Death wobble AGAIN!?

[Skinny]

Glad that things are getting better!

I will say it again but the damper really has nothing to do with DW. It prevents the creation of oscillation, really prevents it with oversized offset tires, but the steering on its own should not death wobble by itself with no damper present under pretty much all conditions. The damper just tends to mask components (including tires) that start DW prematurely. Usually most people don't find the DW till the damper is blown out and oscillation has chewed up a TRE or steering box...

 

[rlltide12]

Keith_J what are your M1031 specs? Lift? Tires? I looked around but was unable to find out about your truck.

 

[Keith_J]

Pure stock on rolling chassis, same BF Goodrich commercial TAs. Only shocks, steering damper, top bushings and springs on King pins replaced.

 

[rlltide12]

Hmmm. I retract my statement. With no lift and stock tires, the original design should work. I was under the assumption you were lifted. DW can only come from somewhere that has slack. In your case that is KP bushings or bearings, TREs, Drag Link ends, or steering box. I would also do quite the inspection on the frame surrounding the steering box. There are others but that is where i would check first. And i might junk the ord springs and find some NOS springs just to eliminate another variable. Being stock helps.

 

[dependable]

A follow up to my recent case; Swapping out the front tires got rid of the shake that probably caused the wobble in the first place. Goodby to another low mile set of General Ameri-550s that came on many of my GL wins. I notice that all four on this truck had a lot of tire weights bunched up, leading me to believe the tires are not that balanced or the installer not that good. Cold weather probably makes tire condition worse. I would try to rebalance, but they have a little rot, so will not bother.

Other times my trucks with death wobble have had good tires, and the wobble was initiated by hitting bump or pothole. In this case, truck is going down the road smoothly, and the worn condition on front end components is exposed when oscillation gets going due to impact.

 

[cucvrus]

When I have this issue I just replace everything. I used AZ lifetime parts so when it happens it is a freebie to replace. That is a $200+ savings. I have not had to deal with it on the M1028A1 since 2001. They last and are worth starting over with new. Brakes and rotors have fixed it also on other trucks. Along with the steering box adjustment. Even tight outer u joints can cause this to happen. The list goes on and on. Replacing the old dry worn parts in the key. Get everything new and greaseable.

 

[OldLeatherneck]

Where did you buy the new springs and upper bushings ? ORD ?? They sell junk.

I just spent 15 minutes writing a post, and got timed out, forced logoff before I could post. So here's the short version. What does this mean "They sell junk"?

I was within 2 -3 weeks of spending 2K$ on parts with ORD for all of the "steering gear", crossover steering, lift kits, etc.

 

[rlltide12]

I wouldnt call their stuff junk by any means. Maybe not worth the prices they ask but to each his own. But no matter how much you attempt to improve the spring design, it is just inherently not good when you mix it with large tires. As stated in my previous post, my suggestion when doing crossover steering, go springless and save yourself the headache.

 

[Skinny]

I've had great luck with ORD parts and service.

 

[Dylan215]

Well, please let us know what you find out. Have fixed 3 CUCVs with the wobble, and have encountered problems I listed above, no doubt there could be other factors.

The 1008 I've been driving this winter just got it bad a few days ago. The back is full of ice and a pallet of frozen compost (snow ballast) so I just switched to another truck until I get to this one. Got to fix it on the frozen slab outside or flood my shop with melted snow if I can't chip & shovel it out some. I'll let you know what I find out, plan to fix it this weekend.

Hey how hard is it to do the kingpin bushing?

 

[dependable]

Pretty straightforward if you have decent tools and follow the directions. Make sure you block the side you are working on well, with wood blocks or very good commercial jack stands.

 

[Dylan215]

Pretty straightforward if you have decent tools and follow the directions. Make sure you block the side you are working on well, with wood blocks or very good commercial jack stands.

Ok thanks never done it before but have lots of tools and lift if necessary. Just trying to get a feel of what is in store for me. Fairly knowledgeable mechanically but never owned a cucv before. Good friend said they were difficult to do the kingpin

 

[CUCVLOVER]

You can try YouTube for some help.

There is bids for everything.

 

[Chaski]

Hey how hard is it to do the kingpin bushing?

It is easy to replace the springs and bushings. No special tools needed, just support the front of your rig safely and remove the tires and wheels. Remove the cap from the passenger side and the draglink arm from the drivers side (they will be under spring tension, loosten the bolts evenly to remove stored energy).

Now the kingpins themselves require a good 7/8" Allen key or socket, and the Dana 60 spindle nut socket. Also a nice 10-12" long section of 3/4" round stock is handy for beating out the bearings. There are videos of guys using porta-powers to press out the bearing, which is needed if you don't remove the kingpins. I just remove the kingpins then place the bar stock through the threaded hole in the knuckle as a guide and then beat the daylights out of it with a 2# hammer.

 

[Dylan215]

You can try YouTube for some help.

There is bids for everything.

Is it the same part for a regular k30? How hard is the part to get?