Death Wobble (FAQ?) (1 Viewer)

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Mountaincruiser, did you fix your death wobble? What was the problem?
 
wow...all I can say is wow...

how much of a band-aid my hydro-assist ram was. I could cruise all day @ 60-65 with just a slight vibration with the ram. I had to remove the ram when I installed the new PSC gear while I wait for new hoses. Now I've got the worst case of DW @ ~30 I've ever experienced...

Amazing what the ram would take care of. Now even though I was expecting it, it tried its best to pitch me out of the rig :D

Just FYI...
 
Welcome to my world ;p

Seriously though...I've had deathwobble for 5 years now. I have a list of things to buy and replace like knuckle bearings etc but it just hasn't gotten done.:o Obviously it is a trailer only type rig ;)
 
UNO_RACING said:
Mountaincruiser, did you fix your death wobble? What was the problem?
Click to expand...

I have figured out what it is...just havent fixed it yet..there are no bolts with washers that normally tighten down the wheel bearings :eek: so thats the problem right there....also I needed different size shims to adjust my caster angle.

Its at the painters now...but next time I go out there Im gonna deal with the hubs.
 
Good thread....

I have the same issue with my '81 BJ42... found out recently that I HAVE power steering.. it just doesn't work... gee.. only took 6 months of ownership to figure that one out... Finished reading Auto Repair for Dummies a month ago and already feel like I need to find another book or repair manual to read... :cheers:
 
workinonit

:D Just want to say thanks for all the great threads/posts on death wobble. I have decided it is all of the above. How could it not be after what I've done to it? Keep on postin.
 
Thanks for bringing all this info to one site. I am working through the same problem. Works great off road but on bumpy/paved or railroad crossings LOOKOUT. My truck only gets driven a couple times a year and I am thinking that the tires are becoming an issue. I will also go through the above posted.
 
Is it just me or does 47 ftlbs on the shackle bolts seem over tight?
 
My take.....

Death wobble going down hill on a slagged road at 40mph after a total front end rebuild: Solution...

New U-bolts
Tighten bearings (again - grease settled I guess)
Most of all - get rid of excessive toe-in. I chose to use the spring loaded shower-rod method and doubled back with a tape measure to make extra sure.

Result: no more wobble...hopefully many years added to my life.
 
death wobble

You may want to try to balance them first. I have a 75 fj40 with 4 inch lift and running 35's. At 40 it almost come off of the road. I spent about 3 hours balancing them with lots of weight and now they are fine. It is the cheaper way to start finding out the problem.
 
I see you are a TLCA member.

There is quite a discussion (response) by Mark Whatley in the Tech Exchange Section of the March/April 2007 issue of Toyota Trails on this very subject. I believe many of the considerations brought forth in that article might apply to your case.

Maybe this was already mentioned, but I could not see a reference to the article in any of the replies. If there is/are, my bad. Good luck with this very annoying situation.

C. S.
 
Thanks for the info, guys !! You're the best, there ain't NOBODY like you ! Just did a spring lift and flipped them, think the caster shims will be my answer. :cheers:
 
Death wobble

I struggled for a long time to find the cause of death wobble on my '82 Fj40. It would typically occur at 15-30 mph when riding over a bump or pot hole in the road . It was so bad that the entire front end would violently shake from side to side and I would have to pull over and reduce speed to below 10 mph and it would settle and straighten out. Very scary. I'm running a 4" Skyjacker lift with 2.5" extended Rubicon shackles.

After trying many of the fixes listed in this thread it turned out to be loose front shackles. :doh: ! Problem solved 100%.
 
Hey I had that!!!

My DW's were the result of my own stupidity. I put new wheels and tires on...didn't know that there was a a hex bolt that goes through the drum which would not allow the rims to fit flush... between 15 and 30 mph it would try to pitch me out. My local tire shop god was the one who discovered the problem. replaced them with a different set up...straight as an arrow.
 
Found my problem. The nut on the tierod end had pulled the threads and was slowly backing off,with the cotter pin was still in place. Put a new end on and it worked fine. Was I happy to find the answer to that problem.
 
ubolts fix death wobble

I have a 74 with front axle(housing) shims. When I first experienced "the wobble" I looked at everything. almost all my steering components are new and there is little play in the steering gearbox. What I finally found was my front u bolts had worked loose and the axle shims were working back and forth. Simply put a little back in it and corrected the problem. Thought I'd mention it cause I haven't seen that listed as a possible cause.
 
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