Can a bad ball joint on a drag link cause death wobble?

black'n'blue · Nov 28, 2014

Put a 6" radius arm lift on my 05 and all of a sudden got death wobble after 700miles. Re-torque and everything was good. That is the only play I found in the front end

ChattyCathy · Nov 28, 2014

I had a blown stabalizer shock cause death.

black'n'blue · Nov 29, 2014

I think I will replace that and the drag link. Not sure if that will fix it though. Poly bushings on the way for the track bar as we'll

Trqmnstr · Nov 29, 2014

ChattyCathy said:
I had a blown stabalizer shock cause death.

So you are posting from the afterlife?
Lol
the stabilizer shock wasnt the cause of the DW. They just mask it untill it gets bad enough that the shock cant hide it anymore.

Any worn steering or suspension parts can cause wobble. Improper suspension geometry can cause DW but will cause crazy tire wear patterns to so youd know if your set up needs tweaking. 700-1000 miles would start to show weird wear patterns on the front tires.

ChattyCathy · Dec 2, 2014

Trqmnstr said:
So you are posting from the afterlife?
Lol
the stabilizer shock wasnt the cause of the DW. They just mask it untill it gets bad enough that the shock cant hide it anymore.

Any worn steering or suspension parts can cause wobble. Improper suspension geometry can cause DW but will cause crazy tire wear patterns to so youd know if your set up needs tweaking. 700-1000 miles would start to show weird wear patterns on the front tires.

No, the shock did cause it, it happened many times over a few days and when it was replaced it stopped. That was the only part replaced or adjusted or changed.

Layson · Dec 2, 2014

There are some lift kits that when you install the lift kit and let the suspension hang that it will take out your track rod joint. It will put the joint at an angle that it can't handle. All it takes is just the slight amount of play and you have death wobble.

black'n'blue · Dec 2, 2014

I did let it hang but most off the time it was resting on the axle. I'll prob end up replacing that as well

Layson · Dec 2, 2014

Here is a great option.

black'n'blue · Jan 26, 2015

So I replaced the factory steering setup and track bar with a bulletproof steering system. Everything felt a lot tighter than before, but on the test drive, I hit a bump on the pass side and guess what....the damn truck was all over the road. What else should I replace? My buddy Frank (frankthetank on here) said upper and lower ball joints and possibly wheel bearings? Any thoughts?

Layson · Jan 26, 2015

Did you change the track rod joint?

black'n'blue · Jan 26, 2015

Totally new setup. Rod ends on both sides. All my drive angles are good

Layson · Jan 26, 2015

But you replaced the joint in the axle....

black'n'blue · Jan 26, 2015

Yes. But now it's not a ball joint, it's a heavy duty rod end

Layson · Jan 26, 2015

Can you post a picture of the setup?

black'n'blue · Jan 26, 2015

I don't have one right now with out on the truck but here is one of the new system. The track bar is the one with the single bend

Layson · Jan 26, 2015

Check your ball joints and wheel bearings. That is easy to rule out.

But I am betting it is what you just installed. Is the bumpsteer/death wobble worse or different then before?

black'n'blue · Jan 26, 2015

Same as before

black'n'blue · Jan 27, 2015

Layson said:
Check your ball joints and wheel bearings. That is easy to rule out.

But I am betting it is what you just installed. Is the bumpsteer/death wobble worse or different then before?

Why do you say that?

Layson · Jan 27, 2015

black'n'blue said:
Why do you say that?

So you just bolt that joint on the end of the track rod into the axle? There is no track rod joint mounted in the axle at all? If you are still using the same track rod joint that is in the axle then you would have the same before and after issues. The size of those joints in that kit look really small for a full size truck.

Take some pictures, do the basics. jack up the truck and check your wheel bearings and ball joints. Then lower the truck down and have someone turn the steering wheel while you watch the front axle and see if anything moves.

black'n'blue · Feb 1, 2015

Layson said:
So you just bolt that joint on the end of the track rod into the axle? There is no track rod joint mounted in the axle at all? If you are still using the same track rod joint that is in the axle then you would have the same before and after issues. The size of those joints in that kit look really small for a full size truck.

Take some pictures, do the basics. jack up the truck and check your wheel bearings and ball joints. Then lower the truck down and have someone turn the steering wheel while you watch the front axle and see if anything moves.

I did some more work this weekend and it felt pretty solid. Hit some nasty back roads with a lot of potholes to try to get some bump steer. Nothing so far.