2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission how to kill my truck!

[andrewleach]

About a year ago I went down a road that came strait from suspension hell with my 95 4x4 at about 35mph. When I hit a certain spot in the road it threw my truck into such a bad death wobble it nocked the end right out of the ball joint on my 1 year old track bar. So after tastefully thanking #@$%! whoever is wasting all the road repair funds in michigan I bought a new track bar. I thought it was all good until about three months ago, when I had to go back down the same road. I hit the exact same spot in the road at about 25mph and was shocked to have my truck try to kill me AGAIN. Since that time my truck goes into a death wobble any darned time it feels like it. I have replaced the track bar again,new premium shocks, tie bar, sway bar bushings,steering stabilizer, and had an alignment. Soo, unless someone has a better idea I am looking for the most colorful way to euthanize this piece of junk. I was thinking that setting it on fire in front of the dodge dealership would be a nice touch:-laf.

looking for ideas,Andy

 

[Forrest Nearing]

don't you guys have like 1,000 lakes up there?

 

[JFlagg]

You could just quit going down that road too:-laf OR, if you really have to get rid of it, I'll drive up from St. Louis and take care of that truck for ya, FREE of charge You'll never have to see it again, just give me the title of course

 

[B.G. Smith]

You still have slack somewhere, without jacking up the truck, have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth and watch the front axle, suspension and steering components. bg

 

[EricBu12]

Do the 3rd gen track bar upgrade from solid steel. . www.solidsteel. biz and also get the seering box shaft stabilizer. do both of these things and you won't have the problem... . then you can love your dodge again

 

[JFaughn]

I've seem some cracked frames around the steering box's , more often than not long term metal fatigue , but with 2 hard hits like that , it could anywhere .

 

[kenny61]

whenever i get the death rattle it means its time to change the shocks on my truck

 

[y-knot]

Take it to a dealer and have it fixed right, then just remember to stay off that road, if you have trouble remembering that... . welll just remember how much it cost to have it fixed, that should burn in your rear pocket for quite some time.

 

[JFaughn]

Thats a little harsh for doing twice , if he had done it a 3rd time then there would be a call for it , like base ball , 3 strikes & your out .

 

[Doubleclutch]

Hmmm, I guess AAA is going to start posting which roads are Dodge rated at 25 mph now?

Andy- I can understand your frustration, but like B. G. said, there's something loose, or maybe a set of 315 BFG's to blame.



Greg

 

[JasonCzerak]

don't you guys have like 1,000 lakes up there?

you may be thinking of Minnesota with 10,000 lakes... no where near Michigan.

 

[Batphreak]

you may be thinking of Minnesota with 10,000 lakes... no where near Michigan.

Minnesota is VERY near Michigan, up dere on the west end of da U-P.

 

[bmoeller]

Sounds like you need to check the ball joints and outer tie rod ends yet.

 

[JasonCzerak]

Minnesota is VERY near Michigan, up dere on the west end of da U-P.

If you wanna get technical, they are about 100 road miles apart after you travel THOUGH Wisconsin.



ironwood, mi to st louis bay, mn - Google Maps



However, you are talking "boonies" there. no where near real populations like Minneapolis and Detroit.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

10,000, 1000, 100... surely you can find a lake or a pond big enough to put it in where the insurance company won't find it

 

[tlgdiesel]

Take it to a dealer and have it fixed right, then just remember to stay off that road, if you have trouble remembering that... . welll just remember how much it cost to have it fixed, that should burn in your rear pocket for quite some time.

Violation of guidelines

 

[jnelson]

Drive it down here to South Texas to see your cousin Gertrude and leave the keys in it ,in front of the walmart, in Brownsville TX. It will dissapear in about an hour. Give them a 2 hour head start, and you will never see your truck again.



I promise... it will dissapear. Completely.

 

[andrewleach]

Thanks for all the support, technical and emotional. After Y-snot got through with me I had to go see my shrink:-laf, but we are over that now. In my defense there isn't a hole there in the road just a mile of weird bumps. I am a heavy equipment mechanic, and I have had my favorite front end guy look over the truck, hence the frustration. We have run out of loose parts to replace. I'm sure there will be something stupid wrong that we missed, but that doesn't make it any more fun right now. Well got to go have my mother reaffirm my mental ability for me::{, se ya Andy

 

[Joe Mc]

Try checking the slop in the control arms. It's what I was fightimg for years to find. Had a buddy look at the space between the fron wheel and wheel house (close to the door) I put it on D then in R. He looked chocked and said "do that again" I put in D from R and he said "that's it, your wheel stays still and the body moves about 1/2"!

Got new upper and lower aftermarket control arms with Poly bushings - smooooth!

 

[fest3er]

Try checking the slop in the control arms. It's what I was fightimg for years to find. Had a buddy look at the space between the fron wheel and wheel house (close to the door) I put it on D then in R. He looked chocked and said "do that again" I put in D from R and he said "that's it, your wheel stays still and the body moves about 1/2"!

Got new upper and lower aftermarket control arms with Poly bushings - smooooth!

Agreed. He hasn't looked at *everything* yet. ALL steering and suspension components come into play:

• control arm bushings
• ball joints
• wheel bearings
• tie rod ends
• track bar
• shock absorbers
• tire pressure
• wheel strength
• steering gear
• pittman arm
• stabilizer joints
• steering dampener
• frame
• springs

Even the rear suspension can have an effect:

• shocks
• bushings
• springs

They are all part and parcel of stability. At 12 years old and unknown miles, one should be prepared to replace *all* suspension and steering components, even if they seem OK via a static test; remember that one man can *rarely* put as much stress/strain on a suspension as a 6500# truck in motion can. I'm about ready to replace all of my suspension bushings for this reason alone; my '98's got 235K miles on it; I ordered it 8/97 and got it 10/97.



The front end of my '66 Gutlass (400, 4bbl, dual exhaust) with 100K miles on it and 15 years old would, at 120 MPH, oscillate up and down, 45 degrees to either side. 40K miles later, it would do that once or twice at 90, then start oscillating sideways, with the tires sliding on the pavement. The steering wheel was nice and stable. That was purely suspension bushings, since I had decent shocks and springs on it.



We should all learn to accept that, at 10 years of age, *many* things on our trucks should be replaced due to age alone, especially things that otherwise seem OK. We also need to learn to look beyond the 'usual suspects', to learn to analyze the whole system.



N