Hitting bumps causes WOBBLE!!!

[nicktoney]

So i never new these forums ever exsisted! Great find! anyways, i have an 01 yukon. slt. 4wd... needless to say it seems slammed.. previous owner had already lowered it so i have no idea of the components... heres my problem...

when driving down the road, about 45-50mph, if i hit a bump, the steering wheel jerks back and forth for a while after the bump... seems like "death wobble". how do i fix this?? i did notice my inner tie rods need replaced.. that will be swapped. also if the tops of the tires are leaning in, would this cause "death wobble" ? i need to do the tie rods and get an alignment but i just hope this would solve the problem.. any ideas or anybody have the same situation? alllllso im getting a clunk when i come to a stop and punch the brakes. then after i come to a stop if i birp the throttle i get a clunk again... Aaaaaaany ideas of anything would be appriciated.. ive been under there a few times and all i could find was bad inner tierods and the tops of the tires are leaning in towards the motor..

[Effeckt]

Welcome to the site first of all! I am not great at mechanical issues unfortunately but I would think that you are on the right path by replacing the tie rods and steering components but I will let someone with more knowledge follow that up.

[BOSS]

Definitely check on getting a steering damper when you replace the steering pieces, sounds like he may have had aftermarket wheels..it's pretty common to have that, some have it worse. KYB makes a good one, check my threads :waytogo:

B

[YNOT]

i've always heard of that being called "bump steer". Depending on the design of the lowering components is how noticable it will be after lowering or lifting.

[05Yukon]

I havent lowered any of mine but I do know the steering boxes tend to wear out and get loose. It will be noticeable when you hit bumps it will start to wander one way or the other. Tie rods could also be your problem.

[Donkey Punch]

Its usually the steering damper and or the control arm bushings. Any worn bushings etc should be looked at. Are you planing to keep it slammed? or raise it up some? There are a few variables there that could cause the issue but definately have the steering damper and all other suspension bushings etc looked at.

[nicktoney]

lastnight i greased all the fittings and it seemed to help the wander a bit. it had 24" wheels on it before fwiw. im thinking it has loweing keys because thats all i can see up front thatd cause it to be that low. the rear has blue coil springs.. so that doesnt seem factory. id like to get it back up to normal ride height someday or get some dif wheels but for now id like to get it straightened out

---------- Post added at 08:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 AM ----------

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/toney0716/n558445180_1360446_2786.jpg

thats how it sits (stock wheels on now)

---------- Post added at 08:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 AM ----------

(that back is on a hill... much lower that it looks)

[hokieguy]

I also have this problem along with movement in both my brake and gas pedal. My truck has been lowered using the McGaughy's 2/3 drop and I have 45 series tires...I have also cut the bump stops. Should I be looking at the control arm bushings and ball joints?

Newly balanced wheels/tires.....I have even switched the front to back and no improvement.

[Max]

Doesn't look that low, maybe a 2/3 drop. Have someone shake the wheel back and forth quickly while you sit under the truck, use a pair of channel locks or pliers to check for play on the tie rod ends. Also pay close attention to the pitman arm (comes off the steering box on the driver's side) and the idler arm (located on the other side of the centerlink. You should also jack up the front end under the frame where the lower control arm attaches, then stick a pry bar directly under the wheel and pull up...you should notice any play in the upper/lower balljoints or the wheel bearing. My truck had some serious bumpsteer before I replaced the entire front end.

[rigo_jones]

check for any play on the front wheels if your ball joints didnt have grease that means it was rubbing metal to metal causing the bad bumpsteer.

[hokieguy]

I took the truck to a shop and let them drive it. The tech said what I was experiencing was normal due to the low profile tires....275/45R20....I still dont belive that, but I havent found anything loose or otherwise......gonna look into Max and rigo_jones' suggestions, thanks guys

[Dismay]

Just picked up an 01 Yukon with a 3/5 Drop and have similar issues, it's not horrible, but I'll be following this thread to see what you find out. :)
JD

[ItsAdam1]

Alright bump steer is gonna come from something being severely slammed. And being slammed is make the tie rods not being parallel to the ground which in that case you would need to do a tie rod flip, I am making a kit to correct this on some trucks I have bagged but I haven't seen this as a problem on lowered SUV's. I don't have this problem on my bagged esky. Now looking at your truck I am thinking you've got a 2/3 drop and if your getting bad bump steer then you probably in need of major steering component overhaul, inner and outter tie rods. idler arm and pit man arm.

[RKitagawa]

Hey fellas,

I have the same issue and haven't found a cure yet. Everyone mentions getting a steering damper, however I am quite sure this will only be a temporary fix until I figure out what's going on in the front suspension. Rather than invest in the steering damper and hope the issue resolves, I much rather start swapping the front suspension and correct the issue...then install the steering damper to prevent it.

Not knowing much about cars, does anyone have images that can help me locate all the steering components of the Yukon 01 and what they do. I do know the tie rods, however I am lost when it comes to all others such as the ones below.

Pitman arms
Idle arms
Ball joints
Bearings
U-Joint
Steering box
Control arm bushings

My Yukon does have sever Bump-Steer and it drives me crazy. Never did it before until about a year ago. I constantly check my alignment, balance, rotate, have new tie rods, get the suspension checked with all shops (Midas and Pepe Boys) and yet nothing
seems to work. If I could narrow down the items above while getting it fixed, that would help tremendously.

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/2393/008uk.jpg

[MUDDER TRUCKER]

ok here is your prob, lower ball joint.....mine got so bad i had to do 15 mph to get home to many railroad tracks to go over. it feels like the front end is shaking like a mofo. put a jack under the a arm and jack it up slowly, keep a eye on the lower ball joint, u will see the a arm move up and the wheel stay in one spot...there is only a lil bit of slopage but it causes one hell of a problem. i just did mine two days ago, solved my problem and corrected my allignment

[RKitagawa]

Mudder Trucker,

That's some great feedback and thanks for the tip. AWESOME and much appreciated.

Thanks for replaying to my question, as I have done further research and I am willing to be some money that you are correct. When driving at 15 to even 45 mph and turning left (no matter how much) I at times can hear the front left side make a noise. Sounds almost like a deep squeaking sound. I looked under the car and it appears the lower ball joint has the grease coming out of it. Nothing looks torn but it does appear as though the grease has been squeezed due to pressure.

So what do you recommend? Replace the upper and lower ball joints on both sides?
If that's not the case, then what should I replace next pitman arms, idle arms and bushings? or should I do the steering rods, stabilizer bar bushings and or U-Joints?

Let me know.

[RKitagawa]

What up fellas,
Just wanted to give you and update on my Yukon and bump steering. After not getting the answers (from the pros) I decided to take it in my own hands and talk to real peeps who know their trucks (that's all of you). With all your tips, I was able to learn about my car than I ever would of thought and also was able to correct the issue. All my suspension was rock solid and the only two items that needed replacements were the pitman and idle arms. Corrected the issue and my Yukon feels normal again.

Thanks

[robb.]

i had the same issue with the death wobble....but that was because my tie rods were fuked up...and loose.....fixed that n no more wobble...

[RKitagawa]

Fellas,
So it's been awhile since my last post but I thought I would let you all know the news of my 2001 4x4 GMC Yukon. As some of you know I took my truck to a few professional shops to get inspected and told nothing was wrong. I certainly didn't believe it so I took it to a whole in the wall place that had a tone of great reviews. Guess what! The mechanic took one look and immediately pointed out that the tie rod and pitman arm was shot. After correcting the issue, the car ran great and the wobble was gone. To help alleviate the tie rod and pitman arm stress, I put on a wheel damper and it's amazing! To top all this off, I finished with balancing the wheels and alignment.

Now...4 months have past I am back in the shop because the bump steer is back. I've taken it back to the same shop that discovered the issue and the mechanic reassures me all looks good. The tie rods, ball joints and shocks look good but the balance and alignment was a bit off. Knowing that 4 months ago i got my car aligned and balanced...what is causing me to have to get this done every 4 months (3 times a year)? The roads here in LA are bad but not that bad...I don't recall hitting too many crazy holes? Anything I could be missing to check for wear and/or old parts?

Let me know. Thanks

[Kyleg234]

I have a stock 01 stock wheels and suspension. If I hit like a incline in the road and it gives my truck any lift or a bump (railroad crossings) it pulls to the drivers side by itself it jerks the wheel left.. Is this kinda what ur describing or no.. ive replaced the pitman and idler arm no luck..

[waxworkz]

hey guys, i had the same issue, but i drive an 01 suburban 1500 2wd.

turned out it was my front hub bearings. i jacked the truck up and was able to move the wheel by grabbing the top of the wheel and pushing in and out. it moved way too much. took it to my buddies alignment shop and he was able to confirm for me. well $500 later and it was fixed. my buddy said the larger wheels and tires put a great deal of stress on the hubs, i am running 22's with 305/45/22 mainly because i tow a horse trailer and use the truck for my detailing business.

but just wanted to share my experience in case some one has not looked at the part of the equation.

oh and i got lucky my buddy offers a life time alignment for a couple hundred bucks. i have used it 4 times already. paid off after the 2nd time