">So I went to take the trash out the other day and my 1990 2wd, 4.9, 235/75/15, no lift, "joe six pack" f-150 was shaking as if it were about to fall apart.
I couldn't hold onto the wheel over 30 mph it was shaking so bad, it also was strongly pulling to the right and takes a dive when making a right hand turn. I don't remember hitting any giant potholes and the wheels still have their wheel weights on. I'm not even a shadetree mechanic at best, So i'd like to get a second opinion on some things.

So i pulled and prodded, lifted her up to check to see if it was a wheel bearing and all seemed tight, so i put the wheel back on and set her on the ground. I poked a prodded some more, but really couldn't find anything wrong. I slept on it and then next day i went out and when I tried twisting on the tie rod, it had a surprising amount of free play in it.

Just gripped the tie rod and twisted like a motorcycle throttle and it rocks back and forth where the tie rod meets the steering knuckle at both ends and the middle.

I tried the same thing (twisting tie rod) on my buddys Jeep wrangler and although his setup is different (he has a steering stabilizer shock thingie) and his tie rods also rocked back and forth, although not as much as mine.

I've got a 20 year old truck, so i expect to drop some money fixing this issue, I've priced some TRW tie rods (lifetime replacement) and TRW seems like a good deal, I just can't afford the moogs right now. I do plan on using a tie rod puller and not a pickle fork if i can help it.

Anybody have any suggestions for the Death wobble or TRW tie rod parts?

 

Yup, sounds like one or more of your tie rods are worn out. If you plan on keeping and driving this truck for years to come, I would recommend replacing all 4 pieces, along with both adjusters. If one has gone bad, figure on the rest of them goin south soon as well.I prefer moog for my chassis stuff, I believe TRW is made overseas.

 

cool, thanks for the heads up blue rebel.

 

Twisting a tie rod, by itself, determines nothing. The tie rods had better twist! The joint on each end of a tie rod is a ball-and-socket type of joint. It has to be. As each wheel assembly moves up and down, the angle from the tie rod attachment point on the steering knuckle, to the other end of the tie rod, changes. The tie rod joints, particularly the outer, have to sweep through any angle any position.

A good way to test steering linkage looseness is to park on a paved surface, wheels straight ahead. Have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth a bit, engine OFF, key to column UNLOCK. As they rock the play back and forth, start by looking at the steering gear box, that the housing doesn't move. Then look at the Pitmann Arm vs. the next joint. Work out to one wheel, then do out to the other wheel. You are looking to see if there is a joint where the steering wheel side of the joint is moving, and the other side of the joint is moving very little in relation to it.

If the person rocking the steering wheel rocks so much that you can see the knuckles turn back and forth a bit, the flex taken up by the tires sidewall flex, that is too much rocking. The person underneath needs to tell the helper behind the wheel to rock more, rock less, etc.

Sometimes no helper was available, did it myself with a rope tied around steering wheel, and pulled rope in bursts, building up a rhythm. Its easier with a helper, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

It could very well BE a badly worn tie rod end... but twisting it tells nothing.

MOOG

 

Ok, I hated to leave you guys hanging on the edge of your seats, lol. I finally got a friend to help me with the death wobble issue. It turned out to be one of the tires and not from the side that the issue seemed to be coming from.

we simply observed the front wheels while in motion and sure enough the tire had separated some on the inside, gonna need a new tire, but it better than having to tear apart the front end.

Thanks guys!