Well I did the kingpins and everything was good for awhile. The truck had a noticeable improvement. Now for the last couple of weeks it has developed the death wobble again but not near as frequent, in fact only in one spot on my road does it ever really do it. The front end is all new and my question is; What else could be contributing to this problem? I thought that it might be the 36's with no steering stabilizer? Everything else feels real tight when I reef on stuff but maybe I should look again. Could it be the steering box, because it seems real whooped and loose?

 

I would install a steering stabilizer for sure. I had to install one on my trail rig after installing 38's. Also did you replace the springs that go above the king pin bushings as well? From experience I can tell you they will actually loose some of their spring tension and height over time leading to some death wobble. FYI I had to completely rebuild the D60 in my Dodge last weekend.

 

johnny5.9,

It could be Tons of things! Such as,

Tire pressure, Tires, Alignment, Shocks, Steering box, Cracked frame behind steering box, Tie Rod ends, Spindles, Hubs, Torque nuts holding hub on spindles, Steering shaft.
These are things I checked/replaced on mine.

May be worth a look.

Edited to add, IMO a steering stabilizer is just a Band-aid that will mask the symptoms of something else wrong, or on it's way to being wrong. You may get by just fine with a stabilizer for a while. But eventually I think you're gonna find you'll just be chasing your tail if you don't do it right the first time!

 

My wifes jeep did it and it was bad tires, the looked fine without obvious broken belts etc, they had been balance, we tried everything...put new tires on, death wobble was gone~!

 

Itook steering stabilizer off mine . . dad had tried to stop death wobble with it.

 

Yes, I did replace the springs on both sides. I also replaced a worn kingpin and all new bearings. I think I should try to move stuff around with a bar to see if something's moving. I think that the real problem may be the tires.

 

I had DW on the Jeep once... from 30-40mph was scary! Didn't figure it out until the BFGs were replaced w/ Swampers. Seems my brother (rims & tires PO) pulled the weights off "cause they're scalloping pretty bad" and forgot to tell me! Once I told him they completely un-balanced, he says "I remember now..."

I also know that bad toe & caster will cause it... as anyone with a TJ

 

The truck just had an alignment before the tires were put on. However, the guy at the shop told me that a couple of the rims were a little bent because they took alot of weight. It seems like only certain bumps aggravate the truck to the point of causing it. It's not the biggest bumps but a certain pattern of bumps or undulating pavement that does it. Could it be the slight bend in the rims? Maybe I should ditch them and get new ones or for now switch back to the old stockers.

 

If you just got a 'couple' bad rims. Why not take the known bad two and put on the back of the truck. Therefore putting the two 'good' rims on the front and see if that don't help. If it does, I'd say it's time for at least a couple new rims. Seems to me ya got nothing to lose, except the DW!

 

It very well could be the looseness of the steering gear box. The FSM has a procedure for adjustment. Also checck where it is mounted real good for tightness or cracks.

 

Check and adjust the rear brakes, then remove the calipers on the front and check if they are sticky. If they are ok, clean the surface on the caliper adapers where they slide. Every time I have a problem with the front end wobbling this proceedure has worked for me. Also, check the front wheel bearings. A good friend of mine told me to ignore the fsm because their instructions allow too much end play in the wheel. I torque mine to spec for seating and then after backing off the nut, I make them hand tight. Ive done this for the past 4 years and no problems with the bearings. Another place to look while your in the front end is the u-joints at the wheels. Some times they like to seize in one position and make the truck want to steer in one direction, then it flips over and wants to steer it in the other direction. If none of this helps, at least you get to spend some quality time with your truck.

 

Funny enough,,,, check the bushings on your leaf springs and mounts, If they are worn, this could also cause your issue!
I have run 32s with no wobble, (not on a dodge) with no issues, but at times you could feel, they wanted to wobble but never did, replaced steering damper, and never feel a thing now, So, install a damper and swap those wheels off the front.
If you replaced the kingpins because they were worn, I think it is time for another allignment while you are looking!
Peter.

 

When I put my 38's on I had no steering stabalizers and got the death wabble just like you at one spot on my road, I put dual steering stabalizers on it and went away for good they were only $100, thats my two cents

 

I was having the same issue,i had a mechanic friend of mine help me check it out and with me sitting in the drivers seat and rocking the steering wheel back and forth and friend watching under truck could see that the drag link was moving to much,so replaced and fixed problem.just my .02

 

Well, I found it. The nut that retains the outer bearing had somehow come loose. The PO must have, for some reason, ground off what appears to be the little nib that sticks out on the nut to interlock with the washer. Since it is almost gone and I had never done the job before I never noticed it was missing before. I think I might not have torqued them tight enough either. I set the inside nut and than gave a good torque on the outside one and checked the rolling again. It seems everything is good now I'll know for sure when I drive tomorrow.
Thanks alot for everybody's input. The steering stablilzer should come soon too. Soon I'll pick another problem to try to tackle with all your help!