Community Forums

telcoman · 08-21-2015, 09:10 AM

Anyone had it?

I just bought a 2007 5.9 to replace my 04 Chev (the one with injector issues) and then heard about this. The truck feels a lot more uncomfortable to drive than the chev with what feels like a tendency to oversteer & wander. I had a lot of front end components changed like ball joints and i have just installed the BD diesel steering box brace. that made a big difference, but driving a truck with a solid front axle over the chev is still a big difference.

I spend 5 months a year in an RV in Mexico and they do not sell diesel PU's there so the only engine i can be assured of being able to get worked on is Cummins. I spent last winter babying my dmax back to the US from Guadalajara with is smoking badly from bad injectors. I did 4 sets of those in 125K at $5000 a shot. 2 of the 4 sets wee covered under warranty.

Skip426 · 08-21-2015, 02:51 PM

There is a lot of info on the net & U tube videos , showing the problem.
If yours is a 4X4, I believe that's where the problem is.
I retired in July of 07, from a Dodge dealership and the, wobble problem had not become apparent by that time.
The component that did give a lot of grief on the 03>07 trucks was drive axle U joints, were yours checked when the ball joints were replaced?
If those joints bind at all then steering can be effected.

2 Stroker · 08-21-2015, 04:06 PM

I have an 06 Ford F350 4x4 just like this one but it drives great.
ford death wobble video - Bing Videos
2 stroker

jacwjames · 08-21-2015, 07:58 PM

I had to take my 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee in for a recall the first week of July.

When I was at the shop a big 2500 quad cab dodge pickup pulled in, the guy driving was an employee of mine from ~5 years ago. He was talking to the shop manager who then crawled up under the truck. After he came back up and was talking the guy I asked what was wrong. The problem was the death wobble, it happen to him 2 times over the weekend. He just bought the truck from the dealer, no warranty, and wanted to know what it would take to fix. The shop manager told him some the more common problems/fixes. Didn't really pay too much attention but it all had to do with the front steering linkages.

dons2346 · 08-21-2015, 11:53 PM

I haven't quite figured out what this post has to do with a Cummins motor.

telcoman · 08-22-2015, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip426

There is a lot of info on the net & U tube videos , showing the problem.
If yours is a 4X4, I believe that's where the problem is.
I retired in July of 07, from a Dodge dealership and the, wobble problem had not become apparent by that time.
The component that did give a lot of grief on the 03>07 trucks was drive axle U joints, were yours checked when the ball joints were replaced?
If those joints bind at all then steering can be effected.

Yes they replaced the u-joints as well.

montana4two · 08-22-2015, 07:30 AM

We have an 08 Dodge 3500 6.7 cummins. Got the notice saying we had the problem but when the dealer looked underneath, we already had the "corrected" parts in ours. Have it checked for safety would be our recommendation

telcoman · 08-22-2015, 10:55 PM

I had the BD diesel steering box brace put on. made the front end feel a lot tighter.

Nana25K · 08-23-2015, 08:48 AM

We owned a 2007 5.9 dually longbed crew cab. No 4x4. We had no issues at all. One tie rod (probable broke from hitting a huge hole) and both wheel bearings but that was after 100k miles. The truck drove beautifully

Triker56 · 08-23-2015, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dons2346

I haven't quite figured out what this post has to do with a Cummins motor.

OP was about Dodge PU with a 5.9L engine steering problem not a Cummins engine problem.

jimnkee · 08-23-2015, 05:09 PM

I have a motorhome and experienced the death wobble for the 1st time last month. I was on I-35W in North Fort Worth where road construction is going on, hit two rough spots really close to each other and wham - there goes the steering. It shook the motorhome so hard it opened one window. I braked to slow down, the wobble stopped and no other problems since then. I do have the front end stabilizer. My chassis is a Ford F53.

Jim Anderson
1997 Tropical
Jeep Liberty

telcoman · 08-23-2015, 10:41 PM

I am guessing this is related to it being a solid front end axle.

ka4bzz · 08-26-2015, 01:13 PM

Hi Guys....Bare with me as I am new and this is my first post.... I know personally of the Dodge Death Wobble. I am the 2nd owner of an 04.5 Dodge Ram 2500, 5.9 Cummins 326 hp, 610 ft/lbs torque, 4x4, crew cab, 8' bed. Unfortunately with the 48-re automatic transmission. I had the problem. It scared me to death the first time it happened. Below is what fixed it for me.

I bought the truck with 200k+ miles. Evidentially the previous owner did not do maintenance. Since my local Dodge Dealer was not helpful, I went to u-tube and found some helpful information. I wound up replacing both front shocks with the heaviest duty shock that I could find. My shocks were bad. I also replaced the steering damper shock. The tie rod ends and everything else seemed tight. The particular video that I saw on u tube and what I had gleaned from one of the Dodge Cummins forms told me to check the transverse bar (the bar that runs diagonally from the frame to the axle). I tried to move it by hand and it seemed okay but I put a pry bar on it and with very little pressure found movement where there should not be any... I put in the new plastic and stainless steel bushing, tightened everything up and it drove like a new truck. Nice and tight and no Death Wobble.This was the fix for my truck, yours might be different... I hope this helps.

Joe (Ka4bzz)

SilverBob · 08-26-2015, 01:39 PM

Excellent first post, Joe! Welcome to the forums.

From over 40 years of off-road racing and driving, I can promise you that the only cause of death wobble is one or more loose suspension components. The track-bar you refer to is probably the most common, followed by tie rods ends, ball joints, and drag link ends. Once in a great while, we'll find a damaged steering box to be at fault, as well. Replacing shocks, or dampers will only temporarily mask the problem.

As Joe mentioned, you can't just try to wiggle these things by hand. Joints that feel fine to the touch will move a long way when acted on by a 6K lb truck! A good suspension/alignment shop should know this already. Keeping everything tight and keeping your tires balanced will go a long way towards eliminating the DW problem.