Shake, shake, shake...

[nkiewel]

OK, here's the situation. I just hit 52k miles and all of a sudden I have a shake in the truck that just about scared the #$%@ out of me on the way home the other night. I pulled over and looked for missing wheel weights or ice/mud on my wheels. There was nothing there. The shake is worst when I start to accellerate and at 55-60 mph. I have read about problems with ball joints, tie-rod ends, and BFG 315/70/17s that are a nightmare to balance. I'm just a young guy and this is my first BIG truck. I am relatively handy, but by no means a seasoned mechanic. Where should I start looking for the culprit?



Thanks,

Nate

 

[mberry]

Start searching the forums for Death Wobble subject matter.

 

[Patriot_RAM]

You mentioned the 315's -- Do you have a leveling kit or lift installed?

 

[nkiewel]

You mentioned the 315's -- Do you have a leveling kit or lift installed?

Nope. No lift or leveling kit, just the 315s.

 

[GerryDrake]

U joints ?

I'd be crawling under and shaking the driveline(s) with all the talk about U-joints going out

 

[DPKetchum]

Or a tire seperation.

 

[pcarlson]

I agree sounds like a bad u-joint somewhere or a bad tire. But you say its worse on acceleration would make me look to the driveline first.

 

[nkiewel]

Or a tire seperation.

Would there be any physical signs of a tire separating? My rear tires are getting a little bald, I have just been waiting for a replacement set to show up at my local Hummer dealer.

 

[DPKetchum]

Turn them slowly on a lift or what not and look for one that looks pregnant or somewhat bald only in one spot etc. Usually its obvious. Rule of thumb is when hunting a shake is start with the first thing that touches the pavement and work your way up. Tire,rim,lugnuts(loose wheel etc)and continue from there. About 90% or so of the time its TIRE. Or go to a tire store/Wally world or what not and tell them you want the $25. 00 balance job and it shakes badly & please check for a bad tire. On a computer balancer normally it will be spotted asap.

 

[nkiewel]

Thanks for all the help guys. I am going to have the tires checked today and if that isn't it I suppose I will have to take it in to the dealer. This is very frustrating. I have owned several new trucks and never had something like this happen with so few miles on. So much for heavy duty.

 

[LRivera]

Got rid of the BFG on my ride and the problem went away. Like others have mentioned. The sidewall strength just isnt there. Went with Nitto's Load Range E and no problem.

 

[DPKetchum]

Well if its tires it has nothing to do with the truck per se or heavy duty etc.

 

[nkiewel]

Well, I threw on a new set of 315s today and I think that it feels better. I didn't get much driving in after the swap though, so I suppose that I will see next week. I love the truck, I'm just a little frustrated. In 50k, I have replaced a high pressure fuel pump and a starter. Fortunately the extended warranty covered it all. I was ready for this to be ball joints or U joints and money out of my pocket. Hopefully it is just those tires. When I get a little more money stuck away, I am thinking about getting a set of TOYOs and the TRex wheels, but that will probably be a few more months.

 

[nkiewel]

Problem solved! I finally took the truck to the dealer to have the vibration looked at. Turns out that both of the read U-Joints were shot. Bummer, espescially since they are on a national backorder. Dealer was great, they ordered a new driveshaft that came with u-joints and replaced the entire assembly under warranty.



So far in 55k miles this is a list of the repairs:

High Pressure Injector Pump @ 15K

Fan Cutch @ 35K

Starter @ 45K

Rear U-Joints @ 50K



I am really glad that I bought the extended warranty.

 

[DPKetchum]

U/joints covered under factory 7/70 powertrain. Extended service contract did'nt pay for this repair.

 

[nkiewel]

I didn't know that, but it has paid for all of the rental cars!