When driving "slow" (35-50mph) & highway (55mph+) speeds down a road if one of my rear tires hits a pot hole, the whole back ends seems to bounce and/or skip side ways. At other times a occasional harmonic vibration/bounce occurs at the rear during highway speeds, it is so noticeable that it feels like someone is standing on the rear bumper playing it like a Pogo-stick.

Share your experience/possible fix for this is issue. All suggestions welcome...

Truck :Stock 2002-1500 SLT-4x4-4.7L-133k+ miles and counting...

Items changed over the years, mostly routine maintenance items, but have also been suggested by various fellow mechanics as a cure to this issue:
Tires (Stock ATS -> Dueler A/T-2 sets -> Duratrac) All road-force balanced
Shocks (stockers -> Reflex-2 sets)
Upper Control Arms/Lower Ball Joints (2 sets)
Tie rods/all (2 sets)
Hub Bearings (2 sets)
Front CV Axles (2 sets)
Intermediate Shaft Driver side
Front drive shaft (cv joint failure)
All else is inspected and scrutinized....due to the fact that this is no asphalt queen. Cannot be stranded 40+ miles from civilization with no signal.

So as you can see, all items that are usually suggested as a possible cure to the bounce/shudder have been replaced at one time or another.




Let's hear the theories and suggestions....even if it's another thread that already answers my request. Search didn't bring up anything definitive from my perspective.

 

How old are the shocks? Check spring bushings. What ply tire you run? What air pressure?

 

Shocks are less than 1yr/10k miles, 3rd set on the truck. Spring bushings are good to go, not all 'chewed up' and 'ratty', and they're 'solid'. Various air pressures have been used among the 4 sets of tires with various plys as well as load ratings. None of the tires made a difference in the symptoms.

 

leaf spring bushing Frozen/rusted.. all 4 must be able to move/rotate.
broken leaf .. but still trapped in the stack... but moving around

pinion bearing/axle bearing. is rear end fluid at correct level?
rear U-joint
rear driveshaft balance weights missing

 

Trucks are light in the butts. Usually bad shocks or too high air pressure will cause the issue you describe. Try putting 50-100lbs in the bed. See if it still does it. Has it done it the whole time you have owned it?

 

All things mentioned have been either replaced due to time, use, or both, with the exception of leaf springs. As far as loading weight in the rear, that's funny. Of the 7 trucks I've owned in my life none have exhibited this type of behavior with or without loads in the bed.

I'm a semi-retired ASE cert mechanic in a past life so the obvious items to check are pretty much validated as good, not only by myself but 2 delerships and an independent as well.

And yes, as stated earlier, it's done this since the day it rolled off the lot back in December 2001.

 

that being the case... its down to Third member... Frame.... Cross members.. front A arms and mounts/Frame
have it on a 4 wheel alignment machine?

Retired auto mechanic 43 years...
Had I known your skills I would NOT posted earlier.

 

So have you had your rear differential checked out. Seems like you have replaced most everything else.

 

Use of weight as a trouble shooting tool.

 

Bent drive shaft caused my wheel hop at highway speeds. I had it balanced at shop #1. The truck drove with no improvement. After ******* around with it for months thinking the drive shaft was ruled out. I decided as a last ditch effort to remove the drive shaft again and brought over to shop #2. He put it on his balancer /lathe and said look here shaft is bent. Plus one of the shafts(2piece) was not balanced correctly. Guy fixed me up.
My problem solved.