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Death Wobble wont go away!

5K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  Tndias 
#1 ·
so about a month ago after an inspection at the dealership they told me my tie rod ends needed to be replaced, on my way home i had my first experience with the death wobble, very violent. i installed new heavy duty Moog tie rods, tie rod ends, the entire assembley ($500). sure enuf no change, the death wobble continued sporaticaly. so i ordered the BD Diesel adjustable track bar($350), again no difference.*starting to get pissed* so i ordered the BD Diesel steering stabilizer kit($300) AGAIN! no faqin change.

i love my truck but im starting to get really pissed off at chrysler for not addressing this issue, i think we should start some sort of protest to force chrysler to take action on this.

in the mean time im wondering what i should buy next( since chrysler thinks anyone who buys a ram is made of money) i was thinking of energy suspension sway bar bushings and DT Profab +1/2" control arms.i need suggestions, my hubs and axle joints seem fine. im stumped and getting broke, im also working on my jeep ZJ and both these 4x4s are eating my bank account dry.
 
#2 ·
So, you truck was fine till the inspection and it started to wobble right after?
That sounds like bizarre coincidence
I don't think anyone at dodge will want anything to do with it with aftermarket parts installed
Have you tried an alignment shop?
 
#3 · (Edited)
i have never even heard of the death wobble until about 5 minutes after the inspection i experienced it and did a little searching around (theres a video on youtube with the ram death wobble (exactly what my symptoms are) right after the inspection (maybe because they were pushing and prying on parts to see if there was any play in the parts) it happened to me for the first time on my way home, since then its happened 6 times and now im scared to go over 70 km/h, since it started i did install a leveling kit because i really wanted it(but the truck had the death wobble before the leveling kit was installed and was totally stock)

i dont really care if chrysler doesnt want anything to do with my truck because honestly if they know about this problem and have no intention to deal with the problem i dont want to have anything to do with them, i refuse to put any more chrysler parts on my truck unless i absolutley have no better options available. there parts are weak and there bushings are cheap rubber, the control arms look like there made from 16g sheet metal. aftermarket bushings are polyurethane and most aftermarket parts are much stronger than oem chrysler junk thats made to wear fast.

i have choosen to take my truck to sportman 4x4 shop from now on (they do all the work on my jeep zj and do awsome work) and they dont have any problem installing whatever aftermarket parts i want installed.

...oh yeah and i have performed an alignment on my truck after every install;)
 
#4 ·
I noticed your truck information shows Heavy Duty Ram. Is this a 2500? If so, I am surprised to hear of your problem. I have owned a few HD trucks, and they are usually not prone to this. Just a long shot, but is it possible that during the inspection a wheel weight was dislodged? I know from experience that this can emulate similar symptoms to the 'Death Wobble'. :4-dontknow:
 
#5 · (Edited)
yep 2005 2500 heavyduty 4x4 slt quadcab reg box, ive been reading about it on other spots on the internet and it seems to happen to lots of heavy duty rams.
ive been reading that 92 or 94-02 are quite prone to it, and the 2003-08 are getting it too, theres no doubt in my mind that the new rams will get it, the parts just havent worn enough yet, give it a few more years and youll be hearin about it the the 09s and 10s
 
#6 ·
Well I can't say it's a Chrysler issue if the problem has just started since your inspection . My truck was fine , never had a 'Death Wobble" issue at all , until I installed the leveling kit . If it persists remove the leveling kit and see what it does then . You'll need to have your front end realigned though .
 
#7 ·
Long shot #2 - I had a persistent front end shake issue on Ford 1 Ton van, and after 2 years of replacing 'All the parts'.....twice, I finally instructed the front end alignment tech to add an additional 1 degree negative caster and an additional 1 degree of positive camber and set the toe in to the maximum 'in spec' value and to balance the tries as though it was a race car. I was told that it would make no difference to the issue, but the alignment error would affect the driveablity and longevity of the tires and likely cause early failure of the front end parts. After much insistence, he agreed, but I would not able to collect any warranty on the alignment.

End result - Shake gone.....no noticeable change in driveability, tires lasted 5000 miles longer than they were rated to, and for the first time....no cupping! And the front end showed no appreciable wear after 35K miles. :4-dontknow: After doing it all wrong, I was much happier with it.

Sold the van last year. The new owner had it in for a front end alignment. The 'corrected' the alignment, and he now has a front end shake problem. :4-dontknow:
 
#8 ·
i read that in 1 in about every hundred 4X4s that put on the Ready Lift kit, the wobble can't be corrected

to bad that there isn't some way to check for shake before you even start modifying, when i put my back wheels on the front & drive 300 miles on a short trip, my forearms get tired
 
#9 ·
that is something i have been reading about, setting the castors properly, but i havent found anything good enough to go on to attemp it yet. something about moving my castors all the way forward, has anyone tryed this?

im not removing my leveling kit because i had the death wobble before the leveling kit, and i like my new leveling kit, truck looks (a littlte bit) badass now, not like 8" lift badass but more badass than the horrible rake on a stock dodge.

besides that we should all be able to lift or level a truck without it crapping out on us, IMO.
 
#10 ·
I had a 2002 2500 that never had a problem, but i heard about many that did. Starting in 2003 the suspension completely changed up front....can't believe the problem still exists. The common fix for pre 2002 was something called Darrens steering stabilizer. It had something to do with the steering box flexing the frame. I hope you get it figured out.
 
#11 · (Edited)
all three of my rams had it, '95 2500, '97 1500, and the '00 3500. believe me, I know what it's like to experience it.. and It's no less violent in the tonner either. A new moog track bar (same number for all three) did the trick. Moog uses a larger swivel ball for more strength. 119$ each.
I don't know what is done to the track bar to compensate for a lifted truck. I wondered how the guys out there that do this are getting along.... You might have answered my question!

you still have the stock wheels/backspacing and tire size installed?
 
#12 ·
i do still have the original size tires and no backspacing, but i am planning on going with backspacing and 35s but i want to figure out this death wobble issue first.

i already have the BD Diesel adjustable HD track bar and steering box stabilizer coupled with a new rs5400 steering stabilizer shock.

im starting to think its a problem with a majority of the chrysler stock rubber bushings that are all wearing at the same time after only 5 years of use( mild use at that, my truck is my baby and i do baby it, its been fully serviced every 5000km since new, i do 4x4 a bit, but i have a jeep zj i use for most of my 4x4 ventures)BTW i love my truck, but it could never go where my ZJ goes without some major financing for consistant repairs.
 
#14 · (Edited)
well im not sure about other peoples death wobble, but my wobble takes semi high speeds (above 80 km/h) a few bumps(always more than one) and usually happens when im slightly turning. its kinda weird because it takes a few bumps in a row then my truck just cant seem to get out of the rythem and then it takes off shaking very violently, and will continue to shake until i slow down to 50 km/h or so.

besides...your truck is an 08, i personally dont think it has too much to do with a leveling kit, it has to do with the wear on the front end suspension components and the cheap oem rubber bushings they install. your bushings are probly fine still. my truck got the wobble before it had a leveling kit, a leveling kit may set off the wobble but i still think its because the bushings were probly already pretty worn and the leveling kit moved all the suspension components just enough to set off the wobbble (that would have eventually happened anyway)
 
#15 ·
I have a 2011 2500 Diesel with 315/70/17 BFG All Terrains and a 2" leveveling kit and have the dreaded death wobble. I was told that a after market track bar and dual stabilizer kit would solve it. It lasted about 1000 miles and came back. Not as bad, but, still there. I was told by a buddy that it could be the tires and bushings. Any help would be great
 
#16 ·
I had this problem years ago on a big ford bronco, I replaced every front end and steering component and still had the same problem....When I changed tires, (brand), it finally went away....still don't fully understand how or why, but thats what worked on that vehicle....good luck
 
#20 · (Edited)
The "Death Wobble" is a HD 4x4 issue and does still exist for the 03 and ups (the BD fix lists up to 2010). My best friends 05 2500 Hemi had it. We found this article about the Steering Box Stabilizer kits very helpful when troubleshooting it. Google search tech/dodge/0807dp_db_diesel_performance_steering_box_stabilizer/

He didn't use the BD kit, but I don't remember which brand he did use - either way he says it's now gone and he loves the truck again!!
 
#21 ·
Found this information on the Kore web site and it may provide some help on this

"
What is “death wobble?”
Death Wobble is a violent shaking when the vehicle is in motion. Generally, it happens on the freeways at high speed. It’s a weird phenomena because it is not always consistent and can come form many sources. In rare cases, a completely bone stock Dodge 2500/3500, 4×4, solid axle can become death wobble prone straight off the lot. The most common creators of death wobble on a Dodge Ram are D rated tires (8 ply) and damaged steering linkages. Many Dodge owners upgrade to a 315 or 35 inch tire. In doing so, they tend to go with a D rated tire because they are less expensive than the E rated (10 ply) ones. Your Dodge Ram 4×4 Heavy Duty truck is supposed to run at least E rated tires. If you run a D rated tire for example, you will over work it because of the weight of the truck. Once the harmonics develop in the tire a slight bump can disturb the flow, sending the harmonic to the side wall for support to stabilize it. If the side wall is too strained just dealing with the weight of the truck then it will not stabilize the harmonic, but simply send it back to the other side, causing a ping pong exchange. This will then start the death wobble. Best thing to do to prevent death wobble is to maintain your truck probably and by running tires that are designed to support the weight of a Dodge Ram Heavy Duty 4×4.

http://koreperformance.com/faqs/
 
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