I didn't ask if it wa truck specific. I was asking if anyone had heard about a "steering dampener" being the problem or was someone pissing on me and telling me it's raining?

 

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Pissing on you???? I think not COALROLLER, but no DTR Members will talk to me like you did! You are OUT OF HERE!!!! I know you are probably a smart guy but that means you are BANNED!! Take your smart alec attitude somewhere else!

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John_P (Admin)

 

I have a very high mileage 96 2500 and have had shutter problems in the steering always has been a defective steering shock if tracking bar and other pieces were in spec.

 

Mine is getting bad. I do grease my ball joints until clean grease pukes out. Been over 4 years since I replaced my track bar, and the steering damper isn't that old.

Dealer quoted a little over $800 in parts and labor to fix the issue.

 

Not sure if this was brought up in the prior pages (didn't read all of them)
But I had the DW on my 05 a few times and after thinking over the dynamics of the problem I decided on the BD steering stabilizer.

http://www.xtremediesel.com/bd-power...tabilizer.aspx

Haven't had the entire DW, just a hint of movement, if one hadn't experienced it he wouldn't even notice the movement.
A buddy of mine has been taking in his 06 since new and Dodge finally put on a similar product and it has been gone for two weeks now.

And my truck is lifted with 33' tires! The DW sure-fire!

Hope this helps

 

As suggested previously it is a 'margin problem', where a number of things could make it worse so that it becomes a problem, and a number of things could fix it. A simple way to look at it is that there is a wobble frequency, a specific configuration will be excited at multiples of some speed, and that it needs to be dampened to prevent it or to stop it. Motorcycles have a certain wobble frequency which is excited by tire rotation, and one of the last motorcycles that I had would start to wobble at multiples of 40mph. It would only do it when barely touching the handlebars with two fingers to keep the throttle open, and would stop when placing one hand on the handlebars so it was well controlled and dampened by design. On our trucks it seems to be caused by movement between the solid front axle and the frame, so things that make the axle heavier like larger tires, or the frame heavier like a diesel engine and/or lift, or result in less dampening like worn parts or larger / floppier tires can make it a problem. Aftermarket parts that stiffen the assembly between the steering box and axle seem to help to provide more margin to the problem. Load range is different than load index, and load range E tires provide more side to side stiffness than load range D regardless of how much weight either can handle. Our trucks are spec'd for load range E tires. For some reason the BFG 315 ATs seem to reduce the margin for a number of people.

If this above is correct then we should see more wobble on the diesel trucks than on gassers, more on 4x4, more on lifted trucks, more on trucks with large tires, more on worn with load range D instead of load range E tires, more on trucks with worn parts / tires shocks. Others can add to the list, and to the observations to see if the assumed model is correct.

 

See below for a couple of youtubes on the wobble. The first is nice as it also shows it in slow motion on a Jeep, the second is on a Dodge Ram. Any solid front axle vehicle can have the problem, Toyotas included.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDSIf...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6H5E...eature=related

 

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1sttruck:

I don't think anyone in this DTR Thread said that "Death Wobble" can't occur on other vehicles! I started this thread to help our DTR Members troubleshoot and figure out ways to solve the death wobble problem on their Dodge CTD CR Pickups as well as the earlier trucks. I also wanted our members to share their experiences to solve the problem on their particular trucks which they have done. No offense to you, and don't take this the wrong way,..but this thread is not really intended for a "historic view" of DW on motorcycles, Toyotas or a long drawn out discussion on an "assumed model" on death wobble. Please start another thread for "history and philosophy" of the death wobble problem on OTHER vehicles like motorcycles, Toyotas etc.

Thank you Sir.

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John_P

 

"Please start another thread for "history and philosophy" of the death wobble problem on OTHER vehicles like motorcycles, Toyotas etc. "

No, I'll just make this the last reply on the tiopic. I have over 100k on my truck, I run stock size and load range tires, and haven't had any problems with DW, at least not yet. If DW appears to be able to happen to any vehicle with a solid front axle then it's hard to single out Dodge on the issue. If the intent is to try to implement some corrective action then one typically tries to identify what the cause is / causes are, and propose some fixes. Until that happens people won't know what the problem is, what can cause it, and what can appear to fix it but only really cover it up, and what can fix it.

 

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Thank you for agreeing not to reply in this thread anymore. As I said, we are dealing with DODGE CTD PICKUP TRUCKS here, not motorcycles or Toyotas.

And you obviously have not read through this entire thread as our DTR Members HAVE "implemented corrective actions to solve this problem and HAVE identified causes with good fixes for it" contrary to what you think Sir!
I am evidence of that having corrected a BAD death wobble problem on my 2006! No "cover-up" here at all, but good solutions and recommendations from our members along with TSB's from Dodge and Chrysler.

 

I developed death wobble out of the blue on my 03 3500 4x4 drw. Had 5,ooo ml on new michelins with no problems. Had a rotation done and on the way home have my first experience with dw. Later went and had tires rotated and BALANCED....... no more dw so far.

 

So today, I changed out my worn out, modified stock steering with GM 1-ton TRE's and DOM tubing (pic below). I planned on posting a small write up and pics of that, but instead, after the test drive...I am posting here. The truck has 73k. Been on a homebrewed 10" lift for 50k with not a single problem...no death wobble, no TRE or balljoint wear, 30k miles outta Toyo MT's...drives like stock. I have a Thuren like trac bar (heavy duty urethans bushing on pass. side and heavy duty heim on driver side). While installing the steering today, I pulled the trac bar and checked out the bushing and heim...all good. Shocks are Rancho 5000 clones from Les Schwab...new 6 months ago. Finished up steering, decided to leave off stabilizers til Monday when I can build new mounts and went to drive the 3 miles home from the shop. At about 30mph, in a slight righthand turn...BAM!!! felt like my front end was gonna get ripped off...(thinks to self...DUH no stabilizers). So I turn around, get back to the shop...and make a mount for one stabilizer...take off, go to get food and all seems fine. Hop on the freeway just to make sure things are all good. Accelerating onto freeway, hit some potholes at about 45mph...BAM!!!...wicked wobble...limp off the freeway and home on the back roads. Funny...in 8 years of having the truck I never had one stinking problem...let alone death wobble. Upgrade steering and whaddya know...I got it now. Tomorrow when it's light I'll check my caster and alignment...I know the specs for toe in are 0.15* each side...anyone know about what that works out to in inches? lol...when I got underneath it earlier, I noticed the inside of my Toyo's was a little more worn then the outside and this is new (I'm **** about my tire wear patterns)...figured it was due to way work out stock TRE's....then I started to think I had too much toe...so I backed it off quite a bit...I remember hearing somewhere you want the front of your front tires about 1/8" closer than the rear of the front tires...I'll stare at it tomorrow and get back with results.

 

On my 2005 Ram 2500 I have installed the BD diesel steering box stabilizer and upgraded my steering components to the 2008.5 inverted T type and replaced all my ball joints. After installing all these components I experienced the "death wobble." I removed the track bar and inspected the bushings. Upon inspection I could see that the inner metal sleeve had stretched the rubber bushing from left to right. This confirmed to me that the axle is moving side to side not up and down. So I had a set of aluminum bushings made and I pressed them into the track bar. I have been running my truck over bumps in the highway that caused the wobble before and have experience a complete improvement. I used the Moog kit (K80777) as a template for the Aluminum bushings. The Moog bushings are larger than the track bar eyelets but the bushing will give the machine shop an idea of what you need made. Also you must use the inner sleeve supplied in the Moog kit. These aluminum bushings seem to have fixed my truck. Hope this helps someone.

 

Update...rechecked everything and found out I was at full negative caster...adjusted it to full positive caster and it's much better...VERY slight wobble getting on the freeway, but not death wobble at all. Oh and I adjusted the steering box adjustment almost half a turn. Not sure how I can full negative caster for years with no problems, then now with new steering I have issues. Steering box has been creaking the last few months as well, can't feel any looseness in the sector shaft, but see about 1/16" play in it when I sit underneath the truck and have someone turn the wheel back and forth...thinking I might just upgrade the box...wheel bearings and ball joints have no play...checked track bar again and it's fine. Frustrating for sure...shoulda just left the worn out steering on it and been wobble free!

 

My 98' 4x4 Ext cab SWB Gasser that I traded did this often and I thought I had won the battle with the new truck having zero issues for the past 8 years. However, recently my 2004.5 CTD 4x4 CC long bed started exhibiting Death Wobble at high speed bumps. It's going in for new BFG load range E tires next week, alignment (I will ask for extra pos caster) and a full inspection. My local Big-O guy says that have worked a lot of these and they're hit or miss. Wish me luck.