I dont want to be the party pooper but I do have to tell you guys that my truck never had the death wobble UNTIL the dealership installed the updated steering. At roughly 5000 miles I installed Superlift leveling coils and when I did, I tore the dust boot on the draglink to pitman arm joint. I went to dodge dealership many months later to get that boot because it was getting bad. They said the boot was not made anymore, bring your truck in and we will have to install the new steering upgrade. I was kind of unsure about doing this because my steering had been pretty good (no problems), but I did have a slight knock in the steering wheel when I would turn a tight corner or go over bumpy roads. I let them do the install and 2 days later I experience the death wobble. Took it back to the dealership and they told me I had too much air in the stock michelin tires. Recommend going from 60 to 50 psi. I had 29,000 miles in one year on this truck and never had a problem with death wobble. I felt bad for them that they actually thought I would fall for such b.s. .Drove the truck and 2 days later it had happened 4 more times. They checked the alignment and replaced the steering column. I knew that wasnt the problem also. Drove the truck, 2 days later happened again 2 times. Took truck back to dealership with a video recording from the drivers seat of what I have been going through. Gathered the service manager, service advisor, and dealership manager to watch this video. This was even a mild wobble and they were shocked. 2 customers were also watching. That was this morning and truck is still being checked out. Service advisor called and said they are installing one of those steering box cross members with the bearing for the gear box. I hope this fixes the problem because I still have the proof...uh oh

 

Whoa...This thread is getting better and better!

 

subscribing....

 

For those interested what the deal is with the pitman arm I took some pics-
This first one is with the 03-07 pitman arm & new linkage, remember the axle & center link will also come forward some when compressed:


The next one is with the 08 pitman arm, notice the added clearance so when the suspension is compressed fully you have no chance of the center link contacting the stud that drops through the pitman arm, that would be pretty hard on the gear box if it happened:

 

Thats a bummer indeed! The only reason I changed was so I don't get alignment changes with different loads.Is the knock now gone or still there? I have seen loose trac bar bolts make a knock sound and that could cause a wobble too, good luck! hope you find out whats up.

 

Anyone have information on an aftermarket sterring stabilizer such as the bilstein 7100 like carli has? Basically I just need the shock number since the new '08 setup has all the attachment hardware. Shock model number anyone???

 

I think you would need to get that stabilizer from Carli or the Fox from Thuren
http://thurenfabrication.com/ramstab.html
That link shows the old style but Don has something for the 08 also.
The 08 linkage uses 1/2" eyes on both ends
The 08 stabilizer is 14.5" closed & 23.5" open if that helps you to source something.

I researched this and supposedly the oem is better than a Monroe or Rancho

 

OEM better than rancho...WOW! Where did you get that info?

 

From Don Thuren...
He claims the OEM unit is usually much better than a Rancho, but they can be mushy too. The single Fox he sells is about as effective as 2-3 stockers and 3-4 Ranchos. It's all about how tight the resolution is he says.
From a function standpoint, he suggests the Fox stabilizer, some bilstein stabilizers, and the OEM stabilizer. The OEM stabilizer is not "great", but all the Rancho stabilizers he has tested are pretty low quality

 

Could it be that the upgraded steering just uncovered another existing problem, like worn track bar bushings or loose ball joints? Mushy tie rod ends on your old steering may have helped to mask another problem, and now the new tight linkage is putting more stress on other parts? If you still get DW after the steering gear brace, i would look downstream of the new steering linkage...
Thuren track bar couldn't hurt.

And who is Doug, Don Thurens Brother?

 

My bad..not enough sleep I guess, sorry Don.

 

Well im not sure that the tie rod ends were sloppy at all when the dealership replaced the entire steering. The knock did infact feel like a loose track bar bushing. I recognized the feeling in the steering wheel because I do have 2 old Broncos that have the solid front axle and that was the same feeling I would get from them when a new track bar bushing was due. The first trip to the dealership to get the upgraded steering they replace the tie rod and ends, draglink, tracking bar, both lower ball joints and the gear box. Supposably the gear box had slop in it per the dealership. Everything felt tight and good except for the DW. After about 4 DW's the knock in the steering wheel came back worse than the first case. I took it to a local alignment shop that has a great reputation and when they checked it out they said the alignment is "very close " to what it should be. They would only suggest a little toe out but caster was good. I personally think the caster is off somehow. No calls today for updates on steering stabilizer install. My neighbor had a good point...why should a stock truck require custom parts to survive? Has anyone had the DW and then cured it somehow? I see a lot of people on here with this problem but nobody seems to know what cured it if it went away with new tires,wheels,alignment,etc..If you guys are having the same problem I would try to get it on video. You ultimately have the upper hand with this (that is if you dont have extreme mods done).

 

Wait, so you're telling me your front end has a knock and took it to a reputable repair shop, and the only thing they could tell you is that it was "very close" on the alignment? Shouldn't they have been able to find where the knock was coming from?

Shawn

 

first off the DSS steering brace is not a fix for death wobble.
it is made to prolong the life of the steering box by supporting the sector shaft.
So your dealer is not trying to fix it. It may hide the death wobble but it isnt a fix.

I agree they should be trying to find the clunk noise.

 

my comps acting so slow today and i cant read all the pages but does anyone have the complete list of part numbers including the pitman arm number? and what was the total cost for everything?

I really want to get this because like stated above, with my plow on my steering is off and its really annoying me.