Bad Shimmy

[Bob Kennedy]

I had something unusual happen last weekend. I was towing the fifth wheel.(2008 Dodge quad cap 4x4, 2008 31rkle) When crossing the rail road tracks going around 55 mph. It felt like all four of my truck wheels were loose and going to fall off. I stopped to check things and every looked fine. Went on down the road and had no problems.
Do you think since the rail road tracks were at and angel this caused the truck wheels to shimmy?

[dfredendall]

This sounds like a front wheel alignment issue. The truck's alignment changes when you hook up the trailer. Camber and Caster adjustments change, which lead to shimmy if the adjustments are way off. Take it to a good frame/alignment shop specializing in trucks. They will check it with trailer and without, and should compensate for the variance. Does the Dodge have a steering dampener (shock absorber on the tie rod)? If that is worn out it can also lead to shimmy on some vehicles if so equipped.

[Bob Kennedy]

The truck was fine after I stopped, after crossing the railroad tracks. It drove OK the rest of the way home. It drove fine on the way to work today without towing the fiftwheel trailer.

[BMullins46]

I had the same problem with a Dodge about 37 years ago. When I took in to the dealer they finally diagnosed the problem as being a badly out of balance left front tire. I'm not convenced that was the problem. I'd suggest the front end alignment plus having the frame checked. I know it sure was scarey when it happened.
Good luck on solving this.
Bill

[Mike Clay]

Dodge use to have that problem a lot in like 94 but for the life of me cant remember what it was

[TwoFeds]

It's called the Death Wobble. We have our Dodge in right now for the problem. When we are traveling over 50 and hit even a little bump, the whole truck bounces around so bad we have to slow down to almost stopped before it quits. If you aren't wearing a seatbelt, you'd probably hit the top of the truck. Hopefully, they get it fixed this time. There are quite a few Dodge forums that discuss this problem.

[Mike Clay]

Thought they would have had the death wobble fixed by now they were having problems up through 2004 then did not hear about it as much since. Never had it on any of my 5 Dodges but lots of people did. Lots of things can cause the problem out of line, bad front end parts, tire pressure and so on. I would take it in and have the dealer check it out.

[Bob Kennedy]

It's only happened to me once. I thought the front wheels where going to fall off the truck. But it seems to be working fine after I stopped and restarted.
I almost had to go back in the trailer and change my pants.
It's good to know other people had the same problem.
Death Wobble???

[Olbird]

I found this about Death Wobble

Can Adjustable Ball Joints Cure the Dreaded Wheel and Tire Shaking on Level Lifted Trucks?
If you own a Dodge heavy-duty truck, you’ve probably heard about the dreaded “death wobble”. It’s a phenomenon that seems to plague some Dodge trucks with leveling kits (any leveling kit) in place. Typically initiated when the truck crosses a bump or a rough patch of road at an angle (a railroad crossing, for instance), the front wheels begin to oscillate back and forth uncontrollably, and the only way to stop it is to bring the truck to a quick stop. The funny thing is, no one we talked to seemed to know exactly what causes it, and why it affects some trucks and not others. We even visited a local Dodge dealership and talked to the service manager about the problem. While he was aware of it (he’d even experienced it on his own truck!) he could not offer a solution.

While opinions on the subject still seem to vary depending on who you talk to, Randy Haflich, Revtek’s product manager, thinks he has found the solution: Adjustable upper ball joints (like this one from Northstar Manufacturing Co. part number 44-2497). By installing them, he says, he has found that death wobble goes away—but why?






“Wobble is usually caused by insufficient positive castor and/or variances in tolerance,” says Shawn Miller, research and development/tech support for Northstar. “When the front of the truck is lifted, the alignment angles can change slightly and can actually worsen the problem. Our ball stud has a very close tolerance and is offset, allowing adjustment of camber and castor.”

Further, Northstar’s ball joint can also help your alignment technician dial out the right hand pull that is common in lifted Dodges. “The steering will always pull to the side with the least amount of castor,” says Miller. “You can also tell if you have a castor problem when you turn a corner—if the wheel doesn’t come back to straight, you don’t have enough positive castor.” By adjusting the ball stud offset from side to side, he says, an alignment tech should be able to get rid of both pull and wobble.

We’ve also heard that pull can be caused by the type/size of tires you’re running, and that some brands pull worse than others. Miller acknowledges this, but says it’s easy to determine if the tires are at fault. First, check inflation pressures from side to side. If they’re equal, have the tires cross-rotated. If the problem goes away or gets better, the tires are likely the problem.

Northstar products are available at Advance Auto Parts Stores and Carquest parts stores, or call Northstar directly at (800-828-0255) for a distributor/retailer near you.

[TwoFeds]

Just wanted to report that our Dodge is "cured". The Dodge dealer said there were 2 recalls for this problem but they aren't sent out, just fixed if and when the truck has this problem and the customer brings the truck in. They installed a bar??? and it solved the problem and believe me we have driven over every spot that gave us problems.

[snoking]

2nd gen Dodge 4x4 had a lot of issues with the death wobble. More positive castor as pointed out helps. I cranked in some more myself. I also have a DSS steering box brace and a 3rd gen track bar conversion. Never had the death wobble. Chris

[BMullins46]

Glad you got your problem fixed. That uncontrolable bounce/shimmy is really scarey.