the case of the mysterious death wobble - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

Andy351 · 09-20-2005, 09:55 AM

so i went to fordyce over labor day weekend, drove the bronco (87 D60 front) there and back. put a hole in one of my iroks, but no big deal i drove home on a spare and it actually drove better on the way home. so i got home and parked the bronco and drove my super sweet jetta till i had to move. when it came time to move the bronco i drove it around and strangely it developed a nasty case of death wobble while sitting for a week and a half...i'm a little stumped since it was just sitting and now it has a problem. i'm in SLO now but i'll be making a rescue trip home to fix it and bring it down but i need some clues where to start.

things i have thought of:
- adding a steering stabilizer (i should have had one from the get go)
- adding a second washer to the kingpin springs (they pass the 12 and 6 jiggle test, they were rebuilt last summer)
- replace the bent tie rod end (was also loose, but tightening it didn't fix anything)
- checking the wheel bearings to see if one has seized while it was sitting (i doubt it because i repacked them less than a month ago)
- friends have mentioned flat spots, but this is real death wobble, not just bouncy tires (i've experienced both)

click the link in my sig to see the specs

saf-t scissors · 09-20-2005, 11:34 AM

As far as quick fixes go, I'd try rotating the tires. Also repack and retorque the wheel bearings. I've had DW at least 3x that was due to nearly imperceptible slop in the wheelbearings. Or at least, tweaking the bearing preload changed the susp enough to make it go away.

Rotating the tires does the same thing -- slight change in mass, roundness, balance, etc will make the difference sometimes. It might not get to the root of the problem, but it can be enough to manage the DW, if not eliminate it.

If the bent tie rod affected your toe, fix that... but so long as the ends are tight, the bend shouldn't be causing any problems.

broncman · 09-20-2005, 05:32 PM

tracbar?? Loose steering box??

jopes · 09-20-2005, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by broncman

tracbar??

leaf sprung 60

Andy351 · 09-24-2005, 11:57 AM

fixed it, added a washer to the kingpins and tightened up the meshload on the steering box.

09-20-2005, 09:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
Andy351 Granite Guru Join Date: Aug 2003 Member # 22290 Location: San Diego Posts: 662	the case of the mysterious death wobble so i went to fordyce over labor day weekend, drove the bronco (87 D60 front) there and back. put a hole in one of my iroks, but no big deal i drove home on a spare and it actually drove better on the way home. so i got home and parked the bronco and drove my super sweet jetta till i had to move. when it came time to move the bronco i drove it around and strangely it developed a nasty case of death wobble while sitting for a week and a half...i'm a little stumped since it was just sitting and now it has a problem. i'm in SLO now but i'll be making a rescue trip home to fix it and bring it down but i need some clues where to start. things i have thought of: - adding a steering stabilizer (i should have had one from the get go) - adding a second washer to the kingpin springs (they pass the 12 and 6 jiggle test, they were rebuilt last summer) - replace the bent tie rod end (was also loose, but tightening it didn't fix anything) - checking the wheel bearings to see if one has seized while it was sitting (i doubt it because i repacked them less than a month ago) - friends have mentioned flat spots, but this is real death wobble, not just bouncy tires (i've experienced both) click the link in my sig to see the specs __________________ www.PolyPerformance.com WE GOT WHAT YOU NEED When people in the Taliban are riding around in better trucks than you, you might have a problem.

09-20-2005, 11:34 AM	#2 (permalink)
saf-t scissors Registered User Join Date: Aug 2001 Member # 6733 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,168	As far as quick fixes go, I'd try rotating the tires. Also repack and retorque the wheel bearings. I've had DW at least 3x that was due to nearly imperceptible slop in the wheelbearings. Or at least, tweaking the bearing preload changed the susp enough to make it go away. Rotating the tires does the same thing -- slight change in mass, roundness, balance, etc will make the difference sometimes. It might not get to the root of the problem, but it can be enough to manage the DW, if not eliminate it. If the bent tie rod affected your toe, fix that... but so long as the ends are tight, the bend shouldn't be causing any problems. __________________ Team Fat Shit and the Traveling Circus

09-20-2005, 05:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
broncman Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Member # 27153 Location: western North Carolina Posts: 1,113	tracbar?? Loose steering box?? __________________ K&K Racing #21 ECORS Class A Early Bronco

09-24-2005, 11:57 AM	#5 (permalink)
Andy351 Granite Guru Join Date: Aug 2003 Member # 22290 Location: San Diego Posts: 662	fixed it, added a washer to the kingpins and tightened up the meshload on the steering box. __________________ www.PolyPerformance.com WE GOT WHAT YOU NEED When people in the Taliban are riding around in better trucks than you, you might have a problem.

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