Update. I just realized that I probably committed a common sin here and that is when you finally fix the issue, tell the others what did the trick so my apologies and here goes:

Took it to the first shop. They replaced the stabilizer bar and shock. (They reportedly had rotated the tires - more on this later) Did not fix the problem.
Took it to the second shop - an off-road suspension shop (no aftermarket suspension on the vehicle). They replaced both of the front shocks but the shop owner was not very hopeful as to it fixing the issue. Did not fix the problem.
Took it to the dealer. After taking it for the obligatory test drive and recreating the issue they reported that the stabilizer bar bearing needed to be replaced. This seems to have fixed the issue. I rotated the tires because I was able to document that they had not been rotated when I was told they were.

It's been 5 months now since this issue and all seems good. I'm of the opinion that it was a combination of issues but the one common factor that really seemed to be the most important one is the stabilizer bar bearing. That's where the play was originating from.

If I have to deal with this again, that's where I start. If you don't have beefed-up suspension parts and you're pretty much stock like I am, start where the connections are made and play is likely. As always, regular maintenance seems like it'll keep the wobble at bay.

Hope that helps.

Chuck

 

I have experienced the death wobble on a 99, but I knew what was causing it was the steering rack. It started after I replaced the steering rack, rebuilt Napa (I will never use Napa rebuild parts again, every rebuilt part brake calibers, power steering pump and the steering rack, failed just over a year of use). The problem would occur at about 70 if you hit a bump in the road, steering starts vibrating, slowing down did seem to stop it and it worked fine around town or driving at less the 70mph.
I believe some of the death wobble issues may have to do with the steering box or power steering pump. Internal hydraulic leaks can cause strange problems, the fluid in most power steering units is over 1000 pounds of pressure. The leak may not be visible and internal, causing the fluid to leak into areas of the steering system it was not designed to go to.

 

Chuck,


When you state "stabilizer bar bearing", are you referring to the track bar bushing where the track bar mounts to the frame? Or the ball joint where the track bar mounts to the axle? Or something else entirely?


Thanks.

 

Hey guys. I can only give you my experience on my 2005 F-350, 6.0L which seemed to do it the most. And really, I mean twice only. Because I had a lift in it and I expected parts to get worn quicker, and they did. I would check/service regularly and when I say that I mean religiously! I had good shocks all around and dual stabilizers up front. As soon as I noticed any loose ball joints, too much clearance on pan hard bar, track bar, etc, I would replace immediately. I do think it's a problem with a combination of even the slightest worn parts to contribute to death wobble. In my world with all my trucks being lifted we thought the magnitude of death wobble gets greater with bigger lifts, tires and so on, so we played close attention to tight tolerances of all related to the front end suspension. I would replace parts quite regularly. It was costly but I never had a problem and I mean never. It worked for us. Now I have a '12 6.7L with a lift also. Never had death wobble yet, but I'm waiting for it, kind of lol. The only part that has been wearing excessively is the pan hard bar because of the angle. I've replaced that three times now in about 100,000 miles, replaced the dual front Fox stabilizers once and rebuilt the front shocks. The ball joints surprisingly are holding up quite well. So far this is working. Hope this helps. I know death wobble is brutal!. Good luck.

 

Sorry, I meant to say drag link, not pan hard bar to be precise on the 2012.

 

2008 Ford F250 4x4, no lift and highway tires. 147000 miles. Hopefully this will help someone. Truck developed rather nasty death wobble occasionally after going over pot hole at around 50-60 mph. Steering started to feel a little loose. SOLUTION FOR MY TRUCK: Jacked up front end and tried to wiggle tires to inspect for play in steering, nothing felt. I figured it was the steering stabilizer and purchased a Bilstein replacement. That replacement did nothing to stop it. I then had my son sit in truck and start turning the steering wheel left and right while I inspected steering components. Really couldn't detect any wear or play. At that point I decided to replace the TRACK BAR BUSHING, which I ordered on Amazon for $8.00. I went to replace the bushing (not an easy task). I used a two arm gear puller to remove old bushing. The old bushing was completely shot. The rubber had separated from the metal. I had to use a Sawzall to cut the outer metal sleeve out, as it just wouldn't come off any other way. Be careful not to cut into track bar. Putting the new bushing in was a bear! I used a socket which was same size as bushing and the gear puller to install. This is the "improvised" way to do it, but I didn't want to purchase a press. The bushing fixed the death wobble and tightened the steering. Took about 2-3 hours. Had to pull drivers side wheel to access bolts with breaker bar and extension. Had to drop sway bar (I replaced those bushings as well, but they were still in good condition). Hope thios helps.

 

Congrats on the petite girlfriend! I'm battling DW on my 40k mile 2010 F-350 SRW myself.

 

I've seen folks change ball joints on these trucks because they saw movement during inspection....only to find the replacement ball joints had MORE movement that the ones they took out. You need to be putting genuine Motorcraft in these trucks...

 

Did we ever determine if "stabilizer bar" is also called the "track bar"? My 2013 F250 just started the wobble last week. I had new Rancho RS9000XL shocks installed on the front yesterday and thought I might have solved the problem but the wobble happened again today.

I'm taking it to to the dealer tomorrow and have the steering damper replaced (with Ford OEM damper) and see if that solves the problem.

I have heard other people say the track bar bushing was the problem - I'm going the have the Ford techs check out the track bar when I'm there.

Any info on track bars and the wobble would be welcomed.

Thanx.

 

It was absolutely the track bar bushing on mine. I replaced it myself three years ago and no death wobble since. I could not determine it was bad, until I pulled it. My truck is 4 x 4. Not sure that matters. I believe these forums are how I determined what the issue was.

 

I've honestly never heard of death wobble on a 2WD Super Duty.

I did experience death wobble on a 1956 F-100 2WD, but that truck had a straight front axle, not to mention the steering box had a crack in the case.

 

OK, drove the truck with the new steering damper in place - made it a point to travel the same roadways where I had the recent death wobble episodes. 'Didn't get the death wobble but, I could feel some rattling in the steering like that which would precede a full blown death wobble. So, I'm going to get the track bar bushing and ball joint replaced - or have the whole track bar replaced, whichever is the best procedure at the shop.

The various videos I have seen about track bar replacement don't mention having to do a front end alignment after the replacement. Does track bar replacement affect the steering alignment?

 

I had some death wobble on my E350 4x4. Would shell out the steering stabilizer in about 1500 miles. Everything was tight, so I added hydro assist to it, and the death wobble is gone. Cost me less than 200$ to do it.

 

I did not have my front end realigned
. Just replaced the bushing.

 

The track bar can be thought of as the panhard rod that locates the axle under the truck.

The stabilizer bar can be thought of as the anti sway bar that reduces body roll when cornering.

The tie rod bar can be thought of as the steering linkage that turns the wheels at the behest of the steering gear, usually by way of a pitman arm.

Getting back to the track bar... without it, the axle can bounce around left right and center, without being laterally located under the truck.

The radius arms, behind the axle, will locate the axle on the longitudinal axis of the truck. But that arrangement alone isn't strong enough to also locate the axle laterally, relative to the truck. That is why a pan hard rod, or a track bar, is needed. To keep the front axle on track.



The length of the track bar determines the location of the axle laterally, relative to the truck, and this location slightly changes contingent upon the extension or compression of the springs, since the track bar is a fixed length arm.

The two end points of this fixed length arm that we are calling a track bar define a radius. One end point of the track bar is attached to the truck frame. We will call that the center of a large imaginary circle, on a vertical plane, parallel to the axle, transverse to the truck.

Since the radius of this imaginary vertical circle is the length of the track bar, the opposite end point of the track bar away from the center of this circle is going to follow a curve linear path as it bobs up and down from suspension movement, following the circumference of the imaginary circle on the vertical plane.

The bigger the circle, the less the the axle and front end will realize that it is bobbing up and down in a curvilinear arc. Perhaps that is why people once believed that the Earth was flat... because the circle of the globe is so big... the small area which any given person can see with their own eyes appears flat (hills notwithstanding).

Big circles have longer radii than small circles, so the longer the track bar, the bigger the circle, and the less significant the arc travel is between full jounce and full rebound of the suspension. Hence, track bars tend to be as long as possible, going from the driver's side frame to an anchor point on the passenger end of the axle (in Fords).

The optimal track bar length is established at a ride height midway between full jounce and rebound of the suspension... or the height where the truck is anticipated to operate most of the time as it wiggles and jiggles down the road.

A longer track bar will shift the axle laterally toward the passenger side.

A shorter track bar will shift the axle laterally toward the driver's side.

Either of these scenarios will introduce strain and wear on the radius arm bushings, and affect tracking and steering.

If the track bar replaced is EXACTLY the same length as the track bar removed, then in theory, there would not be an influence on alignment.

But in practice, if the old track bar is being replaced due to being worn out, with wallowed out end points, and the truck was previously aligned with a track bar having worn out, wallowed out end points, then the new track bar will have a tighter tolerance distance between end points than the broader range of random distances afforded by the looseness of the old track bar.

Hence, it might be beneficial to get a new alignment after all the front end work is completed.