I have a 2004 Ram 1500 4x4 with a bad steering wheel wobble when driving. It goes away after 100km/hr. I have been doing some reading on the forums that it could be rotors, but wouldn't it pulsate worse when I step on the brakes? cause this truck doesn't when I step on the brakes.

Could it possible be rack and pinion?

I have rotated the tires and am running 35lbs air in all 4 tires. Still the same wobble.

Any other things to look for?

Let me know.

 

Look through the forums for "death wobble." Apparently this is a known issue with our trucks. Various front end components. But I am no mechanic, so better off getting info from the ones here who are.

 

i have the same truck and sometimes when i get on the brakes going downhill the wheel will shutter. ive also had alot of steering work done like p/s hose and switch, left rack and pinnion replaced. although come to think of it when im on the highway going about 70+mph the wheel does shutter alittle. let us know what you find...

 

Check for broken belts or have the tires balanced.

 

Take a good look at your wheels and tires, and get an old screwdriver and pry out any debris that may be stuck in between the tread blocks of the tires. Then look on the inside of your rims to check if there is any dried mud, dirt, etc on the wheels that may be throwing the balance off. Give everything a good cleaning, you may even have to remove each wheel to do this. Once everything's nice and clean, go get the tires rebalanced. That should do it. I get ice buildup that throws the balance off in the winters, so on a warm (above freezing) day, I'll blast everything out with high pressure water.

 

Check the tie-rod ends, and ball joints for play.

 

Can anyone run through that procedure here please?

Al.

 

Update, tires are good, rims are clean and are always clean, not a balance problem. Next step is getting a wheel alignment! When I hit freshly paved ashfalt it is worse.

 

The "Death Wobble" issue is a 2500/3500 solid front axle thing, not an IFS 1500 problem. If tires are good, then the checklist would be front end alignment, tie rods, ball joints and drive shaft balance probably in about that order...

 

My research shows that there is an ongoing problem with the 1500's and possibly the higher models. There is a TSB on my 2006 Ram QC 4X4 that states "vehicle drift, steering wheel shudder or shake and brake puslation". I have a friend that has gone through the exact same issues with his 2005 and it was the lower control arm bushings. Apparently Dodge is aware of this and will not issue a recall. Just the TSB. It's like an 1800.00 dollare fix to have the dealer do it. It makes sense that if you step on the brakes and it feels like a warped rotor, but you can hear popping while your turning, etc that it's probably not brakes. Either ball joints or control arm issues!! Get out your check book....Oh yea, the TSB # is TSB 02-001-07 REV. A