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Death wobble, shake from hell

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Old 05-07-2010, 09:56 PM
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Exclamation Death wobble, shake from hell

well like it says i get a 4x4 death wobble. thats what i have heard it called. when i am driving at 45-60 and hit any kind of bump my truck starts shaking like crazy if i go into a turn and have to turn more than a lil it will go away. or if i slow down. i dont know what it is. any ideas?????
and i know its not the ball joints cause i jacked it up and tested them.


04 rcsb 4x4 lowering keys
20 in rims
any help will be amazing
Old 05-07-2010, 10:09 PM
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I know with other 4x4's it was usually because of the idler arm or pitman arm. Its got to be something with the steering.
Old 05-07-2010, 10:17 PM
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Have you had the front end aligned since the lowering?

The death wabble is about a harmonic at the right speed and is often triggered with a bump like you said. Loose front end steering and suspension components can cause it as well as bad alignment with the above together. putting a larger steering stablizer helps when applicable.
Old 05-07-2010, 10:24 PM
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i did have it aligned. it has a lil bit of camber no tow. thanks yall
Old 05-07-2010, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by jimbob1
i did have it aligned. it has a lil bit of camber no tow. thanks yall
If I recall, you need a little bit of tow. A small amount could make all the difference if all you steering components are solid.
Old 05-08-2010, 01:38 AM
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Pitman arm, most likely. Sometimes they check out okay with the wheels hanging, but not when you dry-steer. Way out-of-spec caster can also cause DW.
Old 07-10-2010, 07:26 PM
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ok i know its been a while but i still have the problem
i have been out of town for a few months
so i still havent fixed it yet
should i get a new pitman arm and a new idler arm???
any other ideas?
Old 07-10-2010, 07:57 PM
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My truck did the samething for 3yrs and i never did find out or figure out what was gonig on..
Old 07-11-2010, 03:11 AM
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you may need some ball joints and tie rod ends. my truck did the SAME thing. tracked the road. blah blah ect. changed the ball joints. and new rod ends. and it seems to help alot!, cause mine were shot!!!
Old 07-11-2010, 07:16 AM
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Jack up the front end...it helps if you have someone with you, so one guy can rock the tires while the other inspects the front end components.

To check the tie rods, idler arm, pitman arm, etc, grab one of the front tires at 3 and 9 0'clock and rock from side to side, there should be NO play. If there is, something is worn. Do this for both left and right sides obviously.

To check the wheel bearings and possibly ball joints if they're worn enough, grab the tire at 12 and 6 and rock from top to bottom, once again there should be NO play. If there is play, a wheel bearing (hub assy) or ball joint may be worn. To check the lower ball joints, put a floor jack under the lower control arm and jack it up enough to take the tension off of the ball joints. Put a pry bar between the tire and the ground and pry up, if the lower ball joint is worn you'll see the movement between it and the control arm. Once again, there should be NO play.

Good luck!


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