I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500, I put a 5" lift and 37" tires on it 2 weeks ago, when I got my truck back and when I hit 30mph it started shaking really bad and I was told it was death wobble. I bought a dual steering stabilizer for it and I took the tires to have them balanced but neither helped..I really need some advice on what to fix or some sort of clue to what may be doing it so I can know what to look at. When I start going down the road there is an awful popping noise comming from some part of my suspension and between 30 and 45mph it shakes so violently that I cant keep the truck on the road hardly and the bed of my truck looks like its gunna fall off. Please help me!!
Thanks, Ashley

 

sounds like worn out u-joints and/or a damaged/unbalanced driveshaft

 

awesome looking truck !

who put the lift on? a front end shop or somebody that really knew what they were doing ? or just somebody ? have you had them re-look at it and test drive it ?

you might want to do that first, to make sure everything is on right, and tight. you should also not be driving it with violent shaking, as somethings bad wrong.

if the installer can't figure it out, then take it to a front end shop for an evaluation. it might cost a 1/2 or hour of labor for them to check it out. if its something that the installer did wrong, then have them to write a report. either way, then figure out what you want to do next.

likely problems are track bar, ball joints, steering box, tie rods, wheel bearings, and/or alignment. front drive shaft only turns in 4wd, so its probably not that. also, if it didn't do this before, then its not axle u-joints.

 

Nice truck where ya from?


Sorry never experienced death wobble before so for the time being I can't give ya any answers

 

Thanks for the compliments on my truck. Im from NC. I was told earlier today I needed to check my track bar bushings, this wouldnt be such a pain if i knew more about it but I do the body work to vehicles not suspension or mechanical work, i know very little about it. The installer was the college auto tech teacher and he said things were fine with the lift..I refuse to drive my truck and I really hate to leave it in the driveway but the last mechanic i had look at it said $800 and he was gunna change a couple things, over 400 in labor after i looked up the prices of the parts he was going to put on..this really is the worse thing i have ever gone thru with my truck, its a great truck with a wonderful motor and tranny, just started doing this when i lifted it...

 

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/933950-post25.html

The slop in alignment that you can get away with in stock trim is greatly magnified when you add lift. So if all of the parts are in good condition, it's time to try getting a serious alignment rather than the usual "measures in spec so it's fine" malarkey.

 

We need specifics on the lift. What was done to achieve 5"? What components were used? I can only assume you still have the stock track bar at 5" since you were told to inspect the bushings. This could pose a problem, DW related or not.

DW can be cause by about anything in the geometry of the front suspension. There are three different types of DW: Speed induced, brake induced, and bump induced. Does it happen every time you hit 30mph, or just when you hit a bump? Sometimes it can be a combination of the types (for example it only occurs when you hit a bump at 30MPH with brake pressure applied).

You need to do a visual inspection first to look for anything out of the ordinary. Anything that is loose or has excessive play will cause a problem. Have someone shake the wheel back and forth while you watch for irregular movement in the sector shaft (steering box output), tie rod ends, and track bar in relation to the axle. Take a good look at the upper and lower control arm bushings for cracking and irregularities.

Next, you will need to raise the front wheels up. Grab the wheels at 3 and 9 o'clock to check for play in the hub assemblies, and at 6 and 12 o'clock for play in the ball joints.

Get out a manual and torque the control arms and track bar to factory specs. Something as simple as a loose LCA bolt can cause death wobble.

 

If longer control arms where not used, a 5 inch lift will throw the caster off enough to give you the death wobble also.

 

http://roughcountry.com/dodge_4wd_94-01_5.html
^^This is the lift I had installed on my truck.
It starts shaking everytime I hit 30mph and it eases up alot when I hit the brakes. As I said in the posting earlier, I dont know as much about all the suspension and so idk what to look for to be outta the ordinary. I know that a couple bushings are wore but im not sure exactly what bushings they are. I will post a picture later today of everything and then maybe everyone can get a better idea of what im talking about. Everything that didnt come with the lift is OEM stuff and I was not told what to upgrade or change when lifting my truck..

 

You definitely want to get rid of that track bar drop bracket and get an adjustable track bar.

Here's a diagram of the front suspension. This particular picture is of an XJ Cherokee, but everything is setup basically the same, just a little different.