I would be upset if I had one of the trucks I've read about while searching that did it all the time. Basically, I think I need new tires and to slow down in construction zones. Good luck.

 

[T-Bone]

Clinton,

Dang. Should have checked your profile. Sorry. Not good news for how I had hoped to fix my wobble. Yours sounds very similar to how mine happened. My front passenger side tire wears the fastest too and I am getting close to needing new tires all around. I hit several areas in the road that had been patched (pretty rough), and then…I was introduced to Mr. Wobble. I'm hoping this is an isolated incident for me too.

Good luck to you too.

T-Bone

 

[jponder]

Its been a long time since I felt it but I am sure it is still there. Didnt it feel like the wheel was hoping in some kind of harmonic motion vs wobbling, which to me would mean side to side vibration. It felt like it started hoping and decided it liked it. You hit the brake or swerve right or left and it will stop. I think I have started subconciously swereving after hitting a bump and it kinda cuts it off before it gets going. I felt it 3 times within 6 months of my truck being new and then I just started driving different I geuss. I'm not sure why it stopped

 

[Clinton]

Yeah jponder, that's exactly how it felt and yes, my steering wheel did seem to like it. What I'm wondering at the moment is how can the motion of the axle completely overwhelm the suspension components? I have progressive wound springs that are supposedly matched to the weight of the truck and shocks that are supposedly valved specifically for the truck. Even with these components it still wobbled and while it was going on the suspension showed no signs of reeling it back under control. That's why I wonder if you had the nerve to keep on trucking what would happen? I also wonder what it looks like from the outside while its going on.

 

[SOOT]

I had it happen to my 2WD 97 one morning several times on the 2 mile stretch into town, it's a cab&chassis so it has an I-beam front end with the same steering and suspension as a 4WD version.



It makes me think that the suspension is not stout enough for the amount of weight on the front end of our trucks.

 

[jponder]

Originally posted by MMclain

I had it happen to my 2WD 97 one morning several times on the 2 mile stretch into town, it's a cab&chassis so it has an I-beam front end with the same steering and suspension as a 4WD version.



It makes me think that the suspension is not stout enough for the amount of weight on the front end of our trucks.

I think that is it also. The front end is so heavy and you hit that pot hole and it compresses up then the weight of the truck vs the spring gets into some kind of harmonic bounce that propagets at a certain speed above 40 or so and you get this bounce. I wonder what would happen if you had some ranchos on there. Maybe that would help

 

[swordfish]

It happens to me everyday. Couple times a day in fact. I know I need a track bar and a steering stablizer, so I think that is my trucks problem. I will repeat what jponder said. I cure the wobble by cutting the wheel back and forth just as I feel it coming on and it goes away. The first time it happend I thought I was losing a wheel. Scared the crap out of me!

Try cutting the steering wheel, you don't have to hit the brakes either just keep going. See if that helps.