Hello

Death wobble, wandering steering, both are common question and asked many times. But I don`t find any direct answer to my problem.

I have bone stock 2000 f250 4x4 with 160k miles. I do have this nasty steering problem coming back again. Truck start to wandering side to side slowly. Sometime when just keep driving it will go away, but this is rare. Mostly i do stop and reverse and turn steering wheel side to side and that will fix it. Some days i can go 10miles and hit some bumb, brake and turn same time and it will come back. Some times i can feel something move in steering wheel before it start to wander. I try to put some wd 40 to front axle ujoints, maybe it helps, cant say.

Last summer did have this problem right after installing new tires. I thought it was the new tires so just keep driving. Well wondering did go bad to worst. And it was not slowly side to side, it did shake and turn side to side fast, hard to even keep hand on driving wheel. Original locking hub did lock/engage by it self. Passenger side lock was broke in pieces. Also dirver side axle saft did have some loose so i replace new stub axle, seals, ujoint to driver side and Warn premium manual locks. That did it, no more wandering untill now. And i did not drive ford much after that cos i did have problem with engine.

Good thing is that it go side to side slowly, winter time and icy roads are dangerous when it start to wandering, even in low speed.

 

Jack the front wheels up. Grab the tire at 3 and 9 o'clock and see if there is any play. Do the same thing by grabbing the same tire at 12 and 6 o'clock. Then do the same for the other front tire. Have you ever had the front end rebuilt...tie rods, ball joints, track bar, etc.?

 

Thank you, I will do that.
I have replace steering gearbox,sway bar bushings 2012, Front hubs + balljoints 2016. Driverside stub saft, seals, wheel bearing (again), ujoint , warn premium locking hubs 2017.
Tie rods are still same.. How much there can be movement? What about steering dampers? In here they do vehicle inspection(not sure is it same in Usa?). Inspector told last fall that every thing is ok.
here is sample from vehicle inspection. Every year 3 year and older cars, including heavyweight class, from small cars to semi trucks and trailers need to inspect.
In 2min 22sec you can see how they "wiggle" test axle and balljoints. But this is not bulletproof inspect, but it is quite good.

 

A number of things could be the cause. Or a combination of things. Ball joints, tie rod ends, steering box, froze up u-joints in the front axle, sway bar, drag link, pitman arm. Any of them could cause your issue.

 

Also, what about the tires?

 

never wanted to think it would be combination of many things. Drag link, tie rods are +730€ that would be bad.... But that make sense.. After i have replace u-joint to passenger side i know better. Cant say when this happen, parts are on they way. Can 1 bad u-joint cause wandering? When i rotate front drive shaft passenger side spins easy. I can spin passenger side with my bare hand, but driver side need more push to move, easier with some bar or screwdriver. Is this normal? Driver side was the one that have new u-joint and stub shaft.

Also can please some one say how much is too much play in joints? i mean balljoints, tierods, drag link.
Tires are Nokia lt2 hakkapeliitta spike tires, from 2013. Summer time i use Toyo.

 

I don't know how much is too much. Before you go buying parts, you need to check everything out and see what is bad.

 

Forget to tell that in my case problem was u-joint. New u-joint in place and now more wandering.

 

I would take it to a competent shop that has the right equipment to check the wheel alignment and explain them the problem.

My 99 F-350 4x4 (with 215,000 miles on it) had excess slack in the steering "gear box" which I was able to easily readjust.

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