Death Wobble or Vibrations

[mikesbigjimmy]

Hi guys. My husband currently has 3 weeks left before coming home from Ft. Knox. I am completely at a loss at what is going on with his truck. I have babied this thing all summer and it's acting weird.

It started out a few days ago with a vibration when I braked. The vibration was so bad I thought a tire blew. I was coming to a stop sign and slowing down easily because I know my rear drums need to be changed. The next day (yesterday), I took the kids to the mall and as I slowed down and braked, the wobble started again. I spoke to my sister in law about it and we both agreed it's the drums. This is what I thought because the wobble was when I braked.

Today, now I'm not so sure. We were going down the road and I started to coast as we were coming into a school zone. I didn't even touch the brake and out of no where the wobble was violent. Shook the whole truck. I turned onto a side road and just like that it stopped. My intuition is telling me it's the drive shaft, but I have no idea.

Please help. I need to get this problem dealt with before he comes home in 3 weeks and from there we are headed to Texas. This is a 1990 Chevy Suburban. It's on 35's I think. I also think it has maybe 6 inches of lift. All of that is irrelevant, but for those who ask, there ya go. There is no noise associated with this wobble/vibration.

 

[StevoandaRedK5]

I would slide underneath and wiggle the driveshafts, shouldn't be any play at all. Might also have someone watch while you turn the wheels from lock to lock to see if something is loose in the steering.

If the rear drums need new shoes, you can go ahead and do that to help narrow down what may be wrong.

 

[bp71k5]

If the wobble is bad enough to have to pull over, it's not likely the brakes or the driveshaft.

The best way to locate the problem is to check for loose components in the steering by jacking up one wheel off the ground and seeing if you can move that tire back and forth without the other tire moving. If you find anything that's loose, you can assume that's causing the wobble.

You might also try rotating the tires and see if it changes. One may be out of balance.

 

[cybrfire]

What front axle?

sounds like death wobble to me. I can induce death wobble in one of my trucks by applying the break pedal just right. Or, hitting a bump will start the cycle.