Just over two years ago I installed new ball joints in my truck. I don't remember the brand... I thought they were good ones (I checked here before buying). Now, barely 10k miles later, I got massive death wobble again on the way home from an errand. It hit at about 60 mph and I thought I was going to end up putting the truck into a retaining wall.

So I guess it's time for ANOTHER set of freakin' ball joints. Can somebody tell me of a known GOOD set that won't do this again?

Thanks.

 

If you have "Y" steering get rid of it and go to "T". I like Moog, and stopped buying Napa due to painted rather than phosphate treated fasteners- they rotted badly in only a year. Check your track bar and look for other slop in the front end. Might be something else going on.

 

Carli suspension ball joints hands down, they are pricey but well worth the money. Go on their site and read about them before you decide. I just replaced mine with them. If you decide to go with another brand, I would make sure they were the smooth ones to factory specs, I have read where the "knurled or problem solvers" were a larger diameter and would make the holes in the axles bigger, and you would be stuck with that size from now on.
just my

 

While your balljoints MAY well be bad agian, OTHER worn steering linkage components are MUCH more likely to cause death wobble. Before spenidng more money by GUESSING it's the balljoints, get under your truck and have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth hard (engine NOT running, parking brake ON) and look for movement and play in each and every linkage component. More then likely you will find one or more attachments that have too much play in them and more then likely that is the cause of your DW.

 

Get the Synergy front steering and be done. Dynatrac bj's ditto.
Synergy Manufacturing HD Tie Rod and Drag Link Kit 03-13 Ram HD

 

I have never had the death wobble, but had a sloppy tie rod end so it was time to do some work on the front end.

Get the 2008+ linkage. It is way better. I have a feeling this will correct what you are experiencing if your ball joints are not in bad shape.



Chay

 

What is the 2008 linkage exactly? Not familiar with it...

 

It's a new larger diameter steering linkage with a different geometry. I'm pretty sure it's what totalloser is referencing above (Y vs T).

Search it, you'll find lotsa info.

Chay

 

It could be anything...

Had DW, changed out all tie-rods due to sloppiness, DW gone, short time later DW back, found worn track bar bushings, changed bushings, short time later DW, changed sloppy hubs and ball joints, DW gone, short time later DW is hinting again. Getting ready to replace steering box, it's been wandering since the whole front end was tightened up and I can feel DW wanting to happen, but being fought off by all the new components and I want to address it before it causes issues with the new components. Each one of these cured it slightly, it was harder to initiate DW, but you could always feel it wanting to do it but it'd fight it off.

All of these short time laters were within a total of 10K miles.

 

I got the Synergy after having the '08.5+ tre at the pitman arm develop slack at 30K
.
This thing only hits dirt roads infrequently and 34" tires.