Death wobble

[fnny6770]

I have a 1980 GMC one ton dually k30 is what it's called I guess, it has a standard 4-speed transmission with a 454 engine it developed a death wobble a while ago when my son had it, my son said he changed the stabilizer shock and that fixed it but only for a while and now it is back, the truck's been sitting for quite a while I haven't driven it yet but I'm going to here soon, where should I look first and what should I be looking for?

 

[legopnuematic]

Being a K30 it should have a Dana 60 kingpin front.

Check the tie rods and drag link for play, also check for play at the kingpins, they have springs that might need replacement/or shimmed to provide the appropriate preload.

@idahovette and @bucket among others should be able to spew into more details on those adjustments and other alignment details.

 

[nvrenuf]

Death wobble is the result of bad parts, period. The steering stabilizer is just a band aid to control / hide the symptoms. You need to check all of the front end parts for excessive wear. As stated, the king pins should be one of the first things checked but if they are good move on to the steering and even leaf spring bushings (don't forget the front spring rear upper bushings).

 

[Beast496]

As already stated, the steering stabilizer will only hide a problem. In reality, you should be able to completely take off your steering stabilizer, front sway bar, and drive it down the road just fine with zero issues, true and tight. If not, then it'll be easier to pinpoint your problem.

 

[SquareRoot]

Death wobble is the result of bad parts, period. The steering stabilizer is just a band aid to control / hide the symptoms. You need to check all of the front end parts for excessive wear. As stated, the king pins should be one of the first things checked but if they are good move on to the steering and even leaf spring bushings (don't forget the front spring rear upper bushings).

I drove a brand new 2010 F250 work truck. It had death wobble as did a few other "brand new" work trucks at the time. If it was due to bad parts, they were brand new bad parts.

 

[nvrenuf]

I drove a brand new 2010 F250 work truck. It had death wobble as did a few other "brand new" work trucks at the time. If it was due to bad parts, they were brand new bad parts.

Defective parts happen as well as damage during installation.

I left it out of my previous post but improper alignment can cause DW as well.

 

[fnny6770]

I just did a few tests there's play in the pit and arm connection there's play in the rod that goes from the right side all the way to the left side and I'm thinking there might be play in the driver's ball joints, the passenger side seem to be tight, or tighter than the driver's side but all the play is in the driver's side. So it looks like a front end rebuild is in order.

 

[bucket]

This reminds me, I need to revisit my kingpin situation. It's drove well ever since I shimmed the kingpin springs and I keep forgetting to look into it further.

 

[Sad Sack]

Inspect the Drag Link / Center Link.

 

[fnny6770]

I just did a few tests there's play in the pit and arm connection there's play in the rod that goes from the right side all the way to the left side and I'm thinking there might be play in the driver's ball joints, the passenger side seem to be tight, or tighter than the driver's side but all the play is in the driver's side. So it looks like a front end rebuild is in order.

 

[Broken85]

Have someone move the steering back and forth in small turns while you are under there looking at the joints. Look at all of the joints to see which ones have movement in them. There should be NO give in a good component on a good front end, all the components should start to move when you move the wheel. You can usually find bad tie rod ends, pitman arms or steering boxes checking this way.

Then jack up the front end, grab the top of the tire and try to wiggle it. Again, there should be NO movement. If anything jiggles, something is worn out and you have to find it. Have someone else shake the tire while you look for were the jiggle is coming from. This test usually tells you if have a bad upper or lower ball joint.

 

[Grit dog]

I drove a brand new 2010 F250 work truck. It had death wobble as did a few other "brand new" work trucks at the time. If it was due to bad parts, they were brand new bad parts.

Yeah that era of Sooper Doodys had some bad juju in some of the front ends. I recall 2 cases of DW just in our local fleet of “new” 08-10 Sooper Doodoos. Like less than a couple yrs old trucks.
Caster plays a large part in controlling DW too. Not sure if that was the issue on the Ferds but could be.

 

[Bextreme04]

I drove a brand new 2010 F250 work truck. It had death wobble as did a few other "brand new" work trucks at the time. If it was due to bad parts, they were brand new bad parts.

The ford suspension geometry is well known to be prone to this even with brand new equipment. The entire steering will get vague and wobbly with a bad steering stabilizer on them. I guess the comment should have been that a chevrolet will only have death wobble due to worn/bad parts.

Lift up the front suspension and see if you can move the tire up/down or left/right by hand. If it wobbles back and forth in any direction while the tire is up in the air... you found your problem. I bet the king pins are worn or out of adjustment.

 

[CalSgt]

Not sure if the K30 frame is as weak as the K10 frame but if you've experienced some violent death wobble I'd check the frame for cracks at the steering box.

More for damage from the death wobble as opposed to the cause of the death wobble, although a bad enough frame break could contribute to the problem.

I've battled death wobble in my jeep several times and have discovered not to overlook "New" parts when searching for problems. I've had parts I had already replaced trying to solve the issue get destroyed quickly as a few death wobble occurrences were enough to wreck the parts I just installed.

 

[Jawzjeep]

These guys all covered it pretty much. I just put a 60 in mine with all brand new parts in the axle and it drives fine with zero death wobble at any speed. It drove perfect without a steering stabilizer. Jack up your axle and see if the knuckle drops a little bit or if there's play in your kingpins