i was driving yesterday about 65 mph. i went over a very smooth railroad track, as ive done many times before but this time the little bump caused my trucks front end to bounce so violently, i had to slow down to about 40 mph before it would stop. it drove fine after that and and had no signs of any bounce. i have driven over the same track at even higher speeds and never had this happen before. Now! the only difference between this episode and previous track crossings is that my dealer replaced the ball joints and track bar. i dont know if something was left loose or not installed properly. has anyone had this problem or can anyone offer any suggestions as to what is causing this problem?

 

Which truck? It sounds like the track bar is worn out.

 

sorry for not specifying. its the 2001. and they claim they replaced the track bar. the truck never did this prior to having these items replaced.

 

Do a search on death wobble and have fun reading. I'd take it back to the dealership and tell them to fix it on their dime.

 

So the 2001 is a 4x4? It still sounds like the track bar to me. I've had several jeeps that did the same thing and each time it was the track bar. Just my $.02

Tye

 

if the track bar was bad why would it only occur when i hit a relativly small bump, then after slowing down completly clear up without even a sign of a wobble until the next bump?

 

I'll try and explain this as best as possible, somebody correct me. The track bar keeps the front end stable while driving. When hitting a bump or rough road, thats when it is called upon to do its job. As long as the bushings are good everything is happy, once the bushings are worn, it loose's the ability to control the lateral movement of the front axle. That's why when you slow down, what's left of the worn bushings, now has enough time to catch-up and take control and smooth things out.

 

that all makes good sense but the dealer replaced the bushings. does anyone have a pic of the trackbar? the bar im looking at has new rubber dust covers and new cotter pins. am i looking at the right bar?

 

One side attaches to the axle and goes over to the frame and has a big hump in it right next to the frame so it clears the front diff.

 

ok. thats the bar i was looking at. if the bushings are new could the track bar still cause this prob. and what is the solution?

 

could also be off with the alignment.

 

You could have also seperated a tire, broke a radial, try rotating the tires to see if that helps.