2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Truck Tried to Shake Itself to Death

[MStearns]

Looking for some ideas on what may have caused this... . Running along on the highway yesterday between 55 & 60 mph when I hit a pot hole/gap in the road and my truck suddenly tried to shake itself (and me to death). It was as if I was suddenly on a horrible washboard road. The truck was controllable but the shaking/bucking continued as I slowed and pulled off onto the shoulder. I jumped out expecting to find the right front tire had thrown the tread and suddenly become square or at least was flat but nothing appeared to be wrong. I looked everything over. The wheel weights appeared to be all in place. No broken springs or linkages. The shocks appeared intact. There was no obvious culprit.



I jumped back in the truck and took off again. Slow at first, then back up to speed with no problems at all. The truck doesn't appear to ride any different than in did before. When I got to a friends house, I did let some air out of the tires (All four corners were around 70psi as I had been towing last month and just never took the time to reset the tires). I've hit several bumps and potholes since (I've put a little over 200 miles on the truck since this happened) with no repeat.



I don't know if this was some freak thing, some weird harmonic oscilation that the bump/road set up, or if something is broke. Regardless I don't wish to repeat a ride like that. Thankfully it was "controllable" and there wasn't anyone else on the road with me! But I may not be so lucky if there is a next time. So any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Lurch]

search "death wobble"

 

[JacobsD]

Probably a track bar. A very common thing to wear out on the Dodges of this vintage.

 

[fox]

After so many miles, they self clean the frame of old mud and such. Like a hound dog fresh out of the pond. !!!!!

Death wobble is what we so affectionly call it.

alignment and new ot great shape steering componates.

Give it a lot of positive caster, matching left and right sides.

 

[Dave M]

I experienced "death wobble" at least a dozen times in the last 2 years before I finally fixed it. There is no magic fixit formula... . it can be different parts for different people or a combination. A search on "death wobble" will leave you reading for days, so its a common problem on these trucks for many people... . welcome to the club.



First thing to do is get someone to saw the steering wheel back and forth while you get under the truck and look at the response of each joint in the steering parts to the back and forth movement. Any slop in these joints can cause it. The track bar is particularlily responsible for many with death wobble. Look at each end (axle and frame) for even 1/8" of movement. Tighten up those joints and try again. The most probable end of track bar to fail is the ball joint end. Pay particular attention to it... . you want zero movement at the frame where the TB meets the frame. There are many track bar options to choose from. I went with the 3rd gen SS adj TB and adapter bracket to eliminate the ball joint entirely.



Other items are loose or bad shocks, ball joints, tie rods, bad tires, tire pressure, bad unitized front bearing assembly and for me it was bad front rotors after replacing many other parts.



I haven't had the wobble for 8 months now. I replaced shocks, track bar, added DSS, new 3 turn PSC steering gear, front sway bar links and bushings, front control arm bushings, steering stabilizer shocks, and finally new front rotors.



I'd recommend a new 3rd gen SS style adj track bar (you WILL get other opinions here), align the caster up to 3. 5-4. 5 max( find the alignment specs Brent put together or do a search on my user name and you will see my before/after specs) get a PSC 3 turn steering gear and add a DSS steering stabilizer.



Don't rely on an alignment tech to cure it. I'd recommened a good frame alignment shop that does alignment for wrecked vehicles and let then align it. Alignment is another LONG search item. The align specs on our trucks are so broad that "in spec" does not mean anything... . trust me... . I've been through this several times.



Good luck. It can be fixed but you must be persistant.



Let us know what you find along the way.





EDIT: I see you have a Thuren TB so ignore my TB comments... that has proven to be a good TB for many. You also have the KORE suspension so your shocks are done. Look for loose shocks bolts, loose TB and if tie rods are good check your ball joints and front bearings... . then consider the front rotors or a dragging caliper or a bad steering gear (check input to output response)... . good luck.

Dave

 

[SCass]

I am relatively new to Dodge trucks and don't know anything about the "death wobble". I don't doubt what others have said though.



Years ago I had a 1962 International Scout that would exhibit similar conditions. As long as the front wheels were in balance all was well. If not, hit a pot hole and the front end would start uncontrollably shaking and shimming. It got bad enough that it caused me to slow down at shadows! I don't know if this could be part of your problem but maybe something to check.



Steve Cass

Tucson

 

[MStearns]

Although I have certainly heard of the death wobble, I had never experienced it before and am not entirely sure I did this time. The movement in of the truck was more of a vertical vibration. Not something I would consider a wobble. As Dave noticed I have a Thuren track bar and have an aftermarket sleeve in the bottom of my steering column. My truck steers like a dream and doesn't wander in the least.



I did just recently have it aligned and the tech said the toe was "way out," so it may have been some of the adjustments he made. Otherwise I just had the whole front apart about 400 miles ago when I installed the KORE suspension. I inspected everything and it was all tight. Ball joints, brakes, etc... Although I may go back and take another look at my end links and my control arm bushings. If I hadn't just installed the shocks I would have said one or both front shocks were toast.



I'll take another look under the truck but the more I think about it the more I think another visit to the alignment shop may be in the cards.

 

[Dave M]

Since alignment could be the culprit here I'd recommend searching on "alignment specs". Here are my before and after specs from my thread on chasing right front tire wear along with death wobble:



My thread:



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...mission-discussions/144154-steering-woes.html



An excerpt with the specs from thread:

The alignment shop said the trucks camber was in spec (barely) but that the spec is so wide it could still cause problems. Everything in the front end was tight according to them. They removed a offset cylinder thing on the right front knuckle and replaced it to change and make the camber more negative to compenstae for the tire wear. This adjustment required replacement of the offset sleeve (cylinder) which changes both the caster and the camber so it takes longer to get all the specs set. After 4 months it appears to have corrected my problem. I requested they keep the caster between +3. 5 - +4. 5 deg, as recommend on this site, to correct for "death wobble".



Here are the alignment spec's the shop took before and after the camber change:



Before:

Camber: Left= +0. 0 deg Right=+0. 2 deg

Caster: Left= +3. 5 Right=+4. 2

Toe: Left=+1/16" Right=+2/16"



After:

Camber: Left=+0. 0 deg Right= -0. 5 deg

Caster: Left= +3. 5 Right=+4. 1

Toe: Left=+0/16" Right=+0/16"



The alignment shop said since doing the adjustment at the right front knuckle affects both both camber and caster it took 1 1/2 - 2 hours to do. That was 3 months ago and the tires still show no signs of the outside edge wear I had before.



Prior to this a new BFG KO 245/75/R16-E was ruined in less than that time. I ruined almost 3 tires out of the 6 new ones I put on last July (about 30K miles ago). After this last alignment by a reputable alignment/frame specialist I took my truck back after about 6 weeks cause it appeared the left front tire was now showing outside edge wear. They checked everything again but they said everything was OK. I guess I was getting real sensitive to this issue and maybe over-reacted regarding seeing the left tire wear. I rotated the tires so many times it may have had the wear from before the fix. I'm keeping an eye on it.



I found this shop by calling a 4X4 parts/accessories shop and asking for a good alignment shop. They said they do 4X4 alignments but when I explained all the problems I'd been having, he referred me to a frame shop that they use for problem alignments like mine and all the dealers send their problem front ends to this guy also. This shop charged me $130 to fix it and said they back up their work. If anything is wrong he said bring it back and they would fix it for free.



The alignment shop said that the tire shop (a well known chain that I go to all the time for tires) did align it to specs but they just don't know how to correct it for problems. All they do is get it in spec with their fancy laser alignment machine but this guy did it the old fashion way... no fancy alignment machine can help correct a problem that is in spec. You have to know what your doing.



Thank God I found an honest, reliable alignment shop that has been in business for years and stand behind their work.



I'd call car dealers or 4x4 parts suppliers until you find where everone in your area takes problem front ends like yours and mine. I will always take this truck for an alignment to this frame shop from now on. Eventually we can get these front ends right and then they are a pleasure to drive..... I love my truck.

Good Luck,



Dave

 

[Dave M]

Another link to align specs:



Ram steering specs

 

[MStearns]

Yes, I am more and more inclined to think it is the alignment. This last alignment was the first time the tech didn't provide a data sheet showing what the truck was at in relation to the specs. He just said "it's good. "'



So can anyone recommend a good alignment shop around Omaha?? I doubt I'll take it back to this guy again.



I'm also thinking it is time to swap out the steering linkage for a T set up so the toe remains constant as the truck bounces along.

 

[JCreese]

Possibly worn out shocks?

Driving on the highway at about the speed you mentioned above (55 - 60 mph), my truck once shook so hard I thought my teeth would shake loose. It would continue until I slowed down, then seemed to trigger again from vibration/bumps at anything over 50 mph.



I replaced my shocks (original stock that were shot) with Bilstein 5100's and that immediately fixed my problem... has never occured again. (This was prior to the 2" lift and 36" tires)



Worth a shot if your shocks are more than a few years old.



Good luck,

Jim

 

[DLangford]

Mark,
Dave M's advice was really good in my judgment.
If you read about the death wobble with a search here you will see my post among many recently. My version was more of vertical bouncing of the front end that was hard to control until I slowed things down.
If I recall somewhere in the many threads I read was that an engineer explained that what death wobble represents is an oscillation, set up by many factors but often worn/loose parts.
When I had a mechanic crawl under the front end while I turned the steering back and forth with the engine off, several worn/loose items showed up... steering stabilizer, tie rod ends, track bar.
I ended up curing my death wobble with new tie rod ends, tightening the track bar (the Luke's link had got loose), a new steering stabilizer, alignment by a very experienced man, balancing the wheels and new Bilstein shocks. In your case maybe it is just the alignment, but I hope you check everything out just the same.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

search "death wobble"

#ad




Yes Do a search Search And you will find many a different route to the cure. One being the T setup. Alignments should never "Come out" of spec al of a sudden. It's a set it and forget it deal until a steering or suspension component is replaced. If it comes out of alignment then a collar was not tightened, a joint is broken or severely worn like mentioned before, or it was never done right the first try. Theese trucks have so much factory slop in their geometry that we will never ever get corvette steering without a major overhaul of the componentry that makes up our gear. For that there are improved steering boxes, bushing replacements, shaft and link replacements, long arm conversions, etc , etc.

 

[MStearns]

After close inspection, I did find a little play in my steering box. The Pitman shaft was moving about 1/16 of an inch from side to side. So a new PSC steering gear and a DSS to hopefully prevent it from wearing in the future and we'll see how that works. Next step will be the alignment (which deep down I feel is 90% of the problem) and if it doesn't go away then I will convert to a T link setup. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

 

[Hescomp]

The "Death Wobble" is very scarry! We have a set of RR tracks near that every time I had something fixed in the front end we tested it and it happened again.

No one could find anything wrong.

Many different shops later I had someone change the ball joints and it went away for the rest of the time we had the truck. It was a 1999 2WD Dodge Ram 1500.

 

[MStearns]

Would you believe it, I headed out today to test my new front end components today on the only section of road where I could reliable recreate the "Death Wobble" and they fixed it!?! The road crews paved if over smooth as a baby's rump yesterday. Of all the roads to fix I can't believe they fixed my scientifically calibrated death wobble test site. Go figure. It's only been like that for the past year.

 

[BDaugherty]

I've fought "death wobble" for years on many different vehicles. My '00 Dodge had a problem with it right after I bought it. Exact same scenario as you. I didn't find any really loose tie rod ends, but my track bar was worn out. I replace the track bar, installed a Rancho steering stabilizer in the factory location, and some new front shocks. I drove it for a year like that before I sold it and never had any further problems.

 

[MStearns]

With my son in town for a visit, he and I crawled under the truck with a tape measure and checked the toe on my truck. Lo' and Behold... it was set up with a 1/2 inch of toe-out! No wonder it was shimming. We adjusted it to a 1/4" of toe-in and it drives like a dream and rides much smoother. I hate to say it but I probably "wasted" all that money I spent on the new steering box and DSS. But man does it drive nice!!!:-laf

 

[robbiesworld]

My truck will death wobble EVERY time I drive it. I actually load the steering to the right when I go over bridge abutments. The body of my truck moves about an inch both directions when you turn the wheel while it is sitting. I replaced my track bar about a year ago and it is completely SHOT. I have been researching aftermarket track bars and I think I will be using the solid steel bracket with the 03 up track bar.

 

[MStearns]

I am delaring my "death wobble" officially fixed! 99% (if not 100%) of the problem was the bad alignment. I still can't believe the morons gave me a 1/2 inch of toe-out 1/4 inch of toe-in now and the truck drives like a dream again and is back to normal. I just wish I would have checked the toe before getting any new parts, but who would of thunk they would have done such a horrible job. Lesson learned. From here on our I am my own alignment shop! $200 bucks to summit provides everything you need to do your own alignments.



Caster/Camber Guage:

SPC Performance 91000 - SPC Performance Pro Series FasTrax Adjustable Caster Camber Gauge Kits - summitracing.com



Toe Adapter Kit:

SPC Performance 91100 - SPC Performance FasTrax Toe Adapter Kits - summitracing.com