Death Wobble

cumminsdzl

cumminsdzl

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Wake Forest
From the very begining i have always had a tiny bit of death wobble on the toyota from 30-35 mph. I would assume this has been caused by the longer shackles messing up my caster. It has never been bad at all, just a few shakes of the steering wheel, keep accelerating and it stops by 36-37 mph. I drove the truck to work today and the wobble has gotten quite a bit worse. Shakes hard under braking, and is shaking from 30-45 mph.

I went wheeling Sunday and drove it home no problem, just like always. What i am trying to figure out is what happened between now and then. The swampers are bias, but they usually smooth out in about 2 miles or so. The steering stabalizer is OLD, but i know they can just mask the true problem. Do i need to shim the axle, or what is my best answer?

Another problem is the front springs are shot. They are almost inverted just sitting there. The have great droop, but i know they are very worn. Could this be my problem? thanks for the help.
 
Sounds as if you have more than one problem and you have basically answered all the questions yourself. Shackles, castor, steering dampener, worn springs. All are factors. Also look at loose bolts anywhere on the steering or axle
 
Start off by checking all your tie rod ends.. slop here can contribute.
Then check the preload on your steering knuckles. without the birf installed, no tie-rod, etc..., there should be 7-12ish pounds of resistance on the steering arm when pulling with a fish scale... knuckle bearings may be worn out/sloppy too.
Then, don't forget your spring bushings! I bet those are shot.
Replacing the steering damper will help too.
EDIT: Yeah, what Tuite said too.. toe-in. Can't believe I forgot that.

On your truck, longer shackles up front would help to increase caster (a good thing), so it's not the shackles causing it.

My DW turned out to be from a slightly bent wheel, after checking the whole front end.
 
What about the tires? The swampers aren't balanced. I know they don't really ever get truely balanced, but could this also be causing some of the problem? Or am i going too slow for balancing to be an issue?
 
Toe-in is another variable that can cause DW. So, once you address the other issues play around with how much toe-in you have.
 
unbalanced tires don't help things, but DW is more of a side to side force than a up and down force caused by unbalanced tires..

My SX's are unbalanced and ride well enough at 50mph.. and I can see them riding like an egg when I watch 'em.
 
Tie rods and worn trunion bearings in the knuckles are the biggest DW contributors I've seen to DW. Check the r/h tie rod for slop.
 
My only experience with the wretched Death Wobble was after my SAS. The rear wasn't completely "level" and the truck felt like it was going to shake completely apart at like 15-20 mph. Made some blocks, bye bye death wobble.
 
SpydyrWyr said:
My only experience with the wretched Death Wobble was after my SAS. The rear wasn't completely "level" and the truck felt like it was going to shake completely apart at like 15-20 mph. Made some blocks, bye bye death wobble.
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redneck caster correction? :flipoff2:
 
Ratman said:
redneck caster correction? :flipoff2:
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If you were to look up "hitting the nail on the head," that's the definition you would see. :D

I'm not proud of the blocks in the rear, but my trail rig is a budget truck, I've got less than $1k in it.
 
SpydyrWyr said:
If you were to look up "hitting the nail on the head," that's the definition you would see. :D

I'm not proud of the blocks in the rear, but my trail rig is a budget truck, I've got less than $1k in it.
Click to expand...



You've probaly seen my 700 dollar runner around. Silver w/blue doors, rust and dents. I can appreciate cheap. :beer: Lets call it a "crafty" caster adjustment. I'm wanting to build a jig this winter to cut and turn the balls but I've got to figure out a reliable way to measure standing caster without a alignment machine. :confused:
 
Why do you need a jig to cut a yota axle? We always sliced through the outside of the tube, put a prybar in the ball to turn it, and measured it with a magnetic dial protractor. Worked great for us, even flipped a set 180 degree to set it up as a rear steer. There is a sleeve on the inside, they arnt going to fall apart. They took us 1 hr (maybe) with an air cutoff wheel, out of the vehicle, to do. Should be an easy to do day project.

We had 100 dollar plus caster/camber guage, but we were always within a degree (more than fine) and stopped bothering to check it.
 
Are you running to old Push Pull Steering set-up or HighSteer?? If one of the stock rods got slightly bent on the last outing it could have messing with the toe. That is where i would start. The camber/Caster could be a factor, but if you havent changed the suspension, that should be the same as it was before the wobble....

Seth
 
gavan said:
Why do you need a jig to cut a yota axle? We always sliced through the outside of the tube, put a prybar in the ball to turn it, and measured it with a magnetic dial protractor. Worked great for us, even flipped a set 180 degree to set it up as a rear steer. There is a sleeve on the inside, they arnt going to fall apart. They took us 1 hr (maybe) with an air cutoff wheel, out of the vehicle, to do. Should be an easy to do day project.

We had 100 dollar plus caster/camber guage, but we were always within a degree (more than fine) and stopped bothering to check it.
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I'm anal, I like the feel of 3.5 degrees right and 3.2 degrees right on caster readings. I didn't know they were sleeved tho'. Hummmm, maybe no jig, just my angle finder and wing it. :lol: If things fall into place, I'll be back to building cages and snit soon. Might be a nice "addition" to the posibilitys. :beer:
 
Just a little update. Today i put on a new steering stabilizer since i needed one anyway and it was a cheap place to start. The result was, 100% fixed the dw. I knew it would help, but my truck has never handled and driven so well. No wobble and i can hardly feel the bias swampers even when they were still cold. I was truely amazed the difference it made.
 
Ratman said:
You've probaly seen my 700 dollar runner around. Silver w/blue doors, rust and dents. I can appreciate cheap. :beer: Lets call it a "crafty" caster adjustment. I'm wanting to build a jig this winter to cut and turn the balls but I've got to figure out a reliable way to measure standing caster without a alignment machine. :confused:
Click to expand...
I have An alignment machine and I love chicken wings Perhaps a trade :rolleyes:
 
Samurota said:
I have An alignment machine and I love chicken wings Perhaps a trade :rolleyes:
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I've got one too but its old, pissy and just a pain in the ass. :lol: Reminds me of




































me.

I figure the angle finder might do the trick. I am going to make a insert tho' so I know the top race is where I want it.


btw, ribs are better.
 
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