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Death Wobble

jerry

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Joined
Jan 28, 2002
Messages
699
Loc.
Bakersfield, CA
Again, I hoping the more experienced can give me a hand. My issue I think is pretty typical - 35 or 40mph, hit a small bump - steering begins oscillating and won't stop until I slow way down or stop.

Rather than have my wife suffer through helping me in the garage (with the CA wildfires, our air quality has gone from horrible to absolute garbage), I shot a few videos that you can find here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY6mgknBN4tyapwTvIdl5ZaoMu8yN1H7H

With this one being the most "interesting":

The adjustable trac bar and tie rod / drag link assembly are all new. Trac bar drop bracket is older but seems to be OK (holes not egged out).

My front end (D30) does have some different knuckles on it, but has new bearings / dampners / shims etc.

No steering stabilizer installed yet. A week or two ago I did go through and make sure the wheel bearings were torqued corretly, FWIW.

The only thing that really jumps out at me is the movement of the tie rod, which I am assuming is because I need to fix the orientation of the attachment point at the drag link (have the zerk point towards bottom of radiator).

What do you guys think?
 
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jerry

jerry

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Loc.
Bakersfield, CA
I'm attaching a picture of the front of the truck, so you can see the drag and trac bar angles.
 

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Kalex

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Jerry,

Assuming all of your bushings are new, if possible get someone to turn the steering back and forth while the tires are on the ground to see of you notice anything. I was having a similar problem to you and it turns out my frame was flexing around where my trac bar drop bracket was welded. Mine has been on there since the early 2000's so it's of no surprise. Also, I am sure it will be mentioned, but it could be a tire issue.

Just a couple of quick thoughts and good luck.
 

billh1289

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That drag link likes to point up toward the radiator usually. Is that drop bracket bolted on or weld on? Axle centered under rig?
 

Rustytruck

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Feb 24, 2002
Messages
10,875
at this point move the back tires to the front and see if their are any changes. death wobble starts at the tires everything else tries to control what the tires are trying to do. tires have to be round and balanced for best outcomes. old tires worn or cupped out of balance are always suspect. jack up the front tire and put a pry bar under the tire and raise an lower the tire looking for looseness.
 

73azbronco

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Nov 11, 2007
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if that video 1/8 is yours, that needs to be corrected.

lower steering box bearing seems worn, sloppy. But not the cause. The drop drag bracket and links look good.

Tie rods appear not to be the problem. It's all in that flipping drag link, as mentioned should be on top of tie rod bar. like this:

116_31_popup.jpg


easy to adjust just loosen both sides of tie rod bar, and rotate link up. This might move the steering wheel center a little.
 
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jerry

jerry

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That drag link likes to point up toward the radiator usually. Is that drop bracket bolted on or weld on? Axle centered under rig?

I actually had it aligned a few weeks back. Axle is centered within 1/4" inch, pretty much spot on.

Drop bracket is bolted but doesn't appear to be moving. Welding it on is on the short list of things to do.

And yes, I should have mentioned action item #1 is to change the orientation of the drag link.

Thank you!
 
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jerry

jerry

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if that video 1/8 is yours, that needs to be corrected.

It will be this evening when I get home.

I included the other stuff just to see if anything else jumped out at anybody. I know i need to weld the drop bracket in place, too.

Appreciate it!
 
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jerry

jerry

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So I adjusted the angle of the drag link attachment...

Death wobble persists. Steering is improved though

Theres one stretch of road on the way to my house that's guaranteed to make it wobble. It has a couple of manholes that stick up a inch or two from the road. Hitting one of these with the left wheel sets it off.

So next things to check / try:

Check for cracks / flex in frame at steering box

Rotate ganky old tires front to back.

Any other ideas or areas to check are appreciated
 

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billh1289

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Might just be me but that sector shaft seems wonky. Could just be the video though. Is that what's making that popping noise when you turn the wheel?
 

DirtDonk

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Drop bracket is bolted but doesn't appear to be moving.

You're right, it does appear pretty solid. However, next time you have someone turning the wheel and it's making that popping noise, put your hand on the bracket and see if the popping is coming from there or elsewhere.
With that amount of pop, it's almost a sure thing you'll be able to feel it somewhere. So if it's not in the bracket, or trackbar, might as well do some laying on of hands and find out where it is. Might even be a cracked frame, but the usual spot behind the steering box does not appear to be the culprit because as mentioned the box looks pretty solid on the frame.

While you're feeling around, put your hands on the hubs and knuckles and ball joints and such. See if they're bumping around.


And yes, I should have mentioned action item #1 is to change the orientation of the drag link.
So I adjusted the angle of the drag link attachment...

Glad you got that part done. With it rotating excessively like that not only was your steering more vague as the tie-rod spent too much time twisting rather than moving sideways, but you would also have worn out your new rod ends very quickly. They're used to moving, but don't like moving that much and in that many planes.

Did you grease them up good too?

Death wobble persists.
Theres one stretch of road on the way to my house that's guaranteed to make it wobble. It has a couple of manholes that stick up a inch or two from the road. Hitting one of these with the left wheel sets it off.
Rotate ganky old tires front to back.

Ganky tires can be a bad thing and definitely can promote the wobbles.
But if you're putting ganky old tires from the rear to the front, you might just be keeping your Death Wobble a bit longer. A Death Wobble can happen with just one bad tire, but it can also happen with four!
You might get lucky though, so never hesitate to rotate the tires to find out.

I would do just one side at a time though, just to see if it changes. And if so, how much. Hopefully it's just one tire and can be left on the back. It's cheaper than buying four new ones!

Good luck.

Paul
 

jmhend

Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
2,739
I am would also try to video both ends of the trac bar and the other ball joint connections. I had a similar issue and was not looking at my real problem because I just didn't believe it could be the trac bar. For me it was the upper bushing on the trac bar. My steering would also pop when I went lock to lock I was convinced it was the steering box but I was wrong.

I can text you a video of my issue if you want to see my issues to help isolate your issues. Just shoot me a pm if interested.
 

Cats Bronco

Newbie
Joined
Jan 2, 2019
Messages
3
Attempting to solve the DW on my 74. Starting with replacing the Trac Arm Bushings and can not, for the life of me, get the old silver collar off the Dana 44 axle bolt, and believe that the bolt is welded to the axle. Any secrets or tips out there to free that old bushing collar. Of course, I need to not strip the Bolt. Thanks in advance for your suggestions..
 

DirtDonk

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You’re right that the bolt is in fact welded to the lower track bar bracket. it’s just a weld, and sometime they come undone and you get a little bit of a loose wandering and following cracks in the road action.
Not enough to cause a wobble, but you would still notice it.

Did you manage to get the bar itself off? So the only thing left hanging in there is that sleeve that’s basically rusted to the bolt?
If so, then I would put the nut back on to protect the threads and go at the sleeve with a hacksaw or something similar.
You still have to be careful not to nick the bolt of course, but at least it’s a pathway.

If it’s really and truly solidly welded with rust though, you may simply have to figure out a way to remove the lower bolt entirely. I’ve never done it, but I have heard several members here say it’s not impossible. You can grind the tack welds, but I’m not sure how you get the bolt out from under the bracket.

Good luck. Hopefully someone who’s actually done it will see your question and give us a good answer to an easy way out.
 

Cats Bronco

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Jan 2, 2019
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You’re right that the bolt is in fact welded to the lower track bar bracket. it’s just a weld, and sometime they come undone and you get a little bit of a loose wandering and following cracks in the road action.
Not enough to cause a wobble, but you would still notice it.

Did you manage to get the bar itself off? So the only thing left hanging in there is that sleeve that’s basically rusted to the bolt?
If so, then I would put the nut back on to protect the threads and go at the sleeve with a hacksaw or something similar.
You still have to be careful not to nick the bolt of course, but at least it’s a pathway.

If it’s really and truly solidly welded with rust though, you may simply have to figure out a way to remove the lower bolt entirely. I’ve never done it, but I have heard several members here say it’s not impossible. You can grind the tack welds, but I’m not sure how you get the bolt out from under the bracket.

Good luck. Hopefully someone who’s actually done it will see your question and give us a good answer to an easy way out.
Got it off after soaking in PB all night. Now onto getting holes lined up on the frame and Trac bar. I’ve read a few postings and have tried several techniques with no luck yet. Very frustrating. It’s just me. Not sure I can do this one alone. Thanks again.
 

Jdgephar

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Sep 25, 2012
Messages
1,344
Got it off after soaking in PB all night. Now onto getting holes lined up on the frame and Trac bar. I’ve read a few postings and have tried several techniques with no luck yet. Very frustrating. It’s just me. Not sure I can do this one alone. Thanks again.
Ratchet straps

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
 

DirtDonk

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Are you lifted and using a stock trackbar still? Is the alignment problem a left and right issue, or an up-and-down issue with misalignment of one whole only? In other words, you can get the bolt in one hole but not out the other?

If the latter, treat the track bar like a torsion bar and put a big pipe wrench on it. With the lower mount attached to the stud and the upper mount started into the upper bracket, give the bar a big twist until the head aligns and slips more easily into the bracket.
 

pcf_mark

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Jun 11, 2010
Messages
3,603
I have occasional death wobble (hit bump mid-corner, truck vibrates so hard it blurs your vision until you slow down a huge amount, vehicle is very hard to steer). It takes just the right scenario - new tires, bushings, bolts, no egged holes etc.

My hi-jack question is this - what angle is the tie rod supposed to be at? My tie rod and drag link have the tie rod facing perpendicular to the road like the OPs picture. But 73azbronco has it pointing up at what looks like more than 45 degrees. What is the proper angle? I can see how that would cause the changes in geometry that could translate into the somewhat vague and non-linear feel my steering has. May not fix the death wobble but I'll take an improvement in handling.
 
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