swathdiver
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For the ball joints, any more movement than .5 millimeters is out of spec. 1 millimeter for the tie rods. If any of the bushings are cracked, replace them.
Death Wobble Diagnosis Help
- Thread starter tooleyondeck
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Joseph Garcia
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If you do go for tire balancing, make sure that you use a shop that has Road Force balancing machines. Those machines will also check the wheel for any abnormalities, as well as give you the best balance that you can obtain outside of a race track.
SnowDrifter
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Death wobble on IFS... HMMMMMM
It's most commonly seen on a solid front axle vehicles due to the interaction between the drag link (steering) and panhard (secures axle to frame).
Seeing this on a truck with IFS.... Something is very, very wrong.
Things to check:
- Post alignment specs. I know you said you got it done, but I want to see the numbers.
- Alignment - caster in particular. Caster that is out of spec in the positive direction can cause this. Like a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel
- Drop angle of the center link. Droops should be down and towards the rear of the vehicle. If it's not, it moves the tie rods out of parallel with the control arms
- Make sure pitman arm and idler arm are installed properly. Make sure nothing's installed upside down or whatever.
- Ensure upper control arm bushings are in good condition and tight
- Lower ball joints would be an unlikely cause for this... But not impossible. Checking them is tricky. You need to jack the wheel off the ground from the ball joint, then check the wheel for play. Checking with it on jack stands won't reveal any issues because it will change the angle of the joint + it will be load bearing
- Check that the idler arm bracket is tight and free of play
- Are there any notable triggers for this? Speed, going over a bump, braking, etc?
- Are the wheels and tires radially true? No major high spots?
And of course.... Happen to have a video of the problem? If nothing else, just to see if something sticks out.
It's most commonly seen on a solid front axle vehicles due to the interaction between the drag link (steering) and panhard (secures axle to frame).
Seeing this on a truck with IFS.... Something is very, very wrong.
Things to check:
- Post alignment specs. I know you said you got it done, but I want to see the numbers.
- Alignment - caster in particular. Caster that is out of spec in the positive direction can cause this. Like a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel
- Drop angle of the center link. Droops should be down and towards the rear of the vehicle. If it's not, it moves the tie rods out of parallel with the control arms
- Make sure pitman arm and idler arm are installed properly. Make sure nothing's installed upside down or whatever.
- Ensure upper control arm bushings are in good condition and tight
- Lower ball joints would be an unlikely cause for this... But not impossible. Checking them is tricky. You need to jack the wheel off the ground from the ball joint, then check the wheel for play. Checking with it on jack stands won't reveal any issues because it will change the angle of the joint + it will be load bearing
- Check that the idler arm bracket is tight and free of play
- Are there any notable triggers for this? Speed, going over a bump, braking, etc?
- Are the wheels and tires radially true? No major high spots?
And of course.... Happen to have a video of the problem? If nothing else, just to see if something sticks out.
OP
OP
tooleyondeck
Full Access Member
Good info: do you know if caster is even adjustable on these trucks? If it ends up being the culprit here, are there aftermarket components that allow it to be adjusted?
SnowDrifter
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It's adjustable via the concentric bolts on the upper control arm.
But can't draw any conclusions without alignment specs
Thanks for explaining. I had this on my 87 Silverado 4x4 but it had a solid axle. It turned out to be a tire balance issue. Lots of good advice here. Hope you get it solved. Please report back for the next guy.
OP
OP
tooleyondeck
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So last night I jacked up the truck and checked pretty much all of the suspension and steering components, I found a little play in my tie rod assembly, but nothing too concerning considering you'd be able to manually turn the wheels a bit even with just one side off the ground. What I did find, however, is that my front driver's side tire (305/40R22) had a large, clearly visible bulge in it. I swapped the F and R wheels and took her for a spin and violá, significant drop in the felt wobble in the steering wheel and front end. I could see the rear wheel sort of "bouncing" at low speeds when the bulged section strikes the ground out of the side mirror, so I'm fairly confident that I'll be fine ordering a new tire (maybe 2 for good measure?).
I'm not going to change the thread title to "SOLVED!" until I get the new tire on and verify there are not other issues, but for now I'm still considering going with new shocks like @swathdiver suggested.
I'm not going to change the thread title to "SOLVED!" until I get the new tire on and verify there are not other issues, but for now I'm still considering going with new shocks like @swathdiver suggested.
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swathdiver
Full Access Member
Ahh, a busted belt. We get so many calls for suspension issues this one is often overlooked! Good catch!
It is very important for AWD vehicles to have all their tires within 1/16" of tread depth of one another. They same the same thing about 4x4s in the shop manuals.
rockola1971
Full Access Member
Another typical cause of the wobble is the tie rods. (Inner) The funky joint will get worn and the shaft will move in and out quite a bit. The problem doesnt show its ugly head as obvious because of that boot over the funky joint BUT if you have some move the offending tire in and out you will see the inner tie rod shaft literally move in and out of that funky joint boot.
I can verify that a grossly worn out inner tie rod will cause the GM version of the Death Wobble and can verify it scares the Bejesus out of you and causes PTSD.
I can verify that a grossly worn out inner tie rod will cause the GM version of the Death Wobble and can verify it scares the Bejesus out of you and causes PTSD.
Dalt10
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I have 305/45-22"s on my Yukon. I will get a little bit of the death wobble on acceleration sometimes. Truck shakes and steering wheel goes back and forth. I've rebuilt most of my front end but still get it every once in a while. If it happens its on uneven roads. I can usually can let off the gas, slow down a little and it goes away. Mine is drivable since it doesn't happen that much. Maybe it is the tire size. Just guessing.
