My 03 Ram 2500 Quad Cab 4x4 has developed an intermittent front end shimmy that I haven't been able to find. It is getting worse to the point that it is dangerous.

Truck has 115,000 highway miles. It shouldn't be worn out by now. I thought that it might be the stabilizer shock...replaced it...still the same.

Rotated front tires to rear....still does it.

All tie rod ends and tracking bar seem to be tight. Truck does not wear tires. Steers straight down the road....you can let go of the wheel and it takes a long time to veer to the side of the road.

It usually happens when you hit a rough part of the road, and it once shook so bad that I lost both front hubcaps...You have to almost stop to get it to quit.

Has anyone else experienced this? My 97 CTD Ram drives perfect and it has 300,000 miles. Are the newer ones that much worse of a truck?

Also, while I am ranting, the 5.7 Hemi in a work truck is almost worthless. No wonder they are such a gas hog when maximum torque is in the 4,000 rpm range and the horsepower that they brag about is at 5,200rpm. This thing also uses a quart of oil every 1,000 miles when you pull it hard. Is that normal, too?
thanks

How about replacing the shocks?

Shocks are relatively new, too. Bad shocks wouldn't cause this. It acts like the front tires are square when it has its fits. thanks

Have you checked ball joints,idler arm etc? Shimmy is caused by the tires going in and out rather than up and down.

Huge longshot here, but possibly a driveshaft issue? Whenever my truck puked a u-joint, typically I had vibrations at certain speeds and not at others.

It is not a driveshaft problem. Truck doesn't vibrate. On smooth roads it acts normal, but one bad spot on the road, and it starts shaking violently in the front end and sometimes it is so bad that you almost lose control.

I am going to check balljoints and wheel bearings tomorrow. I can't imagine that they would be bad unless these trucks are bigger piles of junk than I think.

Sorry fellow Ram owners, but the Cummins engine is the ONLY reason to buy one of these and unfortunately mine has the over-hyped Hemi.

Wait for some more posts, your "death wobble" is not very rare, so somebody on here knows about it I'm certain.

My old 73 Ford pickup had the same problem. Turned out that the durometer of the rubber in the twin I-beam suspension was too soft which allowed the shimmy. Occurred at 65mph after going over railroad tracks every time. I fixed by adding a shock absorber device off a Blazer to the steering rods. Ford fixed by making the rubber harder. Ford never acknowledged the problem and lied to me at the dealer about it. I learned what I have said from Smoky Yunick's Popular Science column. Could there be some rubber parts in the front suspension of the RAM causing this? I'am interested as I have a 2005 RAM Quad Hemi 4X4. Have never had this happen but since yours started doing this at 115,000 sounds like deteriorated parts. Others should have run into this unless the part causing it was limited to one supplier which is possible. Check with insurance companies or the NTSC. They may have heard something. I suspect that Chrysler will stonewall you and not provide any info. Good luck.

I vote for ball joints....

Could be the track bar. I have seen ball joints on the aam axles go out at 40k also.

Josh

It's either the track bar or the steering stabilizer. You may still have a bad stabilizer, I've seen new ones that were junk.

Quote:

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Has anyone else experienced this?

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Yes, add some positive caster and it will go away.

also as said really give the track bar a "going over" it may look fine but check if its worn out and check the front end alignment.

Tires can play a huge part in this too. If they are "Load Range C" the sidewall is too soft for a 2500 or 3500 and it causes the tires to bounce like a basketball under some conditions.

Never used one but take a look.
http://www.solidsteel.biz/

Buildanother and Lefty are right:

- You will get all kinds of diagnosis' and some of them might even get the problem to go away....for awhile. You have Death Wobble (or DW for short) it isn't limited to 3rd gens as lots of 2nd gen trucks do it as well as Fords and Jeeps. Things like lift kits, large load range D tires, front end leveling kits, worn steering stabilizers, track bars and other front end components can set it off, BUT the underlying cause is the design of the suspension itself coupled with improper caster settings. You'll get many people telling you that shocks or tires or trackbars "cured" the problem for them, but I would contend that they've put the problem in "remission" and the underlying condition will manifest itself again once there is some more play in the system. All you do by changing shocks (for example) is close the "path of least resistance".

My advice: replace any or all worn components and have a competant alignment shop dial in the appropriate positive caster: NOT "within tolerances" according to DC, the proper amount (sorry don't remember the exact figure).

If you want to learn more go here: www.turbodieselregister.com , pay your $40.00 and search Death Wobble in the archives. Make sure you have coffee and plenty of time.


Dave

take a look at this chrysler bulletin REPAIR PROCEDURE:
1. Raise the vehicle on an alignment rack (drive-on lift).
2. Verify the road tires are correctly sized and the tire tread is not excessively worn.
Replace any worn tire before proceeding. Any new or old replacement tire should be
equal to the original tires that came with the vehicle when it was new. Tire wear is not
covered by the vehicle warranty.
3. Set the tire pressure for the FRONT TIRES to the following specification, regardless
of the load being carried by the vehicle.
Tire Size FRONT Tire Pressure
LT235/80R17E or LT245/70R17E 448 Kpa (65 psi)
LT265/70R17E or LT285/70R17E 414 Kpa (60 psi)
4. Set the tire pressure for the REAR TIRES as recommended for the vehicle
configuration and load that is being carried at the time.
Tire Size REAR Tire Pressure
LT235/80R17E or LT245/70R17E Refer to the Tire Inflation Chart brochure in
the Owners Manual or to the placards
located either on the face of the driver's door
or on the driver's side “B” pillar.
LT265/70R17E or LT285/70R17E Refer to the Tire Inflation Chart brochure in
the Owners Manual or to the placards
located either on the face of the driver's door
or on the driver's side “B” pillar.
5. Verify that the steering damper is operating correctly.
a. Unbolt the end of the damper at the axle end.
b. Cycle the damper rod by hand.
c. There should be resistance to motion in both directions of the damper rod.
d. Replace the damper if no resistance is present.
6. Verify both outer tie rod ends dust covers are not worn.
a. Attempt to rotate the dust cover by hand.
b. If the dust cover on an outer tie rod end can be rotated, or is free and loose, then
replace the tie rod (regardless of joint wear).
7. Inspect each outer tie rod end for internal wear.
a. Maximum allowed wear (joint travel) for a tie rod end is 1.15 mm (0.045 in.).
b. Install a dial indicator to the tie rod end (in-line with the vertical stud of the tie rod
end).
c. With a pry bar placed between the steering linkage and the axle tube, pry upwards
while measuring the amount of joint travel (wear).
d. Measure the amount of wear in the other outer tie rod end joint.
e. If wear (joint travel) in either outer tie rod end is greater than 1.15 mm (0.045 in.),
then replace the worn tie rod end.
8. Verify the torque on each outer tie rod end stud nut. The nut should be tightened to
122 Nm (90 ft. lbs.).
9. Make sure any worn outer tie rod ends have been replaced before proceeding further.
10. Verify all other steering linkage connections are tightened to their torque
specifications.
22-005-06 -2-
11. Grease both outer tie rod ends (even if the outer tie rod is new). Apply sufficient
grease to each tie rod end until grease is seen purging from the joint at the dust
seal.
12. Align the vehicle front end. Adjust to specifications.
13. Road test the vehicle and verify the shimmy condition has been corrected.bulletin

i did this bulletin when a guy had this complaint and i could not duplicate it and fixed the truck the bulletin number is 22-005-06. it would only happen on a certin road and certian bumps. try it.

With all due respect, there are a number of things that can make the problem go away for awhile, including work described in TSB 22-005-06, but trust me: it's an alignment issue; usually not enough positive caster.

I've been over this a 1000 times and people will still go ahead and buy new (insert here trackbar/balljoints/shocks/tires/whatever) and claim that the problem is "fixed". That's just not the case. No new steering damper or whatever is going to "fix" Death Wobble.....although it may not show up for awhile.

This is nothing new and the Jeep guys have been dealing with this forever. In my impromptu investigation, the vast majority of DW complaints came from guys who used the 2" front leveling kit (guess that changes the caster specs, huh!) and larger load range D tires (usually 315 BFG's) or some other lift kit.

Here's some good reading although I would suggest that some of the reasons listed aren't really the root cause, but rather the weak link (the text points that out in at least one case);


http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/dw.html



+

Dave

just a suggestion here, but a buddy of mine had the same problem a while back on his 1 ton chevy. turned out to be a dancing brake caliper. bolts were loose, and the caliper holes were wore oblong. just something to check. my