My truck (1997 4WD 2500) has just started to shake uncontrolably at various speeds. It doesn't do it all the time, but when it does it is WILD! I thought that one of the tie rod ends broke the first time it happened. I know that it used to shimmy a little bit at about 40 miles per hour fairly consistantly (especially on decelleration). The drivers side u-joint is a little sloppy and the axle shaft will move slightly when I grab it and move it. What might be my problem? Would a bad u-joint cause this violent shake? Thanks for the help everyone.
Chris

 

Check hubs assemblies and track bar

 

Does the shaking continue after you let off the power?

It sounds to me like you have death wobble. The front ends on these trucks tend to get loose and cause problems like this. The easiest way to troubleshoot it is to park the truck with the engine off and have a friend slowly turn the wheel side to side and watch what happens. Anything that is loose needs to be addressed.

The most common problem seems to be the track bar. The end of the track bar that attaches to the frame is poorly designed and tends to have play in it. I would not suggest replacing it with another stock unit since it will only wear out again. The easiest remedy is to get a thuren track bar which can be installed very easily and quickly. Another option is a 3rd gen conversion.

While the track bar seems to be the biggest culprit, there are many other possibilities. Make sure that your ball joints are good by grabbing the top of your tire and trying to rock it. Also, make sure that your tie rods are good. The final thing that I can think of would be the steering box itself. Sometimes, the shaft coming out of it moves a lot which can be solved with a brace like the dss. Another problem is that the box will have gotten really sloppy and need to be tightened or replaced.

I hope this helps. If you spend just 5 minutes under the truck with a friend turning the wheel, you should be able to identify the likely problems and people here can help you with the best solutions.

 

Where can I locate a "Thuren" track bar? Will my local speed shop carry this part? I am assuming that Thuren is the brand name.

 

The shake does continue when I let off the power. It goes away after the speed drops quite a bit (30 mph or so). There seems to be no real consistancy when it starts and/or stops. The truck has never done it before today. The shake is VERY violent.

 

Worn out steering and suspension components

+/or

Alignment

ANY play in any of the following can cause problems:
-track bar
-every tie rod end
-ball joints
-hubs
-steering box output
-loose/worn out steering stabilizer

Any raised suspension or bigger tires = more potential for death vibes.

Any play in the wheel means that the wheels can also move that much on their own. Then they can shake. Proper alignment means the tires want to return to a certain position, and stay tight on the tie rods, greatly reducing the chance of wobbles.

Hope that helps.