djgaston

Geometry could possibly be blamed for premature wear, however what it all boils down to in my experience is that we are just dealing with inadequate parts.

adamkn

I agree with this. However, I've heard many people say that coil spring spacers can cause death wobble as well. Apparently, there are some people out there that have had death wobble, but it goes away if they remove the coil spring spacers.

On the other hand, DW doesn't seem to be a problem with people who have installed taller coil springs. I dont understand that because the geometry is virtually the same, whether you have 2" spacers or 2" longer springs. Maybe it's just a myth that spacers contribute to the wobble.

Any thoughts on that, Djgaston?

Uncle Red

I was just thinking that if the snow plow spring was stiffer it might be more resistant to the side to side motion/ wobble.

djgaston

It's just a myth. The spacers are not at fault for death wobble. What happens when you increase your ride height is the track bar and drag link have a more vertical angle. They are already prone to wear out extremely fast... now you just increased the vertical load on them, and they will wear out faster. Generally, it is the track bar in this situation.
The bottom line is the stock track bar is JUNK. It's better than the 2nd gen, but not by much.
By the way, I have one for sale in the classifieds if anybody wants a really good, barely used, OEM trackbar for a great price.

Rodge Ram

ive had this death wobble happen on my truck once. it only had about 6000 miles on it. hit a bump going around a corner,about 60, and i thought that it was going to put me through the woods. my truck was completly stock then, checked it out couldn't find anything wrong. since then i put on a 2 in leveling kit and 315's my truck only done it that one time when it was stock. now i have about 30000 on it so i don't think it is the lift, tires, or worn parts. the lift and tires were not on the truck then and the front end still has no play in it anywhere that i can find

IdleChatter'n

I Know this will post back up at the front again, and it shood! Everyone with a 4x4 should pay attention!
It happened to me last night. 80 mph across a bridge and the truck instantly started shaking violently in the front end, it was going up and down. I crossed three lanes of traffic almost taking out four cars along the way! there was no control, I was along for the ride! It did not stop shaking until the speed dropped to 35 mph. The road curved and the truck would not! It went strait.
This was the first time this has happened to me! It came out of the blue. If my wife had been with me the truck would have been up for sale today!!!!!!!!
Iv'e seen the post on the thuren crossover bar. I can see where this bar will stop any play compaired to stock. Is there anyone else who can valch for this set up? Even if it is the owner of the company, we would like to hear from them!!!!
As this has happened to so many, It is a matter of time before it happens to you, if you have a 2003 or newer 4x4 2500 - 3500. Mine has stock 17" 265s
At this point if there is no cure for this problem on a 100,000mi increment I will be concidering giving up my beast for a whimp of another make that is safe to drive.
This may sound harsh, but if you went through what I just did, you would be concidering it also!!!!!!!!! I have kids and there safety is important to me!!!!!!!!!!!!

If any knowledge of a cure for this that will last, is out there, I and many others would like to know about it, in a short time frame before someont gets killed. I work during the day and do not get to look on line till after 7:00p Central Time.

Please any Info. My Faith in the Beast is Shaken!
IC

crossy

IC, thats pretty much what happenedto me at 70MPH without the lane crossings. i was on a deserted two lane with guardrails on each side and I saw them coming and could not pull back away. luckily as the speed slowed it went away and i was able to gain control. I remember reading 4 years ago, when i first joined, that a guy had a brand new 4x4 sitting in his back yard that he was afraid to drive because of this issue and i had no idea what he was talking abut. my ,THEN, 95 2WD was 100% stable. but not he new 4x4! like i said earlier. I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as i get that bar installed. it's not here yet. DAVE

yycguy

Well, IdleChatter'n I see you have a 2 inch leveling kit, that from what I have read is one of the common culprits that starts the road to the DW. I got my 1st DW right after putting on my leveling kit. Now I am sure there are many theories out there on the fix or mask of this problem. I believe what fixed mine was a good front alignment, IE. a shop that knows something about the Dodge DW. I believe the remedy in that area was as much positive camber as it will take. I also believe a good check on steering arms and tie rod ends is a good place to check as well. For my truck we replaced a tie rod end, ball joints, and a front end alignment and it went away. That was 15 K miles ago so I will keep my fingers crossed and pray it doesn't come back, for one my heart couldn't take it
Good luck

06dually

Has anybody had this happen on a DUALLY?? I noticed everybody on this thread has a 2500. Am I safe from this??

Flashpoint

Guys ,Maybe this could help you out. I had a 79 Ford straight axle 4x4 with 38s lifted about 12 inches . It would do the same thing yall are describing ,there was no control other than locking down the breaks. The front suspension had (I) beams arms with rubber bushings . I replaced the bushings with polys and all the problem went away. But later down the road started doing the same thing again. I installed a dual steering stablizer from Rancho that bolts to the axle and never looked back.

djgaston

You guys are FREAKING KILLING ME WITH YOUR POSTS!!!!!!!!!!!! You ask for anybody who knows how to fix it, to post up. How many times do I have to type this out?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

It can happen to any truck with a linked front suspension. Yes, that includes duallies.

Death wobble can be caused by many different things. Putting coil spacers on is not a direct cause of death wobble.
It is directly proportional to the extra vertical leverage placed on the track bar and drag link. If you put on spacers and you get death wobble, that is a sign that there is something wrong with your steering. Steering parts are as follows:

Track bar
Drag link
Tie rod and tie rod ends
Ball joints
Hub assemblies

If you have death wobble, one or more of those parts are causing the problem. Here are some parts that DO NOT cause death wobble:

Alignment
Coil spacers
Coil springs
Control arms
Shocks
Steering stabilizers
Having a dually
Tire size
Tire load rating
Wheel size
Unbalanced tires
The wind
Not knowing whether your truck has high idle or not
Not having your speedometer calibrated for larger tires
Prices of diesel fuel
Bumps in the road
ETC!!!!!!

The Dodge front axles from 94 to 06 leave a LOT to be desired when it comes to reliability. While the AAM axles are somewhat of an improvement over the Dana axles that the 2nd gen trucks use, there are still many weaknesses.

Hub assemblies are the dumbest idea that anybody could ever conceive. "Let's take a serviceable bearing and hub, and TOTALLY screw it up by making it all one piece that nobody can do anything with except buy from us at the dealership! While we're at it, let's make them SUCK so that a person has to buy them right after their warranty goes out, and then every 35 to 40,000 miles thereafter." Hub assemblies do not just slowly wear out over time... they basically go without any warning. You can be driving down the road one day and you will suddenly hear a grinding noise, and then the next thing you know, you are off in a ditch somewhere, missing one of your front wheels. That is no exxageration, it happens quite often. Most of the time, you can limp home at about 20 mph and keep death wobble from happening.

I have about another two hours worth of stuff to type, but I just realized that everytime I spend a lot of time on this, people totally blow off my posts. You guys can either listen to what I have to say because I have quite a bit of experience with Dodge front ends, or you can keep sitting here and blaming death wobble on coil spacers and steering stabilizers, and keep wondering why your death wobble still won't go away over time. Me, I'm making my front axle the way it should have been made from the factory, and I'm never going to have to worry about it again.

You all make sure you buckle up when you get in your trucks.

06dually

WOW!! Chill!!!

PourinDiesel

DJGaston,
Thanks for the good post and info.

djgaston

No problem. I offered to write up a FAQ for the site but our fearless leader has not responded to my PM. I just get tired of typing the same crap over and over, and it seems like as soon as I have it explained to one person, another one is asking the exact same question and looking right over my post. Pretty irritating, because I want to help people out, but I just don't have the patience to keep typing stuff over and over.

TexasCTD

Ok, so I added a 2'' leveling kit to my truck. Will this cause "Death Wobble"?
{joking}


Thanks for the help!