Posted By: BlwnCrcab
death wobble - 07/11/14 12:35 AM
at work we have a 99 4WD 1500 when you hit the brakes it goes nuts feels like tires are falling off . I havent checked it out yet looking for tips. truck has 237,000 Miles on it
death wobble
Posted By: CTD5.9
Re: death wobble - 07/11/14 01:05 AM
had the same thing on my 95 towing rig, the front rotors were warped. Changing them out with new ones solved everything.
Posted By: 500ciDuster
Re: death wobble - 07/11/14 02:06 AM
I've hade them do it because of the u-joints being locked up, kinda gets a spring action going. The rotors prolly get the action started though
Posted By: superwrench
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 02:23 AM
Axle U-joints, worn ball joints, worn tie rod ends, bad steering damper.......death wobble ONLY occurs when something is REAL loose.....Bar none...
Live spring and the steering linkage set up has been used for years.....I've had MANY old trucks with the set up and I've NEVER had death wobble. Probably because I've kept everything up to snuff. Those who complain about it don't have a very good serviceing criteria.
Live spring and the steering linkage set up has been used for years.....I've had MANY old trucks with the set up and I've NEVER had death wobble. Probably because I've kept everything up to snuff. Those who complain about it don't have a very good serviceing criteria.
Posted By: rickstershemi
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 02:35 AM
Quote:
Axle U-joints, worn ball joints, worn tie rod ends, bad steering damper.......death wobble ONLY occurs when something is REAL loose.....Bar none...
Live spring and the steering linkage set up has been used for years.....I've had MANY old trucks with the set up and I've NEVER had death wobble. Probably because I've kept everything up to snuff. Those who complain about it don't have a very good serviceing criteria.
Badly Warped Rotors will also cause this as stated above....been there done that and didn't believe it until it was proven to me on my own truck...
Rickster
Posted By: DusterDave
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 02:59 AM
Quote:Quote:
Axle U-joints, worn ball joints, worn tie rod ends, bad steering damper.......death wobble ONLY occurs when something is REAL loose.....Bar none...
Live spring and the steering linkage set up has been used for years.....I've had MANY old trucks with the set up and I've NEVER had death wobble. Probably because I've kept everything up to snuff. Those who complain about it don't have a very good serviceing criteria.
Badly Warped Rotors will also cause this as stated above....been there done that and didn't believe it until it was proven to me on my own truck...
Rickster
I agree with Rick. The OP said it happens when he hits the brakes.
Posted By: Golden-Arm
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 03:35 AM
i just went through a "death wobble", but mine turned out to be a caliper that wasn't releasing. everything underneath was brand new, and it just happened when i braked. replacing the caliper, fixed it. 
Posted By: superwrench
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 03:36 AM
If the truck goes into "death wobble" just by hitting the brakes with out of round rotors, then there's something else VERY loose....Track bar ???
Posted By: rickstershemi
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 03:51 AM
Quote:
If the truck goes into "death wobble" just by hitting the brakes with out of round rotors, then there's something else VERY loose....Track bar ???
Then why did replacing the rotors on mine cure the problem...???? Also happened on my Jeep Wrangler....No Loose Front End Parts
I have experienced wobble due to other reasons...bad stabilizer shock and other worn-out parts on other vehicles as well....but don't count out the brakes.
I spent a bunch of money replacing front end parts only to find out in the end it was the brakes.....you can choose to believe or not
Rickster
Posted By: 64hemi330sedan
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 05:29 AM
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
Posted By: poorboy
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 05:35 AM
Quote:
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
Worn suspension parts. On the 94+ Dodge trucks, start with the track bar then move to the ball joints, then the tie rod ends. If those parts don't cover it, we will give you the next list. Gene
Posted By: superwrench
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 07:08 AM
Quote:
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
Just as Poorboy says....And.....I wasn't saying out of round rotors wouldn't start something happening....What I'm saying is that if just out of spec rotors send the front end into the death wobble, then there is definitely something else that is NOT right. I worked on these trucks for 40 years....those rotors would have had to be out a mile!!!
Also....there is a discernable difference between the "Death Wobble" and just rotor induced shaking. The death wobble is basically non-controllable when it happens unless you get the vehicle slowed down. Believe me...you'll KNOW when it goes into the wobble...
Posted By: J_BODY
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 03:39 PM
Quote:Quote:
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
Just as Poorboy says....And.....I wasn't saying out of round rotors wouldn't start something happening....What I'm saying is that if just out of spec rotors send the front end into the death wobble, then there is definitely something else that is NOT right. I worked on these trucks for 40 years....those rotors would have had to be out a mile!!!
Also....there is a discernable difference between the "Death Wobble" and just rotor induced shaking. The death wobble is basically non-controllable when it happens unless you get the vehicle slowed down. Believe me...you'll KNOW when it goes into the wobble...
Posted By: 52savoy
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 08:10 PM
Quote:
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
It's not just 4X4s.... My '98 SST did for years if I hit the smallest of highway road cracks. I tried hd shocks and thought it did the trick until about a year later when it's worse "death wobble" occurred.. totally terrifying
I swapped out the shocks to Monroe Sensa-Trac's and it's never happened again.
It's been maybe 7 years now
Posted By: rickstershemi
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 10:58 PM
Quote:Quote:
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
Just as Poorboy says....And.....I wasn't saying out of round rotors wouldn't start something happening....What I'm saying is that if just out of spec rotors send the front end into the death wobble, then there is definitely something else that is NOT right. I worked on these trucks for 40 years....those rotors would have had to be out a mile!!!
Also....there is a discernable difference between the "Death Wobble" and just rotor induced shaking. The death wobble is basically non-controllable when it happens unless you get the vehicle slowed down. Believe me...you'll KNOW when it goes into the wobble...
Not always true....if you noticed in my application all front end components were replaced first as I thought the same thing you are stating.....although after a complete rebuild it still wobbled until I replaced the rotors and that cured my problem.
Knowing this when my 2001 Jeep wrangler experienced the same problem I had the rotors ck'd....they were found to be warped and it cured that one as well.
Not saying it couldn't happen from worn out front end parts as I had one the I cured by replacing the Stabilizer Shock on a 4x4.....
Rickster
Posted By: rickstershemi
Re: death wobble - 07/12/14 11:02 PM
Quote:Quote:Quote:
what would cause it when you hit a bump on the highway?.
Just as Poorboy says....And.....I wasn't saying out of round rotors wouldn't start something happening....What I'm saying is that if just out of spec rotors send the front end into the death wobble, then there is definitely something else that is NOT right. I worked on these trucks for 40 years....those rotors would have had to be out a mile!!!
Also....there is a discernable difference between the "Death Wobble" and just rotor induced shaking. The death wobble is basically non-controllable when it happens unless you get the vehicle slowed down. Believe me...you'll KNOW when it goes into the wobble...
The wobble I described being cured with new rotors was the same.....you had to basically come to a complete stop or slow down significantly for it to stop.....
Rickster
Posted By: Kern Dog
Re: death wobble - 07/13/14 10:10 PM
Quote:
at work we have a 99 4WD 1500 when you hit the brakes it goes nuts feels like tires are falling off . I havent checked it out yet looking for tips. truck has 237,000 Miles on it
My later model trucks have done this. I has a 2006 4x4 that started doing it at 18,000 miles! I had the rotors resurfaced and it was perfectly fine....until 30,000 miles.
My 2007 2wd started it at 175,000 miles. Again, new or resurfaced rotors were the fix. I refer to the problem as "Brake-Shake." I'm closing in on 200,000 and I'm feeling the shake again. To be clear though, I do drive aggressively. I've driven on curvy roads above the speed limit and need to slow quickly for the tighter curves. Brake pad life is still great though as long as I use OEM Mopar pads.
Posted By: bbtrux
Re: death wobble - 07/15/14 06:05 AM
Brake pulsation is not death wobble....its just brake pulsation,regardless of severity.on a solid axle jeep or dodge,death wobble is most obvious when changing road surface,and is almost , if not always the steer stabilizer shock.a track bar will make it wander,but not contribute to death wobble.
Posted By: superwrench
Re: death wobble - 07/15/14 08:27 PM
I've seen guys come into the shop with double stabilizers.....still have death wobble. Usually a combination of trac bar,axle joints, ball joints or tie rod ends being worn. Old 60's , 70's and 80's trucks that had no stabilizers. they still got the wobble. On the 60's and early 70's trucks with the closed knuckles, you would sometimes find that the brass cones on the top of the knuckles were absolutely shot. A couple of new cones and some shimming and it was fixed.
My'69 was bad for this especially with the big 35's and 12" rims....it would wear out those cones every 5K or so.
If parts are worn, out-to-lunch rotors are certainly going to start things goin' !!
Death wobble at 60 MPH is NOT a pleasant experience.......
My'69 was bad for this especially with the big 35's and 12" rims....it would wear out those cones every 5K or so.
If parts are worn, out-to-lunch rotors are certainly going to start things goin' !!
Death wobble at 60 MPH is NOT a pleasant experience.......
Posted By: rumblebee4232
Re: death wobble - 07/16/14 03:57 PM
Quote:
Brake pulsation is not death wobble....its just brake pulsation,regardless of severity.on a solid axle jeep or dodge,death wobble is most obvious when changing road surface,and is almost , if not always the steer stabilizer shock.a track bar will make it wander,but not contribute to death wobble.
you are wrong.. DEATH WOBBLE is definitely caused by a bad track bar.. I have had it happen to me twice, both times in a 94 ram 2500 4X4.. First time I was about an hour from home , steared to avoid some debris in the road when all the sudden the truck began jerking back and forth very violently.. I thought something broke in the front end stopped and looked for something broke didnt find anything so I drove on home way under the speed limit just in case and had it happen again on a curve about 6 miles out.. Was talking to a guy that I work with that had almost exactly the same truck and he told me to check the track bar, I did and found that the ball joint end was so wore out the ball came out when it was turned to the right position.. bought a new track bar from Autozone and installed it, did good for about a year.. then coming home one afternoon I was coming around a curve in the road when it went into its death wobble.. the Autozone track bar had snapped in two in the middle of the U bend.. went and bought a new Dodge track bar and put it in and never had any more trouble..
Posted By: therocks
Re: death wobble - 07/16/14 09:02 PM
I dont konw Ive had cars with bad rotors at work that shook so bad you could barely hold onto the steering wheel.If it only happens on brtaking the rotors are junk for sue.After about 10 or 20000 brake jobs you learn.Im not saying that some steering cant be worn.But if it only happens on braking the rotors are JUNK.Then look at chassis parts when they get replaced.Reminds me of guys that turn new rotors and then say it shakes.No S--t.They are so thin new that cutting them just makes it worse.Rocky
Posted By: superwrench
Re: death wobble - 07/16/14 11:10 PM
Quote:
I dont konw Ive had cars with bad rotors at work that shook so bad you could barely hold onto the steering wheel.If it only happens on brtaking the rotors are junk for sue.After about 10 or 20000 brake jobs you learn.Im not saying that some steering cant be worn.But if it only happens on braking the rotors are JUNK.Then look at chassis parts when they get replaced.Reminds me of guys that turn new rotors and then say it shakes.No S--t.They are so thin new that cutting them just makes it worse.Rocky
It's almost impossible to buy a good quality rotor anymore. Even the 1 ton truck ones should be designed a 1/4" thicker than they are. Doesn't seem to matter if you buy the Dealer ones or the off-shore cheapies...they don't last worth s**t. Of course, people drive a lot faster now and tow heavier loads than they did 30 years ago when the problem wasn't so prevalent.
My wifes 07 Charger eats up front rotors like gasoline...of course, if you ever went for a drive with her, you'd soon know why !!!
Posted By: SomeCarGuy
Re: death wobble - 07/17/14 07:08 PM
Even the worst warped rotors I have dealt with didn't cause what sounds like a loss of control. That's a big gulf to jump from a shake to get to a dangerous loss of control.
EBC still makes a good rotor and Rockauto had some slotted China ones that have been OK so far. The EBC can be a pain sometimes to get in, so ordering from RA might be easiest if you need to get it done soon. My wife is a brake component tester and if they can stand up to her, they can stand up to you. I promise.
EBC still makes a good rotor and Rockauto had some slotted China ones that have been OK so far. The EBC can be a pain sometimes to get in, so ordering from RA might be easiest if you need to get it done soon. My wife is a brake component tester and if they can stand up to her, they can stand up to you. I promise.
Posted By: therocks
Re: death wobble - 07/18/14 09:57 PM
SuperWrench you are right.I had more problems with the factory or hi buck rotors than the store brands.Carguy as for not creating a shake really bad you need to come to Ohio.Like I said in over 30 years I had some that felt like the whole car was coming apart.I had one Chrysler that I did new Bendix drums on the rear.Took it for a ride and they were so bad it almost threw me out of the seat.Yeah brakes can and will do crazy things.No matter how much you pay for rotors they are all the same thickness.Rocky
Posted By: HotRodDave
Re: death wobble - 07/19/14 02:11 AM
The fact is there are several reasons these trucks have death wobble... worn front end parts from trac bars to tie rod ends to brake rotors and a lot of time it is a combination of two or more factors and fixing any one can stop it for a while even if it is not the only participating part. After working on a bunch of them you can start to get an idea the difference in the various wobbles... warped rotors feel different than worn trac bars, a worn trac bar can start wobbling from a pot hole OR hitting the brakes, sometime swapping bars can fix it enough to not worry about the rotors, sometimes fixing the rotors can stop it even if the trac bar is bad. Usually if the trac bar is bad and the rotors are bad you can induce it from hitting the brakes but it probably will not stop just letting off the brakes, if you swap the trac bar in this case it may fix most of the problem but warrped rotors need to be fixed to get rid of it all, of course since it is way better the customer may let it slide that it shakes a little when you hit the brakes but that little shaking may cause the trac bar to go out early then you look stupid, of course if you fix the rotors it may quit for a while but come back soon, then you get blamed for using cheap rotors or machining them wrong... as a repair shop we pretty much have to go every component one at a time and recomend every questionable part to avoid a comeback, then they go to another shop who replaces rotors, the wobble goes away and we look stupid, but they are doomed to come back to us saying the other shops repair did not last.
Posted By: dilvoy
Re: death wobble - 07/19/14 02:26 AM
Quote:
The fact is there are several reasons these trucks have death wobble... worn front end parts from trac bars to tie rod ends to brake rotors and a lot of time it is a combination of two or more factors and fixing any one can stop it for a while even if it is not the only participating part. After working on a bunch of them you can start to get an idea the difference in the various wobbles... warped rotors feel different than worn trac bars, a worn trac bar can start wobbling from a pot hole OR hitting the brakes, sometime swapping bars can fix it enough to not worry about the rotors, sometimes fixing the rotors can stop it even if the trac bar is bad. Usually if the trac bar is bad and the rotors are bad you can induce it from hitting the brakes but it probably will not stop just letting off the brakes, if you swap the trac bar in this case it may fix most of the problem but warrped rotors need to be fixed to get rid of it all, of course since it is way better the customer may let it slide that it shakes a little when you hit the brakes but that little shaking may cause the trac bar to go out early then you look stupid, of course if you fix the rotors it may quit for a while but come back soon, then you get blamed for using cheap rotors or machining them wrong... as a repair shop we pretty much have to go every component one at a time and recomend every questionable part to avoid a comeback, then they go to another shop who replaces rotors, the wobble goes away and we look stupid, but they are doomed to come back to us saying the other shops repair did not last.
You are probably right on this, but you forgot to mention a pee poor design. My 98 Ram 4x4 had the death wobble from the day it was new.
Posted By: mopwrd340
Re: death wobble - 07/19/14 07:19 AM
Where i worked we had a 2 wd f150 that started having death wobble we replaced the rotors a few frontend parts but we couldn't get rid of it . My F 450 device truck started doing it to checked out frontend all was ok it finally figured it out we had our whole yard covered in asphalt millings from the plant next door and the little rocks would stick in the tread and throw them out of balance .Both trucks had the same brand&tread pattern replaced the front tires on both trucks with a wider tread pattern no more death wobble ,
Posted By: therocks
Re: death wobble - 07/19/14 02:49 PM
IIRC aftermarket makes a trac bar that eliminates the wobble.I know we did a few Jeeps at work that had bad bars.Rocky
Posted By: rhad
Re: death wobble - 07/21/14 05:44 AM
i had a old chevy 1/2 ton that i was drivin one day and went across some railroad tracks at hiway speed,DEATH WOBBLE big time,had to come to a complete stop ,later i checked it out and the frame was broke where the steering gear bolted on,welded it up ,no more problems
Posted By: SomeCarGuy
Re: death wobble - 07/21/14 06:13 PM
Quote:
SuperWrench you are right.I had more problems with the factory or hi buck rotors than the store brands.Carguy as for not creating a shake really bad you need to come to Ohio.Like I said in over 30 years I had some that felt like the whole car was coming apart.I had one Chrysler that I did new Bendix drums on the rear.Took it for a ride and they were so bad it almost threw me out of the seat.Yeah brakes can and will do crazy things.No matter how much you pay for rotors they are all the same thickness.Rocky
If you got something made completely wrong, that is not the same as what you will see from warped parts caused by driving. Aside from running stock Yugo rotors on a Le Mans racer that is. Thickness has nothing to do with metal quality either.
Posted By: Golden-Arm
Re: death wobble - 07/21/14 08:15 PM
so, did the op ever get this sorted? if you did, let's hear about it already. 
Posted By: BlwnCrcab
Re: death wobble - 07/22/14 05:07 AM
I checked the front end out everything loose needs rebuil.
company not going to spend the time and $$$ to fix it.
truck is rusty beat to hell POS not worth fixing
thanks for the help
company not going to spend the time and $$$ to fix it.
truck is rusty beat to hell POS not worth fixing
thanks for the help