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05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help #1372123
01/19/13 09:05 AM
01/19/13 09:05 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 15,992
RI Deep in the rust belt
chargervert Offline OP
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chargervert  Offline OP
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I have a 2005 Ram 2500 quad cab diesel. I love the truck,it can tow almost anything effortlessly,but the steering is terrible. I have spent 2 grand trying to fix this problem to no avail. So far I have replaced the steering box,the entire tie rod assembly with Moog greasable peices,the sway bar links,and the steering dampener with a Rancho unit. I also installed a BD Diesel steering box stabilizer kit in it as well. Last night I took it on a twenty mile round trip to pick up a pair of Charger fenders I bought,and it went into the death wobble mode no less than six times! The strips that seam bridges seem to set it off as well as some seemingly harmless bumps. I bought new Moog ball joints and U joints but I haven't installed them yet. I checked the ball joints and there was little to no play in them. The issue seamed to get better with each thing I changed only to return again worse than before. For a truck with all these new parts the steering has a lot of slack and play. I'm reaching my wits end with this issue! Any idea's would be much appreciated


70 Charger R/T SE 472 Hemi 70 Charger R/T convertible 70 Charger R/T V Code Sixpack 69 Charger R/T SE Sunroofcar 68 Charger 383 68 Charger 318 71 Charger R/T 70 Challenger convertible 71 Challenger convertible 71 Cuda 340 09 Challenger R/T Classic
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: chargervert] #1372124
01/19/13 10:03 AM
01/19/13 10:03 AM
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in a cattle trailer down by th...
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Guitar Jones Offline
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in a cattle trailer down by th...
I can tell you what I did to my 06, get the latest drag link/tie rod setup from Mopar. It's bigger and heavier than the previous 3 upgrades. Adjust your steering box to take any play out of it. I installed a Super Lift dual steering damper set up and aligned the front end to get 4-6 degrees positive caster. Also check the panhard bar bushings and make sure the bolts are super tight.

Are your tires in good shape? Because they can contribute to it as well.


"Follow me the wise man said, but he walked behind"


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Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: Guitar Jones] #1372125
01/19/13 11:34 AM
01/19/13 11:34 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
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Missouri U.S.A.
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71yelladustr Offline
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As mentioned above have it aligned and put as much caster as you can in the front end. The more caster the more stability the tires will have. Do you have a leveling kit installed? If so it will make you loose caster and make it more prone to wobble. Make sure EVERYTHING is tight in the steering. Oversize and/or worn tires dont help issue either.


392 gen III hemi on E-85 727 trans Dana 60
10.02@134
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: 71yelladustr] #1372126
01/19/13 02:00 PM
01/19/13 02:00 PM
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aZLiViN
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J_BODY Offline
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tire size? lift kit or leveling kit? no mention of track bar... or did I miss it?

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: 71yelladustr] #1372127
01/19/13 02:03 PM
01/19/13 02:03 PM
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Fitchburg, WI
BIGHOOK Offline
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Check for play in the wheel hub bearings. Wobble and steering issues can also be the result of worn bearings, not uncommon on the straight axle Rams. If you're going to be replacing the axle shaft u-joints, it's easy to pop in new hub assemblies at the same time.

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: BIGHOOK] #1372128
01/19/13 02:14 PM
01/19/13 02:14 PM
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J_BODY Offline
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Quote:

....it's easy to pop in new hub assemblies at the same time.




..hub assemblies is more like: !


Usually I find two things that seem to take care of the prob. Make it NEW...and make it STOCK.

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: J_BODY] #1372129
01/19/13 07:59 PM
01/19/13 07:59 PM
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Southern CA
Colin Frolick Offline
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Last edited by Colin Frolick; 01/19/13 08:01 PM.
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: J_BODY] #1372130
01/19/13 09:14 PM
01/19/13 09:14 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
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Salem
Grizzly Offline
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Salem
Quote:

tire size? lift kit or leveling kit? no mention of track bar... or did I miss it?




x2

Mainly the lift or "leveling kit" part.


Mo' Farts

Moderated by "tbagger".
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: Colin Frolick] #1372131
01/19/13 09:29 PM
01/19/13 09:29 PM
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Quote:

get one of these yet?

http://www.dtprofab.com/DTP02003H1-TRACBAR-KIT-03-08-STOCK-TO-4-LIFT-_p_14.html

edit... did you say 4x4?




DT profab has some nice stuff. I'm going to "re-new" the front on my 01 with a bunch of their stuff one of these days.

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: Colin Frolick] #1372132
01/19/13 09:45 PM
01/19/13 09:45 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 15,992
RI Deep in the rust belt
chargervert Offline OP
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chargervert  Offline OP
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Quote:

get one of these yet?

http://www.dtprofab.com/DTP02003H1-TRACBAR-KIT-03-08-STOCK-TO-4-LIFT-_p_14.html

edit... did you say 4x4?





It is a 4x4,the lift is stock,and the tires are 305/70/17.


70 Charger R/T SE 472 Hemi 70 Charger R/T convertible 70 Charger R/T V Code Sixpack 69 Charger R/T SE Sunroofcar 68 Charger 383 68 Charger 318 71 Charger R/T 70 Challenger convertible 71 Challenger convertible 71 Cuda 340 09 Challenger R/T Classic
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: chargervert] #1372133
01/19/13 10:30 PM
01/19/13 10:30 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,993
Salem
Grizzly Offline
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Salem
I think it's a combination of them big boots your're runnin' and the Rancho steering dampner. It's an aftermarket piece and I don't put much in the bank on that junk. Are you using the stock rims or an off-set aftermarket rim?

I paid big bucks for RS9000 adjustables, and even the Parts Store Guy was hesitant to sell them. He was right, they didn't do anything whatsoever for my '86 4x4. Within about 2000 miles one started puking out oil, and few thousand miles later another packed it in.

I have to say though the Mother company was Teneco and they were just excellent to deal with. I wrote them one letter, they talked to the parts store and they fully refunded my money. Off they went and I put the stock shocks back on.

Get up close and see if that Rancho is starting to leak. I'd try replacing that dampner with something else first and go for a drive. Next, try to get your hands on a couple of stock rims and tires, mount 'em up and see what happens.


Mo' Farts

Moderated by "tbagger".
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: Grizzly] #1372134
01/20/13 04:18 AM
01/20/13 04:18 AM
Joined: Jul 2003
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The Wet Coast, Canada
megajoltman Offline
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Get rid of the stock Track Bar, go with either the the DT ProFab or Thuren's bar

http://www.thurenfabrication.com/3rdgentrackbar.html


1969 Dart 383/727/D60

CTD Ram 4x4 Mega Cab

Procharged 350Z
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: megajoltman] #1372135
01/20/13 12:20 PM
01/20/13 12:20 PM
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RI Deep in the rust belt
chargervert Offline OP
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chargervert  Offline OP
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The wheels are the stock chromed steel wheels. The Rancho steering dampener I put in was the exact one that was already in it when I bought it. The one I removed was not leaking and was still working . The one I installed is not leaking either.


70 Charger R/T SE 472 Hemi 70 Charger R/T convertible 70 Charger R/T V Code Sixpack 69 Charger R/T SE Sunroofcar 68 Charger 383 68 Charger 318 71 Charger R/T 70 Challenger convertible 71 Challenger convertible 71 Cuda 340 09 Challenger R/T Classic
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: chargervert] #1372136
01/20/13 01:11 PM
01/20/13 01:11 PM
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Cleveland Ohio
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sportfury70 Offline
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Cleveland Ohio
Are your tires BF Goodrich all terrain? I have heard several guys on other forums have the death wobble issue and changed nothing but the brand of tires.

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: sportfury70] #1372137
01/20/13 02:58 PM
01/20/13 02:58 PM
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McGregor,Iowa 52157
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500ciDuster Offline
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On my old junk (85 W-350) with the 60 the main problem was u-joints seizing up with the hubs locked in or out, they would have a spring action that would start a domino effect when the brakes were applied and I think that the tires can get somewhat of a tread pull effect too

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: chargervert] #1372138
01/20/13 03:14 PM
01/20/13 03:14 PM
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VA
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AtomicDog Offline
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I also had a terrible case of death wobble on my '96 Ram 2500 4x4 with 130,000 miles on it. I ended up replacing just about every suspension part under it, with the exception of the outer tie rod ends, which looked like they had been replaced by the prior owner. The parts I found to have the most wear were the U-joints, hub bearings, lower and upper ball joints and track bar. I replaced my track bar with a Solid Steel Adjustable bar and bracket kit (http://www.solidsteel.biz/). Also, installed a new Borgeson steering box (old box had a lot of wear and slop causing the truck to wander on the road), intermediate steering shaft and steering stablizer kit. Replaced the tires with Michelin AT/2 285-75-16. Once all of the suspension work was completed, got a good front end alignment. Death wobble on this truck has not re-appeared and the truck handles like a good road car!

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: AtomicDog] #1372139
01/20/13 04:54 PM
01/20/13 04:54 PM
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ST clair shores MI
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moretoys Offline
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this is how I approach these problems.

l1)check tire pressure first.run them on the higher end,low tire pressure can cause this on trucks.( ford even has a tech. service bulletin for it)
2)tire balance-make sure a tire doesn't have any wobble.put the best 2 up front. I have also seen certain brand of tires 1/2 worn cause this.
3) inspect front end for play. replace any worn parts.
4) have alignment checked. keep caster in spec. Do not set higher,high caster can cause wobble.(e.g.) push a shopping cart a little too fast,front wheels start going nuts(we've all done this)
5)installing extra parts that didn't come on the vehicle might make the problem go away (for a while) that is only masking the real problem.
<<<<if the track-bar is solid,(most common front end component cause) and the rest off the front end is good.most of the time it is a tire issue.
For independent suspension: jack up suspension as close to the tires as possible,That unloads the ball joints to get a better feel,use a big bar and lift up on the tire to check lower ball joints better. Solid axle is not critical that way.just jack it up.still uses a bar though when the lower ball joint faces down.grasp the tire at 12 o'clock-6 o'clock,/11-5 ish for ball joint check.push and pull with some effort.

Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: sportfury70] #1372140
01/21/13 03:59 PM
01/21/13 03:59 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 18,582
Rust Belt, SW PA
Silver70 Offline
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Quote:

Are your tires BF Goodrich all terrain? I have heard several guys on other forums have the death wobble issue and changed nothing but the brand of tires.




That's all I have ran on my 01 and never had a problem with the wobble.


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Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: Silver70] #1372141
01/26/13 11:18 AM
01/26/13 11:18 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 15,992
RI Deep in the rust belt
chargervert Offline OP
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chargervert  Offline OP
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Well,I tightened the steering box and inflated the front tires to 67 PSI and the wobble is gone! Thanks to everyone here for their help!


70 Charger R/T SE 472 Hemi 70 Charger R/T convertible 70 Charger R/T V Code Sixpack 69 Charger R/T SE Sunroofcar 68 Charger 383 68 Charger 318 71 Charger R/T 70 Challenger convertible 71 Challenger convertible 71 Cuda 340 09 Challenger R/T Classic
Re: 05 2500 diesel ram has serious death wobble issues.help [Re: chargervert] #1372142
01/26/13 01:09 PM
01/26/13 01:09 PM
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Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
Rhinodart Offline
Rhinotruck
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Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
My 04 4x4 is starting to wander all over the road and I hear a squeak coming from the left front when turning, time for wheel bearings or worse?


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