Death wobbles... Steering box with excess be a cause?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Scottbonnar

Scottbonnar

10 Year
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
Threads
17
Messages
59
hi guys,
I've got death wobbles unfortunately again. Now I'm thinking could the steering box be a cause of this?
There is abit of play in my steering wheel which I want to get rid of but also if I hit a bump and the steering box needs to adjusted could that cause death wobbles?

I've changed pan hard bushes, radius arm bushes...
 
You have a 4" lift on your 80 series, correct?

What's your front caster set to at the moment?

Have you changed the steering damper? or does it need changing?

Is the vehicle pulling one way when you change gears when lifting your foot off the gas?

PS. To test the damper, remove it and drive the vehicle, if it drives the same then it needs replacing. With larger tyres you need a heavier damper.
 
Last edited:
Have you replaced the tie rod ends? I changed mine out this past weekend on my 75 fj40 that also had a death wobble. There is 4 or 5 that need to be replaced. Wobble fixed.
Having play in your steering wheel is normal.
 
I'd recommend replacing all the tie rod ends, most times this is the root cause of a wobble. Tie rod end replacement is a very good place to start and relatively inexpensive all things considered. It wouldn't hurt to verify caster is correct and a alignment as well.
 
My steering box is pretty well clapped out and has probably 1.5-2" of play in the wheel even after adjustment and reseal by WTOR. No death wobble for me. Like others say, check TRE's, steering damper, bushings, caster, tire balance, linkage from steering wheel to steering box, etc.
 
A steering box will not cause a wobble. Steering damper failing Is usually noticed when temps warm up (spring early summer) will definitely cause wobble, as will TREs. I will say it just for fun now, Missing wheel weights If this applies, or spun bead. FSM says 1.5 inch of play is considered normal and adjusting an old box makes very little difference and even a new one makes little diff and Is easy to take to far.If warming up It could be damper If wheeling hard TREs, If old both. Good Luck..!
 
Check your front wheel bearing preload.
 
Thanks for your suggestions, okay I've replaced my tie rod with an alloy tie rod not long ago.
I have castor correction plates in the front( still might be these) 5 deg I think
- always had friggen trouble trying to torque the wheel bearings an cannot get it right for the life of me, so it could be that AGAIN.


It got progressively worse when my steering dampner bracket decided to break on me yesterday,so at the moment I'm not running one... And that's when I noticed it being bad!

Thanks
Scott
 
A steering damper will simply mask issues causing the wobble and prevent it to some degree. A "failing" damper will not cause the wobble. And while putting a new and/or stronger damper in may alleviate the symptoms (wobble), the actual problem is not fixed. Your damper bracket breaking is likely a result of whatever issue is causing the wobble in the first place, and will will likely suffer some short damper lifespans until you figure out the real issue.

As was said, the TRE's are usually a great and easy place to start. And just checking proper torque/fitting on the drag link, tie rod, and other steering and suspension components can often find and resolve the issue. Have you confirmed all front end components are properly torqued?
 
Before my lift...

I tracked down my death wobble to old, saggy OEM springs. When I hit a curve just right the truck would bounce off of one bump stop onto the other side bump stop. Springs took care of it. Of course I have a completely 100% new suspension now but yeah, for me, springs.
 
Hmm, will bowed springs be a cause, I have noticed my front springs do have a bow in them...

Front end has been tightened by a rattle gun but wouldn't hurt to check it over.
 
Yep I know how important torque settings are, but didn't have a torque wrench.

Do you think bowed springs could cause this?
 
Check tie rod ends check wheel bearings set to 20ft lbs, s***ty tires or out of balance, not enough castor
 
DW is due to excess slop or play in anything that locates the wheel, including the steering box and a long list of other possibilities. You need to get it up on a lift with a big pry bar and look for anything that moves that shouldn't. It also needs an initiating force, like hitting a bump.
 
HI so ive checked the tierods and panhard bolts and they are tight, ive had this issue for a very long time and it drives me nuts. Im learning towards either cracked chassis around the steering box or wheels/rims...
ive replaced everything in that front end...unfortunately
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom