Shocked

[Thunderball]

I was driving down I64 today when I saw a dodge like mine, that is white in color, coming up behine me, so I move over to the center lane to let him come up beside me.
Just as his front end came up to my door he hit his breaks, I Looked in my side mirror only to see what looked like his right front wheel about to come off, Then I saw that both wheels were about to come off, They both were wobbling very bad. They looked like they were going to come off. This scared the s##t out of me. He pull in to the medeum, and turned around at the next exit about 1/2 mile, when I got back he was gone.
Does anybody know what could have happen to that front end to make it do that?. I mean it did shock and scare the s##t out of me. I don't want something like that happen to me at 65 mph.
Sorry so long, But I though every body should know.

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2001 Ram 2500HD 4x4 Quad Cab, Slt, Auto, Long-bed, 354 Anti-Spin Differential, White Clear Coat / Light Driftwood Satin Glow, Trailer Tow Group, Snow Plow Prep, Camper Special, Brakes Pwr Disc/Drum, Rr Anti-Lock, every thing but leather.

 

[LSMITH]

I have never seen that but I have heard of it. One guy I know with a V10 has had it happen to him. It is some sort of a harmonic "shimmy" , everything is just right with a loose front end and a bump can set it off. Track bar and tie rod ends fixed it for the V10 guy

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99 2500 QC 4X4 AUTO SB 24V LARAMIE SLT 3. 5 LSD 285-75-16'S SPA Boost/EGT Everything but leather NRA Member Great Lakes TDR Member

 

[Missouri Mule]

Thunderball,
In most cases wobbly wheels that seem ready to fall off just had tires or brake work done to them and the mechanic(tech) forgot to tighten the lug nuts.
If your spindle was ready to break off usually due to not greasing.
Only other thing I can think of his tires(out of balance)front end (out of alignment or something busted).


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Bill Thomas
Missouri Mule - 96 Wht 4X4 ST CC,5 spd, 3. 54, 8 ft bed, 1 ft high cheater boards.
99 Freightliner bl/wht FL60 ISB-5. 9 24v,215 hp,520 tq,6 spd, 3. 59 nsr,16 ft box, 19. 5 tires,Wt/gvw 11,000/23000

 

[Thunderball]

Guys I mean I never saw a wheel wobble as bad as they wobbled, and not come off,
I still fine it hard to believe, that he was gone when I got back.

 

[Dane]

Steering damper is a very likely candidate.

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2001 HO 6 speed Regular Cab SLT 4x4 3. 54 anti spin 2500. Used for the daily grind and sneaking away to some secret Baja beaches toting a cabover

 

[446]

Did anybody ever have a slipped belt on a tire. I dont know what it looks like outside but it sure feels like you described it.

 

[Leon R]

I just finished restoring a 1961 John Deere 1010 with power steering that acted that way. the front wheels would start to shake violently. After replacing the detent springs and balls and the drag washer in the power steering valve it was cured. I don't know if the Dodged steering control valves are similiar but the symptons sure sound the same.

 

[BigBadDodge]

Hey Thunderball,
if you think you where scared picture what he felt like I have been behind the wheel when it happened to me it does scare the I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER out of you I think a lot people refer to it as the death wobble I had the wife and son in the truck with me I thought they went into cardiac arrest. LSmiyh is right on the money it took a DT Trac Bar and Moog tie rod ends to fix it for me. I am pretty sure 9/10's of the problem was stock Trac bar being 4 years old and the cobination of the 4. 5" lift with the 36" tires only made it worse. Mine did something a little extra special though, it sheared the bolt at the lower end of the tie rod so I had no steering (bonus. ) My rig was on it's way home piggy back on top of a tow truck. Everything is fine now but it took a few $$$ to get it striaghtened out. money well spent I might add that when you are behind the wheel when this happens the only way to get to stop is to come to a stop. And on a funny note after I got it fixed. every time I hit a big bump or pot hole for about three months my hart skipped beat.



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1997 Dodge Ram 2500 HD / Club Cab, Cummins Turbo Diesel (silencer ring removed), 4. 5" Skyjacker Double Flex suspension lift, 36x14. 5"x16. 5" Ground Hawg radial tires on 16. 5x9. 75 Weld Super Singles, dual steering stabilizer, 4. 10 precision gears, 33-tooth Speedo gear, Psycotty Air Induction, Mag-Hytec rear, Rhino liner, Grizzly double bent nerf bars, Bushwhacker flares, Kanduco grill insert, Confer super skid axle truss, DT Trac-bar, Moog tie rod system, Fabritech Traction bars, Energy sway bar bushings and end links. Truck Pic's

 

[willyslover]

ANY loose link in the front geometry can be a culprit. . the one that I have seen the most is the damper as Dane said. . try doing it at 100++ mhp on dirt REAL pant filler. . lol

 

[QRTRHRS]

I saw that happen to a Ford van with the I-beam front axle once. Thing just let go and started shaking so bad, the front end was jumping up and down on the highway. He pulled over, stopped it and got back on again. Guess this was not the first time he had to do that?

 

[danandamy]

If it was 4x4 maybe someone didn't do a good job tightening the 4 wheel bearing assembly bolts. When I got my '95 4x4 recently, I was like #ad
when I looked under it and found that 2 of the 4 bolts were missing and the 2 that remained were only in finger tight. If those had come loose or come out, that would have left the brake caliper to hold the wheel on. Really scary stuff.

Daniel

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95 2500 SLT Laramie 3. 54 automatic JVC cd out of factory infinity system, southwest grill gaurd (a favorite amongst the deer population), K&N chunked, AFC adjusted, "gutless" cat, Geno's dual EGT/boost gauge, TST #6 plate slid all the way forward, AFC housing slid all the way forward, silencer ring removed
Just aquired 95 2500 SLT Laramie 4x4 automatic, innocent, stock and anxiously awaiting being defiled by bombing... .
"Don't be scared V8's, it's only a 6 cylinder"

 

[illflem]

Leon, I have a '64 JD 1020, when it started shimmying badly at higher speeds it was because of worn ball joints on the steering rod that runs from mid tractor to the front on the left side. I too rebuilt the PS control, think they call it an Orbitrol, but it didn't fix the problem. Stock link rod had no zerks, after market one did.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

I agree with BigBadDodge

Thunderball probably looked the instant the 'Death Wobble' started. Could be worn steering linkage, bad steering damper ect. I have never experienced the wobble in a Dodge, but I have in a f*** product

You are helpless. Its a terrifing experience #ad




[This message has been edited by HEMI®Dart (edited 03-18-2001). ]

 

[Tom C]

I want to know why this guy was even driving with a wheels doing that!! #ad

 

[Thunderball]

I tell you guy's I'am still having nightmares about it. And I wasn't even in that truck. I'll tell you this if anything ever happen like that to my Truck, it would be towed, not driven, Until it was fix. I still find it hard to belive he was gone, when I turned around and got back.

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2001 Ram 2500HD 4x4 Quad Cab, Slt, Auto, Long-bed, 354 Anti-Spin Differential, White Clear Coat / Light Driftwood Satin Glow, Trailer Tow Group, Snow Plow Prep, Camper Special, Brakes Pwr Disc/Drum, Rr Anti-Lock, every thing but leather.

 

[Sean Flanagan]

A buddy of mine has a 2001 3500 4x4 that does the "death wobble" occasionally. It usually does it when his car hauler is loaded (18-20k lbs). I was with him once. It is quite a scare. I stuck my head out the window and the front wheel looked like it was going to fall off! Had to slow down to 10mph or so before it would stop. He has had it in the dealer many times. They have replaced the track bar twice (!?) and rotated the tires. They are refusing to do anything more unless they can reproduce it. Time to find a different dealer. 0 stars to Christopher's Dodge World.