2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Truck Started Shaking uncontrollably

[Huff N Puff]

I was driving at about 80mph crossing a bridge, when I hit a few ruts in the bridge. The whole truck started shaking violently. I had to slow down the truck to stop the shaking,it felt like the whole front axel was reverberating . The truck has only 30,000mile on it and the front end is tight. Has any one else felt this and does any one know what caused it. It only did it once haven't felt it since. I'm a automechanic and have seen similar problems on newer 4x4 Jeeps and Jeep Cherokees they have a similar front suspension design as our Dodge Trucks. I would really appreciate if any one could shed some light on this issue. Merv

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Sounds like the death wobble... ..... A search should bring something up.

 

[Todd G]

I had this problem a few weeks ago. Had an idea it might be the steering stabilizer so I took it off and it had almost no resistance. AutoZone had a replacement from Gabriel for $21 and it seems to have cured the problem.

 

[Huff N Puff]

To me the shake felt

Like the two front springs started a resonating action bouncing against each other. On the Jeeps I mentioned earlier that have the same suspension as the Dodge Trucks the steering stabilizer improved the problem but in most cases that I ran across the problem was not completely solved. I think that the front shocks may solve it. The problem is it is an intermittent condition and only certain road conditions set it up. Merv

 

[Todd G]

Mine would only happen when I was slowing down and one wheel hit a pothole. then it was just as you described. I wouldn't feel it in the steering wheel at all, just violent shaking. When I got out of the resonant speed, it stopped. This happened with brand new Bilsteins on all four corners.

 

[jponder]

Re: To me the shake felt

Originally posted by Huff N Puff

Like the two front springs started a resonating action bouncing against each other. On the Jeeps I mentioned earlier that have the same suspension as the Dodge Trucks the steering stabilizer improved the problem but in most cases that I ran across the problem was not completely solved. I think that the front shocks may solve it. The problem is it is an intermittent condition and only certain road conditions set it up. Merv

Thats it! I call it the Hell Hop! cause it feels like it is just harmonically hoping and wont stop. I was going to try to get it to happen again but they fixed the road where it happened last

 

[DKupfrian]

I've experienced this more times than I want to talk about. One section of route 128 has bad ripples in it. If I hit it anywhere between 50-70 mph the whole truck resonates and feels like it could jump sideways if I let it. Not a good feeling. I think it has to do with the stiff suspension and tire presure being a little to high. I run my fronts at 65 and rear at 55 if I remember right. When I have a little weight in the bed, if seems a lot better.

 

[JSkalet]

NO!!!!! blown shock

i think we're on the wrong track, my 2001 with 22000 on it did it for the first time this weekend at 80 mph on a section of interstate with rough concrete sections. that got it going, i believe the left rear wheel was hopping totally off the road, i thought i was going to lose it!!!!! i'm betting on a blown rear shock because i sense more hop over bumps as well, this one is life threatening. when it happens it scares the living _____ out of you. let's figure this out fast before someone gets killed. this is not a latteral steering problem. once it starts you think the whole truck is going to fly apart until you get slowed down enough that the wheel and tire stops hopping. i'm going to get mine to my dealer tomorrow. john skalet

 

[BillGotthelf]

Really does sound like the dreaded Death Wobble. I think if you do a search you will find many causes. In my 96 4x4 if the tires were the least bit out of balance it would start after hitting ripples or bumps in the road. New shocks, steering stabilizer did not help me.

 

[DKupfrian]

Re: NO!!!!! blown shock

Originally posted by JSkalet

this is not a latteral steering problem. once it starts you think the whole truck is going to fly apart until you get slowed down enough that the wheel and tire stops hopping.

I agree here. I think I've experienced this at low speed coming to a stop while going over bumps as well. Seems like the rear tires act like superballs and bound bad. I agree the shocks could be bad but think its also agrevated by bouncy tires that may be over inflated for the weight on it. I am running the original shocks and Michelin M&S tires.

 

[mediccummin]

Just happened to me today

Well today at about 75mph I hit a giant hole on the freway with a metal plate over it where they are doing some construction, something flew up and hit under the truck, it was one of the area's where the construction wall is right on the inside line. Well anyway my truck started to shake like hell, It happened so quick I lost control for a split second long enough to hit the wall then head across the freway the other direction. Thank god there was no one next to me. My kids were asleep, the older one woke up freaking out telling me to make the noise stop. I stopped on an island in the middle of the freway interchange, I got out to take a look and my SKJ dual stableizer mount broke which caused me to have no stableizer. I only have one on right now because I am waiting for a new one for the other side ( go figure). Did not cause any body damage, just barely scraped my tires front and back. I don't even think it was enough to knock out my alignment. I pulled off the freway and borrowed some tools and used the other mount oposite side to put my shock back on, then drove home. Now I have a terrible clunk in the steering and my dash squeeks and rattles like hell. Also my AFE mega cannon box came loose. That's how bad it was shaking. We made it home ok and I took a closer look, whatever hit under there broke one of the Ubolts off the stableizer causing it to come loose. Not to sure how it hit there maybe the truck in front of me kicked something up. It aslo put a nice dent in the shock and dif cover. Oh well I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER happens at least we are ok. :{



So obviously a stableizer problem can cause a serious shake/wobble... .....

 

[JSkalet]

wow!!!!!

sounds to me like you were very lucky, and your kids were too!! geez, these stories are scarring me, i was feeling pretty safe in the big ram!!! j skalet

 

[Huff N Puff]

I'm sure that altering the suspension for bigger tires will amplifiy this problem.

But on my truck I have not altered the suspension in any way. In fact cause I drag race I lightened up the tires on my truck,which are the same size as original. On my truck it felt like the front suspesion that caused the shakes. I'm going to start by replacing the stabilizer and a set of heavy duty shocks. Merv

 

[NVR FNSH]

Do a search on my user name and you'll find plenty of information on the dreaded death wobble. If the steering wheel was sawing back & forth I'd say check/increase the caster. If it was axle tramp then it could be a bad shock.



Steering stabilizers only cover up a problem they don't solve the root cause.



Brian

 

[JSmith]

I have been through this enough to talk about. Check shock, steering stablelizer, tire balance,and front rotors.

 

[Steve Campbell]

How tight.....

is your track bar?

 

[Ron Bissett]

Seems like the shock of hitting the pot hole ,deforms the tire and cause the wheel to turn independent of the other wheel on the front or the wheel when in air tows in then when it contact's the road tries to go in the direction its towed or turned get pulled back in other direction and is repeated over and over in a short time causing a pucker factor until under control . Most times this is not possible to duplicate for the dealer to fix. Just my own thought on this problem that seems to happen to most makes of trucks and cars. Ron Bissett in Metro Louisville KY

 

[krs]

Anectdotally, there was a 1967 Dodge 1/2 ton postal delivery van that had the identical symptom. It would shake uncontrollably usually after hitting a bump or hole. The vehicle was 2WD and had a straight I beam front axle with no alignment adjustments other than toe-in. It seemed that increasing the toe-in to almost twice the spec. was the only fix.



Someone else mentioned caster and that would be my first suspect too, but maybe running with a large amount of toe would force the wheels to stabilize too.



The wobble felt as though the front wheels had been disconnected from the steering controls and were waggling rapidly on a vertical axis like the wheels on Terry Thomas' Willys in "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". On the postal vehicle it only happened, to our knowledge, at over 40 mph and bringing the vehicle to a stop allowed the driver to go on without wobble after the stop.

 

[krs]

Ron,



I just saw your post and it sounds like we're talking about the same thing and on the same track.

 

[10-G]

This happened to me about two months ago. I thought I was going to lose it. I was going across a long overpass under acceleration. Got up to about 75 and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!!!!!!!!!!!! The concrete sections on this section of roadway are uneven and the joints are not straight across. When going across the joints/cracks the trucks wheels on each side hit the the crack at a different time. Only 16k miles on this rig.



I drive that section everyday. At 45-50 mph.