• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

Cool, Now I Got Death Wobble!!

Mad Maxx

See, what had happened was...
Messages
5,995
Reaction score
123
Location
Long Island, NY
First the Coolant Leak, now DW, all in one Week!!

I Checked over the Front End, had a Mechanic Friend come by and Check over the Front End. Everything Looks & Feels Good and Tight.

He's thinking that it could be the Steering Stabilizer.

I didn't have Death Wobble with the 22's & 35's...I put my 24's & 33's back on, and now I have death Wobble. Tires are Inflated Properly, Wheels are Balanced Properly.

Anymore Ideas?
 
Death wobble results from bad geometry and/or an accumulation of slop in parts, either a single componet or all combined. Also bump steer will bring on this wobble as a result from cranked up torsion bars..

Steering stabilizers do help for sure.
 
Wheel not seated down all the way? Other than a slipped belt/separated front tire, if all other parts are the same then it has to be in the wheels or tires.

If the front end was worn enough to wobble you would find that slop pretty easy.
 
When is it present? If you put the 22's and 35's back on it doesn't wobble? Try rotating the front tires to the back. If it goes away, it's a wheel or tire....
 
Got the Upgraded Stabilizer on and I still got Death Wobble.

Next up, I'm gonna have the Balance of the Tires Checked. I don't see how it could have changed though if there was no Wobble with them before, I took them off, put them back on, and now I have a Wobble. None of the Weights came off.
 
If there is a balance issue, maybe you need some balance beads inside the tire. They balance out every time you drive.
 
I had a tire fail while sitting off for the winter. Had a vibration when I put it on, got worse one day and came apart.
 
Check for bulges on the tire face as well, I just put new tires on the Yukon for that reason.
 
No Bulges or Bubbles in them.

Put them back on the same Corners they came Off.

Could it be a bad U-Joint or something somewhere in the Driveline? I Rolled Under the Truck Yesterday and if I Grab the Rear Driveshaft towards the Front (by the Slip Yoke / U-Joint Area) and try to Push it Up & Pull it Down (with some Muscle) I can Hear something Clicking in the Tail Shaft of the Transfer Case. It that Normal from the Clearance Tolerance so that the Slip Yoke can Move Freely?
 
It's Weird.

When I get the "Wobble" it'll keep going for as long as it wants to, but the Second I take my Foot Outta the Throttle, it Stops. I don't have to Touch the Brakes or anything.
 
Did you get the tire balance checked? I know you friend checked the front end, but it is possible he missed something. Do you have a different set of wheels and tires to put on it to see if ends the problem? If not, Rotate tires front to rear and see if that causes any changes.

The most common wobble problems are tires, then upperer and lower ball joints. Check to see what speeds you have the wobble at, or is it at any speed? If you remove the steering stabilizer does it make the problem worse?
 
I didn't have Death Wobble with the 22's & 35's...I put my 24's & 33's back on, and now I have death Wobble. Tires are Inflated Properly, Wheels are Balanced Properly.

Anymore Ideas?

Quietly post the 24's & 33's on Craigslist and run the 22's & 35's. There is something going on with the tires or it is changing the geometry enough to bring the problem on. May be KISS to get rid of the wheels causing the issue.

Drive shafts and bearings are a high speed vibration. A locked up u-joint would be a constant vibration. A loose and failed u-joint vibrates when it wants to.
Makes me think you may be feeling torque shudder. This is where the drive shaft hops up and down 1-2". (I watched this under the truck while someone else did a brake stand.) Usually it will do it starting out with a trailer - both my 6.5 and Duramax do this. The 6.5 got a poly center bearing and that went away. I traded the start 'hop' off for a high speed vibration at 75 MPH with the poly bearing. High torque, at any time, makes the drive shaft want to jump up and down in the soft center bearing rubber.

A driveshaft shop can change the u-joints, and this is the important part, straighten and balance the drive shaft.

Possible a bump binds the u-joint by taking it past the maximum drive line angle. Then you have to cut power that will rotate the entire diff with the pinion coming up. This brings the angles back in line. See more info below esp. for lifted/lowered trucks/jeeps/etc.

http://www.iedls.com/Education-Zone.asp?CID=3
 
Ok, got the 22's and 35's back on this Morning and Wobble is gone, as far as I can tell.

So it must be something with the other Tires that "happened" while they were Sitting.

I guess I'll get them Dismounted and Throw em on Ebay!
 
What we are trying to say by swapping front to rear is you might only have 1 bad tire. If you swap fronts and rears you could loose the wobble, drive straight, but then have the left rear or right rear of the bed shake up and down. It is easier to tell what tire when under the lighter bed and could address just the 1 tire. Also when the bad tire is on the rear, someone can drive behind you and see which one it is.
If you swap front to rear and the wobble stays then it could be time for the tires to turn into a swing on a tree.
 
What we are trying to say by swapping front to rear is you might only have 1 bad tire. If you swap fronts and rears you could loose the wobble, drive straight, but then have the left rear or right rear of the bed shake up and down. It is easier to tell what tire when under the lighter bed and could address just the 1 tire. Also when the bad tire is on the rear, someone can drive behind you and see which one it is.
If you swap front to rear and the wobble stays then it could be time for the tires to turn into a swing on a tree.

Gotcha.

Eh, it's easy enough to put the 2 Fronts back on the Rear and take it for a Ride. I'll try to get it done this Week.
 
1 other thing, how long were they stored and in what position? They can get a "flat spot" that when driven will go away in about 50 miles. Of coarse if it is too dangerous it is not worth trying to save a set of tires over a wreck.
 
Back
Top