Death Wobble....Now I need new shorts!
06-12-2008, 10:43 AM
#16
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That was my thought.. But I had it in the shop for brakes and front universals and they bumped them. They said all was good, little play in the drivers bottom but not enough to change out. I thought if anyone would change them, it would be a shop looking for some extra dough...
06-12-2008, 02:07 PM
#17
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Experienced death wobble for my first time today. I was going down hill, on a back road near my parents house, maybe doing around 45 around a gentle left hand bend, and hit a bump mid turn. All heck broke loose after that. The truck shook so bad I could hardly hold onto the wheel, and the truck did not want to turn for the hard right hander that was coming up fast. I finally got it slowed down enough that it stopped shaking and I was able to make the turn. Pulled over and did a quick visual, nothing appeared loose or ready to fall off.
My question is, where do I start looking? I replaced my track bar with SS adjustable 3rd gen style about 9-10,000miles ago, did all 4 balljoints about 12,000miles ago, and personally did the state inspection myself less than 4,000miles ago. I had a slight bit of play in the passenger side balljoints, barely noticeable, a slight bit in the driverside unit bearing, and a descent bit in my passenger side tierod end, but it still passed inspection. I have a Lukeslink to take care of the tierod end if you guys think that could be the cause of it. I've had a clunking in my steering wheel for quite sometime now, which is usually a track bar, but I figured it was just the lower steering columb bushing since the clunking would actually go away in the winter time. Could it be control arm bushings? I havn't really checked them out to good. I thought maybe it was my shocks (i've got a set of bilsteins I havn't gotten around to putting on yet), but I would think they would have to be all but blown out to make the truck shake that bad over a bump. I'd appreciate any advice or help you guys can give me. Thanks.
My question is, where do I start looking? I replaced my track bar with SS adjustable 3rd gen style about 9-10,000miles ago, did all 4 balljoints about 12,000miles ago, and personally did the state inspection myself less than 4,000miles ago. I had a slight bit of play in the passenger side balljoints, barely noticeable, a slight bit in the driverside unit bearing, and a descent bit in my passenger side tierod end, but it still passed inspection. I have a Lukeslink to take care of the tierod end if you guys think that could be the cause of it. I've had a clunking in my steering wheel for quite sometime now, which is usually a track bar, but I figured it was just the lower steering columb bushing since the clunking would actually go away in the winter time. Could it be control arm bushings? I havn't really checked them out to good. I thought maybe it was my shocks (i've got a set of bilsteins I havn't gotten around to putting on yet), but I would think they would have to be all but blown out to make the truck shake that bad over a bump. I'd appreciate any advice or help you guys can give me. Thanks.
06-12-2008, 06:41 PM
#18
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Your allowed a little bit of play in all that stuff. I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head. Anyways, I lukeslinked the tierod end, replaced the swaybar endlinks, replaced the steering stabalizer, and the trackbar bushings. I don't know if I've taken care of the deathwobble yet as I'd probably have to hit that same bump, in that same turn, the same way again to get it to do it. My clunks back again though. Checked everything I installed, and all is tight yet. I'm beginning to wonder if its the lower bushing in the column. If I grab the steering shaft and try to move it up and down, theres no play in the bushing though, but I'm running out of ideas now. Control arm bushings had no play in them either.
06-12-2008, 10:26 PM
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[QUOTE=afoulk;2114464]Your allowed a little bit of play in all that stuff.
No play in any of that! I run an inspection station in Pa. I'd fire you for pulling that.
No play in any of that! I run an inspection station in Pa. I'd fire you for pulling that.
01-16-2009, 02:31 AM
#22
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im beginning to question weather a truck this old is worth all the time troubble and expense this problem causes... I know I cant afford to further throw parts, time and labor (at my low skill level) especially since in most cases it only temporary then go through it all again and again if you keep the truck over 200k miles.
01-16-2009, 08:00 AM
#23
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Your allowed a little bit of play in all that stuff. I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head. Anyways, I lukeslinked the tierod end, replaced the swaybar endlinks, replaced the steering stabalizer, and the trackbar bushings. I don't know if I've taken care of the deathwobble yet as I'd probably have to hit that same bump, in that same turn, the same way again to get it to do it. My clunks back again though. Checked everything I installed, and all is tight yet. I'm beginning to wonder if its the lower bushing in the column. If I grab the steering shaft and try to move it up and down, theres no play in the bushing though, but I'm running out of ideas now. Control arm bushings had no play in them either.
01-17-2009, 05:58 AM
#24
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I know that what I'm about to talk about is totally unrelated to our dodge's but the wobble happened to me back in 1989? I think. We had just got one of those new Ford F-450 super duty cab/chassis trucks with the 7.3. I was running down the road at about 45 and going around a slight right when I hit a bit of a bump. I have to say that was one of the most scariest things that happened to me since I have been driving.
I took it to a dealer and they said that the truck with the solid front axle had to have a set amount of caster and ours needed to be changed. He explained it to me as follows, " its like the front wheels on a shopping cart, if you lift the back of the cart off the floor the front wheels start to wobble as you push the cart". Makes since to me, they adjusted the caster with shims and the problem was gone. Still always was in the back of your mind though, it was almost uncontrolable to steer or brake.
I took it to a dealer and they said that the truck with the solid front axle had to have a set amount of caster and ours needed to be changed. He explained it to me as follows, " its like the front wheels on a shopping cart, if you lift the back of the cart off the floor the front wheels start to wobble as you push the cart". Makes since to me, they adjusted the caster with shims and the problem was gone. Still always was in the back of your mind though, it was almost uncontrolable to steer or brake.
01-17-2009, 07:33 AM
#25
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The main problem which causes the death wobble [in my opinion] is the frame flexing side to side. I had experienced death wobble once & it never happened since I installed the DSS steering stabilizer. You can feel the difference right away after installation. My truck feels more planted in the corners.
01-17-2009, 04:03 PM
#26
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I had DW a while back. if I hit two bumps close together @ 50 to 60 it would start to go. shake till I could get it down to under 30 very scary. I put in a moog track bar rancho 9000 shocks and a duel steering stablizer. that had it mostly under control but one set of bumps by an overpass would make it go in to DW every time. then I installed a thuren track bar and it hasn't done it since about 2 years. hope this helps.
01-17-2009, 06:05 PM
#27
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I had a pair of DW incidents back in 04 and 05.
I haven't had a single incident since I installed an upgraded track bar and the HD valved Bilsteins.
Did they "fix" it? I don't know. DW is one of those things that has SO MANY variables it's really impossible to say any one particular thing causes it in any particular case. One driver might get it from a bad track bar, another form work tires, another from a bad steering damper, others get it from bad BJs, and the list goes on and on.
I'm pretty happy with my current setup for the most part (D25 springs aren't so nice, but they work). The Bilsteins are great shocks-- the digressive valving helps a lot.
Your front end is a SYSTEM, and any weak spot in the whole system can shift the operating point to where it oscillates-- sort of how an electronic amplifier can oscillate if certain limits are exceeded.
There's enough failure modes, and enough variance in each possible mode that there's simply no comprehensive fix for DW that doesn't involve just throwing a bunch of parts at the problem-- sad to say.
I haven't had a single incident since I installed an upgraded track bar and the HD valved Bilsteins.
Did they "fix" it? I don't know. DW is one of those things that has SO MANY variables it's really impossible to say any one particular thing causes it in any particular case. One driver might get it from a bad track bar, another form work tires, another from a bad steering damper, others get it from bad BJs, and the list goes on and on.
I'm pretty happy with my current setup for the most part (D25 springs aren't so nice, but they work). The Bilsteins are great shocks-- the digressive valving helps a lot.
Your front end is a SYSTEM, and any weak spot in the whole system can shift the operating point to where it oscillates-- sort of how an electronic amplifier can oscillate if certain limits are exceeded.
There's enough failure modes, and enough variance in each possible mode that there's simply no comprehensive fix for DW that doesn't involve just throwing a bunch of parts at the problem-- sad to say.
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