dana60 death wobble with hydro assist now...yikes. Updated 11/27

[muddybuddy]

well fortunately the death wobble didnt start til after my 700mile round trip to the beach. the truck drove like a dream until yesterday, when it gave me death wobble 2 or 3 times then was fine (i even had it on the highway at 65mph no issues). this morning i loaded the truck up with a bunch of junk to take to the dump and within a 2 mile drive it did it probably about 8 times, so i ended up turning around and drove home.

whats weird is that i have hydro-assist and thought for sure that i'd never feel that scary feeling again. i have a couple fender washers in the kingpins from before but i assume now that my kingpins are toast. I did a little searching and saw something about rebuild kits that dont use springs? are those better? where did you guys get your rebuild kits from?

 

[01maroonz71]

how old are the springs and bushings in your knuckle??? i just replaced some that were a good inch shorter than brand new ones. that may help you out some.

 

[muddybuddy]

not sure, i've never replaced them. im sure the 4d2's dont really help any with stress haha. did you use a complete rebuild kit?

 

[Ned Kelly]

ORD and 4wdFactory.com sell the same kit, same price for the kingpin kit. I think it's $50 per side with Timken bearings, or $25 per side without.
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/D60kingpinspring-bushing.htm
and:
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/Dana60frontaxleparts.htm

Also, you can replace the plastic bushing with bronze:
http://www.cmperformancemachine.com/store/product.php?productid=16133&cat=249&page=1
I have been thinking of getting bronze bushings in the future. Anyone have any comments about yay or nay?

 

[sweetk30]

i had less than 10k miles on a set of springs and sat for 2-3 years.

started driving the truck again and death wobble. pulled the caps and found those springs shot already. had spares on the shelf. installed and 100% fixed.

and yes i have his bronze bushings and have read thay help fix the problem. fit tighter and less rome for play / movement.

and he is mad mac over on pirate. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=682367&page=5&highlight=bushing

 

[muddybuddy]

that kit the ORD sells that comes with 2 springs, 2 bushings, and 2 caps that does both sides doesnt it? if i just replaced the tops is that fine or should the bottoms be replaced as well?

 

[sweetk30]

most of the time its just the worn springs and bushings and easy fix.

i also use extra old index washer on the top for little more pressure on them for better fit.

and its 1 spring / bushing per side . just looked that kit will do both sides top ends. like you will prob need.

 

[muddybuddy]

well hopefully thats all it is. im gona call ord and order them tomorrow. im just really surprised that the hydro-assist isnt at least hiding it. ive got a 1.75" ram

 

[trukker]

I fought it on mine for a couple weeks, fender washers new, steering stabilizer new bushings. Turned out to be a brake caliper dragging a little.

 

[Fordum]

Whatever is causing it, has probably been a problem for a while. But it didn't show up bad until you changed the weight load with that bed full of stuff.

It was probably just about to start since it did it a couple of times before, but when you put the weight in the back, it slightly lifted the front end which changed the loading on the top and bottom pins.

Might give you a clue as to where to start looking.

 

[muddybuddy]

well i just finished replacing the upper springs, cups and cones. the springs were definitely worn out (alot shorter than the new ones). drove it around and its still giving me death wobble

think if i added some fender washers it would make a difference? or is it probably something else? any ideas? would the lowers cause dw?

im really surprised its doing it even with 1.75" ram

rotors, calipers, and pads have less than 2k miles on them.

 

[90'K5]

think if i added some fender washers it would make a difference? or is it probably something else? any ideas? would the lowers cause dw?

.

What is your caster angle?

I run 52's upfront and had DW until I added a washer on each side about 2 yrs ago. Ended up adding assist later, but still no DW.

I still get bump steer kinda bad on rough roads. There is a lot of side movement in my shackle hanger/frame area. I can see the springs move side to side while turning the steering wheel.

 

[muddybuddy]

i was gona post about that. how would i measure my caster angle?

im running 3" lifted 52's up front with the b52 hanger and 7.25" shackles and 8* shims under them

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Whoa, those 8 degree shims are your problem. Factory caster is 5-7 degrees, you made it -1 to -3 with that shim.

If you really need the pinion pointed up you'll need to grind out the welds at the c's, turn the pinion up where you need it and set the caster again then weld it back up.

 

[Fred_M1010]

I believe negative caster could be your problem as well.

i was gona post about that. how would i measure my caster angle?

The surface where the kingpin cap and steering arm mounts to the knuckles, has the same angle as the caster.
So place an angle finder there, when the truck is on completely level ground.

If you don't have an angle finder, you can use a bevel, a spirit level and a protractor instead

 

[muddybuddy]

Whoa, those 8 degree shims are your problem. Factory caster is 5-7 degrees, you made it -1 to -3 with that shim.

If you really need the pinion pointed up you'll need to grind out the welds at the c's, turn the pinion up where you need it and set the caster again then weld it back up.

damn really? that little bit makes that much of a difference? i just dont understand how it had been fine all this time and now its acting up. i will try to get an angle measurement to check this as well. i kinda had a feeling it might be those shims but it was fine before so i never messed with them

 

[hughmungas]

Double check your tie rod nuts first. I had one that loosened up somehow and I got hellacious bump steer all of a sudden out of the blue. I guess my cotter pin had mysteriously broke off...

 

[ezoliver]

Whoa, those 8 degree shims are your problem. Factory caster is 5-7 degrees, you made it -1 to -3 with that shim.

If you really need the pinion pointed up you'll need to grind out the welds at the c's, turn the pinion up where you need it and set the caster again then weld it back up.

*** X2 *** Get those shims outta there.

 

[80' 427]

The 2 times I have had it with my 60 it was a tie rod ends. One then the other.

 

[sweetk30]

jesse at high angle drive line told me to ditch the shims on my 8" bds springs on the 60 as it would cause me problems. and when done then measure for my drivelines.