2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission front end wobble

[tblb0900]

Bad front end wobble at 35-45mph. If I turn the steering wheel slightly it goes away. Drag link was a little loose so I replaced it and no difference. Wobble goes away almost completely at higher speeds. Nothing seems loose when I raise the wheels off the ground. U joints are good. Tie rod ends, ball joints, all tight. Wobble also gets worse when I hit the brakes lightly. Would a bad steering damper cause this? Searched forums and could not find any posts with these symptoms. All searches for wobble only turn up posts for death wobble. TIA for any input...

 

[VolsFan]

sounds like a hub assembly. raise the front end up and wiggle both tires. If theres any play, then its the hub if your balljoints are tight. I"ve been through a bunch with my oversized tires. My truck displays the same symptoms when a hub is going bad. Just did one the other week, I am planning to do either the ford copnversion or dynatrac very soon, as these unit hubs suck. I doubt its the steering damper. also check the track bar

 

[tblb0900]

Thanks for the reply. I have no play at all on either wheel. I just replaced left hub assy and both sides are tight and spin freely with no wobble or grab. What are the signs of a bad track bar? It looks ok to me. The sway bar links are very loose but I dont know if that is normal or not. Also, There is a bar that connects the axle to the frame that is about 5 feet long. Idont know the technical term for it and cannot find it anywhere in my manual. The bolt that holds this bar to the frame on the trucks left side has no hex nut on it and is loose. Dont know if this has anything to do with the problem but just thought Id mention it.

 

[JMcCoy]

The bar that connects the axle to the frame is the track bar. The bar should have a nut and bolt on it. DO NOT DRIVE IT WITHOUT THE NUT! With the truck on the ground, have someone saw the wheel back and forth. Climb underneath and inspect all the linkages. There should be no side to side movement in any of the joints. The 3rd gen track bar was one of my best upgrades. Good luck.

 

[tblb0900]

Wow! Glad I posted that. I thought the track bar was the curved bar connecting the shock towers. Oops! There is alot of movement in the track bar. So if I find a hex nut that fits do I just run it on with an impact and make it really tight? Any idea on the size? Thanks for the clarification

 

[JMcCoy]

On the frame side, there is just a ball joint, a castle nut, and a cotter pin. There should be a hole in the threads of the ball joint end. I know there is a torque specification out the, but I don't know it. I just get it good and tight, then tighten it up to line the castle nut up with the hole. Then run a cotter pin through the hole so the nut cannot back off. I like to use anti-seize on all the parts. Chances are, It will not totally correct your problem. Your track bar is probably worn out. Also check to make sure the hole at the frame has not been wollard out. If your planning to replace all or most of your front end parts, I would replace them all with '98-'02 front end parts. This will upgrade you old "Y" style front end to the "T" style. They bolt right in. Good luck.

 

[VolsFan]

I would rebuild it with a Lukes Link. I did it on mine and I have no regrets. I think its around $60, vs. couple hundred for a new track bar, take your pick.

 

[JMcCoy]

At one time, I had Luke's Links on all my joints. They are an excellent product. My Ball-joint just got too bad and couldn't rebuild it anymore. I now only have one on my drag link. I would still use them again on my tie-rod ends in the future. They are a good company to deal with as well.

 

[Hammer]

Luke's Link is a great fix for the short term but long term it should be done the right way.



Either replace the trac bar with a good aftermarket direct bolt in or use the Solid Steel 3rd gen conversion kit and 3rd gen trac bar. If you ever do one of those units or get to drive a truck that has been converted you will never mess with anything else. I did mine over 100k ago to the SS 3rd gen Conversion and its still as tight now as it was when I installed it... ... Andy