steering shimmy
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From: victoria
steering shimmy
ok ..I have new tires up front ..balanced ..lug nut's are all there and tight ..all the bolts are tight ..tie rods drag link are good and greased ..at about 30 to 35 miles an hour ..it will sometimes start to shudder the steering will hammer left and right ....hitting the brakes or driving left and right ,,hard ..will stop the shudder ..what am I missing ?? oh ,,and yah this is a Marmon 4X4 with the stock front end nothing is loose ..that I can find ..and because of the stock wheels ,,no one will touch it ..so I have to learn how to fix this myself ..any idea's??
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: South central, Minnesota
I'm not familiar with the front diff in your truck. But have you checked the ball joints or king pins ( which ever it has ) . And how about the front leaf spring bushings?
What you are describing is what's commonly called "death wobble".
What you are describing is what's commonly called "death wobble".
More Turbo
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: south-central PA
ok ..I have new tires up front ..balanced ..lug nut's are all there and tight ..all the bolts are tight ..tie rods drag link are good and greased ..at about 30 to 35 miles an hour ..it will sometimes start to shudder the steering will hammer left and right ....hitting the brakes or driving left and right ,,hard ..will stop the shudder ..what am I missing ?? oh ,,and yah this is a Marmon 4X4 with the stock front end nothing is loose ..that I can find ..and because of the stock wheels ,,no one will touch it ..so I have to learn how to fix this myself ..any idea's??
It can be everything you checked or alittle of all combined. I've found it's a type of occilation that feeds upon itself, usually started when specific conditions are met.
I've found the kinkpins (or balljoint) preload (rotation resistance) along with the steering caster angle are major factors. I'm not familiar with your exact front axle. is it full time 4x4 (does it have hubs?) adding more caster can create unwanted driveshaft vibrations.
if you could post a picture from the side with a wheel off, it would help explain/understand.
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this is where you call chuck! mine will do the same thing every now and then--but--it's a different axle up front. most of mine is from old tires. make sure your brakes are evenly adjusted, and that one is not "dragging" just a touch.
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From: victoria
thank's .. I will check the brake ajustment ..try the picture thing ..preload resistance ??the wobble does not get worse with speed .. just as violent at 20 miles and hour and not every trip ...a run down the road can be totally uneventfull or one wobble after another ..there is a friction stabalizer on the steering can it be ajusted ??
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From: Kalamazoo MI
I had a problem in my 54 (non 4x4 of course) when I would hit 40-55 mph I would have a shudder that I always attributed to steering but after checking everything out I found the problem. I would brake/turn and the vibration would go away. Of course I didn't realize braking slows things done and turning would also change angle of tires, etc. I though maybe a rotor or brake pad was causing the problem. I checked the wheel bearing hubs. Nothing. And then....
I had the driveshaft balanced and got rid of wheel weights and went to stainless steel tire beads. It took my vibration at certain speeds right away. My F250 has a driveshaft mounted e-brake drum and at speed the out-of-balanced shaft caused issues with that. The wheels/rims had enough oblong that they balanced fine on the spin-machine but when under load they would get out of balance. With the beads, it finds the right spot and made a world of difference. Just my .02 and a different angle to check.
I had the driveshaft balanced and got rid of wheel weights and went to stainless steel tire beads. It took my vibration at certain speeds right away. My F250 has a driveshaft mounted e-brake drum and at speed the out-of-balanced shaft caused issues with that. The wheels/rims had enough oblong that they balanced fine on the spin-machine but when under load they would get out of balance. With the beads, it finds the right spot and made a world of difference. Just my .02 and a different angle to check.
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From: Northville, MI
I've found the kinkpins (or balljoint) preload (rotation resistance) along with the steering caster angle are major factors. I'm not familiar with your exact front axle. is it full time 4x4 (does it have hubs?) adding more caster can create unwanted driveshaft vibrations.
Refyred
Joined: Feb 2010
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From: Southern Nevada
Kenjh; I'm not familiar with the MH front ends. But I think 52F3 is on the mark. I had the same thing going on with my front end years ago and the dana 44f front axle calls for a 55-70 inch pound preload on the spindle arm bearings (king pin bearings) measured from one of the bearing cap nuts. When I checked mine there was no preload (spindle turned very easy). After replacing the bearings I used shims over the studs between the cap and spindle arm to adjust the preload. This cured my wobbles.
Good luck in your quest.
Good luck in your quest.
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