Definitely put one wheel on a jack and wiggle your wheel for movements
Delta VS Radius Arms
- Thread starter Delta VS
- Start date
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Did you use new hardware or the used originals?
I ordered the full package with bushings and new hardware.
Check for cracks at the radius arm mounts.
If you have someone that can help, with the wheels on the ground have them move the steering wheel back and forth while you insect literally putting your hand on each component. If something is loose you should be able to feel it. Pay close attention to the pan hard bar. You may have to pull it to really see if the bushing are bad if the original they need to be replaced anyway.
Check for cracks around the steering box.
Good luck and post up what you find.
Check for cracks around the steering box.
Good luck and post up what you find.
FMC80
SILVER Star
Where's your front swaybar?
With the caster correction it rubs on the front driveline until I can get a swaybar drop spacer and new bushings.
The rubber has been gone for so long that it wasn't doing much except clunking in the mounts.
So I tried a few things today.
I tightened the wheel bearings up. The driver's side had a little more play than it should have. Same death wobble on this test drive.
Then I dropped the tire pressure to 30 psi and made sure all 4 were the same. A tiny bit better, but still very bad DW on this drive. Seemed to do ok accelerating, but braking it went bananas.
Then I pulled the panhard bar. Bolts were very, very tight. Took PB Blaster and an extension bar to break them loose. The bushings look ok. A new adjustable panhard is on the way. Could the 1" extra length be causing the panhard to behave differently? the mounting holes for the panhard are in good shape and not ovaled out at all. Used my phone to take photos up and around the mount and the steering box. No cracks visible.
I tried to get a reading across the top of the knuckle bolts on level ground - I'm showing about 3 degrees (roughly) of caster. I'm wondering if the 5" arms might have been the better choice? A buddy suggests I shoot for 5-6 degrees of caster. He is a Jeep guy and I'm not sure it applies to these Toyotas.
Next step if the new panhard is no help is to check the kingpins?? - these were replaced with OEM parts when the knuckles were done not many miles ago. When I rock the wheels top and bottom there is nothing indicating any looseness in the trunnions, but it might be something.
I tightened the wheel bearings up. The driver's side had a little more play than it should have. Same death wobble on this test drive.
Then I dropped the tire pressure to 30 psi and made sure all 4 were the same. A tiny bit better, but still very bad DW on this drive. Seemed to do ok accelerating, but braking it went bananas.
Then I pulled the panhard bar. Bolts were very, very tight. Took PB Blaster and an extension bar to break them loose. The bushings look ok. A new adjustable panhard is on the way. Could the 1" extra length be causing the panhard to behave differently? the mounting holes for the panhard are in good shape and not ovaled out at all. Used my phone to take photos up and around the mount and the steering box. No cracks visible.
I tried to get a reading across the top of the knuckle bolts on level ground - I'm showing about 3 degrees (roughly) of caster. I'm wondering if the 5" arms might have been the better choice? A buddy suggests I shoot for 5-6 degrees of caster. He is a Jeep guy and I'm not sure it applies to these Toyotas.
Next step if the new panhard is no help is to check the kingpins?? - these were replaced with OEM parts when the knuckles were done not many miles ago. When I rock the wheels top and bottom there is nothing indicating any looseness in the trunnions, but it might be something.
Moving the axle forward doesn’t affect it.
To check the bushings you need to stick a big screwdriver in them and twist them over. There should be no cracks in them when just looking at them.
Check the panhard mount at the frame for cracks.
To check the bushings you need to stick a big screwdriver in them and twist them over. There should be no cracks in them when just looking at them.
Check the panhard mount at the frame for cracks.
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Both of my 3" and 4" lift 80s has the 3 arm and the 3L arms.
Casters are within 3 and 3.5
Casters are within 3 and 3.5
You’re definitely going to need a DC shaft. Haven’t met a Delta arm truck that didn’t. Your pinion yoke appears on to be basically pointing at the TCase. Not running a DC shaft will cause vibrations, but shouldn’t cause death wobble.
Hard to justify the cost and hassle of Delta arms + DC shaft if your 80 was fine before.
Could be easy to add a bit of toe-in (turn tie rod) and see if it makes a difference - but it shouldn’t have changed much at all with only caster changing.
Hard to justify the cost and hassle of Delta arms + DC shaft if your 80 was fine before.
Could be easy to add a bit of toe-in (turn tie rod) and see if it makes a difference - but it shouldn’t have changed much at all with only caster changing.
Me....
3" lift with Dellta 3 arms snd stock OEM front and rear drivevshaft. No vibration!
Pic below is the 3L on 4" lift w/37s on stock OEM front and rear drive shafts. No vibrations !
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Delta 3L arms, with 2.5" of lift..without a front DC driveshaft, and not a single vibration up to 90 mph, the fastest I have driven my truck.
It's not the arms. The arms just exposed an issue with the front end.
It's not the arms. The arms just exposed an issue with the front end.
IMO the driveshaft has nothing to do with the death wobble.
I also have the 3L radius arms, ~3.5" lift, and stock driveshafts w/o death wobble. I did add a 3/4" spacer to my front driveshaft, which it looks like @efjayatee did as well. But I put several hundred trouble-free miles on mine before I added the spacer, so I wouldn't think that's the issue.
This "the knuckles were done not many miles ago" seems like a good place to look.
This "the knuckles were done not many miles ago" seems like a good place to look.
I agree usually it doesn’t. But this owners death wobble may in fact be drive shaft.
The arms are the only thing he touched.
No death wobble with old arms.
In his diagnostic work flow, pulling the front shaft is the next easy/free thing to do to rule it out.
Ok, I double down there's no way the DS is causing the death wobble
Ok, I double down there's no way the DS is causing the death wobble
What do you think it is?
The panhard bushings ? It would have been nice to see pictures of them when he had them out.
What do you think it is?