help front wheel shemmy

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my 93 4x4 shimmys i think front wheels are
going side to side when i hit a bumpy road
at 45 mph, ive had balance problemc, is it tie rods, i bot top king pin plastic cups but they r not on yet,
something is wearing ,smimmy is getting worse only way to stop is slow down to 15 mph, some say put on steering stabilizer
i sya its a bandaid , i want to fit whats causing problem not hide it

mopar bill

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1993 w350 ex cab, banks
open exaust, pw injectors s/b in a week
ham radio,big rig mud flaps,duel optimas
nv4500 just put in
plan to keep this one
140k miles

 

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I'm having the same problem with my 93 as well. I have checked balljoints, tie rod ends, pitman arm, draglink etc. and cannot find any play, I too agree that a steering stabilizer would help, but would rather find the solution to the problem, and then add the stabilizer. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Chaz

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93 D250 Reg Cab Auto.
Autometer Pyro/Boost.
16cm2, PW Injectors.
Straight Exhaust.
K&N, "tweaked pump".
26PSI Unloaded. 91K

[This message has been edited by chazman (edited 11-23-2000). ]

 

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I had a 92 w150 with same problem. I would check alinment. By the time I figured it out it beat right side hub to death. mine would shimmy a little when driving(very little)and if I hit a bump above 50 it would shake until I slowed down.

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93'4+4 LE emerald green Banks PowerPack,Cummins chrome

 

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I found that mine has developed a shake only when the hubs are locked in. I unlocked the hubs and it went away. This is strange. I did however experience this side to side wobble you guys are talking about when I ran over something on the road like a muffler or a tire one time.

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• '93 250 LE 4x4 5spd 4:10 Loaded,dual 5" chrome stacks,12cm² turbo,PW injectors,K&N,pyro/boost,US Gear E-Brake,tool box,CB,10" AR rims, 285/75/16 Bf goodrich. "wirenut_21529" on Yahoo Messenger
• '96 Ford B-Series school bus (5. 9 Cummins!)I'm gonna Bomb it!
• '94 GMC 2500 6. 5L Turbo

PICTURES.

 

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Had the same problem with my 93. Mine turned out to be the tie rod ends. Jack up the front end one side at a time and shake the tires side to side. (Not top to bottom) When I did this I found about 1/4" play in the tie rod end that I couldn't feel when checking with the tires on the ground. Hope this helps someone.

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Stan
93 2WD extended cab, Banks Power Pack, K&N Air Filter, PW Injectors,Auto w/4. 10 rear with limited slip, US Gear Exhaust Brake, 31/2" Exhaust, 5K air bags, Boost/Pyro/Tach Gauges, Green/Silver, new 40-20-40 bucket seats, 149K

 

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Hey fellas, I also had a shimmy problem, in fact it once was so bad I almost lost it. My front end is in good shape, but my tires were getting a little thin in the tread and I would get a shimmy often. When I rotated them, the problem went away for a year until those too were shot. Now with fresh rubber I am OK. I also have to say that I often cross an intersection that is not quite perpendicular. With the other road having ruts, This sets up a shake that if I am going at a certain speed (45mph sounds right) will take the wheel out of my hands no matter what! We can't forget that we do have a rather primative (but the best!) front suspension. I think a damper is a good idea and I almost went for one when I was having problems. Another thing to think about is lost Caster if your springs start to frown. You have to maintain that Positive caster for stability.

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'92 W250,3. 54,auto,reg cab, raven hi top cap, tach,boost,transtemp,pyro. 16cm housing.

 

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Hey a local!! How big are the tires on the truck? There might be alot of weight there, but it can be any number of things, lug nuts,balance weight falling off, air pressure,etc etc. Good luck!

 

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How about mine? Only with the hubs locked in? What did I break?!

 

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I notice the Dodge W series do not have either steering stabilizer, or a track bar installed. Most other manufacturers installed these items on their solid axle (non IFS) front suspensions. I once had a steering stabilizer go out on a Jeep, and had the same shimmy problem you all noted.
I wonder if any of these items are available aftermarket. I don't have the shimmy problem on my 91, but I could sure use a track bar. When driving down the road, I can feel the front axle moving, and the body following shortly after. It's hard to describe, it's more like hearding cattle than it is driving. Of course with the 6" spring lift, I have too much positive arch on my springs causing this problem. If I had to do it over again, I would not have gone over a 3" lift.

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89 D-250 LE 5 speed 3. 55 Limited slip, K&N, straight piped, Boost/Pyro. & 16cm2 215K and still going. 91 W-250 5 speed, 4. 10 Limited slip, 16cm2, 6" Skyjacker lift, RS9000, Dump bed, 18K original mi.

 

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HI NEW CUMMERS
AND THE GUY IN ELDORADO, HERE IN P VILLE
THERE ARE ONLY 2 MINE AND ONE MAROON,BROWN
MINES THE BROWN, BLUE W350
TODAY I PULLED A FULL SIZE CADDY ON A TRAILER WITH A LOAD OF FIRE WOOD IN BACK
UP BASS LAKE GRADE NEW SECTION AT 55 EASY
NAPA GRADE A TOYOTA COULD'T PASS ME EVEN EMPTY.
I TRY THE TIE RODS, SINCE MY SHIMMY HAS GOTTEN WORSE, ITS SOMETHING WEARING OUT
MOPAR BILL(HANGTOWN)

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1993 w350 ex cab, banks
open exaust, pw injectors s/b in a week
ham radio,big rig mud flaps,duel optimas
nv4500 just put in
plan to keep this one
140k miles

 

[Archive]

I had trouble with my steering last winter. It would go down the highway and all of a sudden it would start 'jerking' from side to side with the steering wheel no moving. I KNOW it wasn't moving because it was definitely a white-knuckle experience. The truck would also, around an on/off ramps, suddenly start going straight a head. When I would turn the wheel harder, it would over correct to the inside of the turn. Not a vehicle for the timid. I replaced the steering box and power steering lines (not the problem other than a slight leak). I replaced the joint at the bottom of the steering shaft (fixed some play in the wheel but not the major problem). When I was pulled over on a Sunday morning by a Mass State Trooper who thought I was drunk, I figured it was time to try something else. I took it to a dealer (hated to do it) and found out it was the 'king pins' (depending on the parts store they were also called ball joints and trunions (sp?)). The pervious owner was not big on grease and at 95,000 and 9 years they were done. The tires were changing there alignment as I drove down the road and went around corners. The other problem that was fixed was the universal joints at the ends of the axles which may be Wirenut's problem too. The one hub was also bad and needed to be replaced. I can't believe the difference that this made in the handling of the truck. This may help some of you out.

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90 W250, 5-speed, isspro gauges, 16 cm2, K&N, Borgeson shaft, JRE 3" exhaust

 

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Oh ya!I had bad U-joint last winter the truck would try and drive it self. That would happen mostly when making turns. It got so bad it would cause the hub lock to engage.

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93'4+4 LE emerald green Banks PowerPack,Cummins chrome

 

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I think I'd better look at my ball joints (or king pins) because I have the same problem while going around a sharp, steady curve (such as an on ramp). The truck will suddenly start to go strait when in the middle of a turn. I'll feed in a little more turn at the wheel, and next thing I know, I over corrected, almost causing the truck to oversteer. Not a good feeling with a 6" suspension lift. One other thing I noticed, occasionally I will not be able to hit the steering stops when when making a sharp turn. I already checked my steering box mount bracket for cracking per Keeno's earlier post. Something you guys should check, if you have not done it already.

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89 D-250 LE 5 speed 3. 55 Limited slip, K&N, straight piped, Boost/Pyro. & 16cm2 215K and still going. 91 W-250 5 speed, 4. 10 Limited slip, 16cm2, 6" Skyjacker lift, RS9000, Dump bed, 18K original mi.

 

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wher did you get tie rods
brand. i id not jackup yet, down they feel tight as u stated

bill ( mopar bill )

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1993 w350 ex cab, banks
open exaust, pw injectors s/b in a week
ham radio,big rig mud flaps,duel optimas
nv4500 just put in
plan to keep this one
140k miles

 

[Archive]

Got my tie rod ends at Napa Auto Parts. They are not cheap so be forewarned. (nothing is cheap on these trucks! #ad


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Stan
93 2WD extended cab, Banks Power Pack, K&N Air Filter, PW Injectors,Auto w/4. 10 rear with limited slip, US Gear Exhaust Brake, 31/2" Exhaust, 5K air bags, Boost/Pyro/Tach Gauges, Green/Silver, new 40-20-40 bucket seats, 149K

[This message has been edited by paccool (edited 11-27-2000). ]

 

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I bought my tie rod ends at Napa also. I think the one side is around $15-$20 more than the other. The only difference is the grease fitting is on the opposite side!

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90 W250, 5-speed, isspro gauges, 16 cm2, K&N, Borgeson shaft, JRE 3" exhaust

 

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... for me the problem also turned out to be tie rod and tie rod ends. Couldn't tighten the clamp enough to hold the adjustment. Now, no more shimmy and tracks really straight and true.
gary

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'92 W250 LE 4x4, NV4500 5spd, Borgeson steering shaft, PrimeLoc

 

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I think I've found my problem. The frame is cracked at the steering box. The box has quite a bit of movement when turned from left to right. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. Thanks to all for the info.

 

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Wow this is coincidental.

My truck front end would shimmy SOMETIMES when I was braking and SOMETIMES when I hit a bump or a series of bumps in the road.

This last weekend I had the rotors turned, replaced the disc pads, packed the wheel bearings and spindle bearings (mike your rotors- the guy said not enough material left on mine then I told him I measured them as having . 035" left he went and got "another mike" and suddenly they are perfectly able to be cut!). Before I did any of this I wiggled the tire around with no weight on it and fount the suspension tight but the wheel beaings loose (slightly).

The last time I serviced the front end I followed the service manual procedure of tightening the adjuster to 35 ft-lbf and then backing off 120-150 degrees. This results in some SLIGHT play in the bearing.

On every vehicle I have owned I have always adjusted the wheel bearings for zero play to VERY LIGHT preload (medium finger tight only). I decided to do this on my W350 this time around. I torqued the adjuster to 35 ft-lbf and then backed off until just loose then grabbing the special socket by hand and tightened the adjuster. Then I backed it off to the first available locking position (at this stage the bearing is just about at zero free play) then applied the locknut at 205 ft-lbf ( the max figure). The result was a VERY light preload.

That stopped the shimmy in my case.

I think the shimmy problem boils down to some loose steering components AND/OR worn tires. So the individual solutions do differ somewhat.

At any rate I hope this helps someone.

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'93 W350 Club Cab, Bright White, 5 sp. , 132K, Factory Options: LE, 4. 10 Limited Slip, 7600 lb. rear springs, tachometer, front stabilizer bar. Mods: Banks stinger plus, Linex bedliner, 25,000 lb gooseneck ball, 10,000 lb receiver, Tekonsha brake controller, POWER WAGON injectors-WAY faster than stock!.

 

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I HAD the same problem, it turned out to be a frozen/sticking front brake caliper. I also found while I was doing the brake job that I had some bad wheel bearings on one side. After fixing those two problems, it didn't matter how bumpy the road got everything was fine(not to mention the truck stopped a lot better). I did install a rancho steering stabilizer later, and boy does that make a difference. If you ever hit a big pile of snow/slush you will know what I mean #ad
.

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1985 DODGE 1 ton Crew Cab(imported from California with no rust) W/8' box converted to 4X4(wasn't that hard to do!) in 1999,converted to a 1991 Cummins Turbo diesel & 5 speed Getrag in 2000(wife can't drive a stick . 4:10 gears, limited slip rear end, 205 transfer case, 16" Goodyear GSA Wranglers and LE Package and a Sony CD Stereo. A one of a kind truck(Wish Dodge would build a new Crew Cab in 1 ton. Last year for the Crew Cab was 1985)If you want to know why I did all of this, 2 kids, one on the way and I can't stand Ford and Chevy. Kyle Hoover ,Fruitport, MI