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Test for all you DW victims

We figured out what causes DW in the 60 but has anybody figured out what it is in the 10/44. In the D60 it seems to be preload of the spring, the only thing I can think of that is similar (as far as purpose...NOT design) in the 10/44 is the upper ball joint adjuster sleeve. I wonder what an extra turn or two would do to "DW" in those axles.

Just thoughts running in my head right now as I never had DW with any axle I have ever used........(i.e. I am NO DW expert).
 
How can you give the same name to a problem when you have three different axle designs? Didnt the term "Death Wobble" get coined by frustrated Dana 60 owners? Yes.
 
It may have...but I HAD DW on my 44 HD with ALL NEW PARTS, alignment, perfect caster, wheel bearings, ball joints etc. Between 25-35 mph just like my 60. I have even seen a new TJ Death Wobblin' after taken off at a stop sign (25-35 mph). He even did what I did i.e. speed up as fast as you can to get above 35 mph. I dont know what his EXACT set-up was, but he had DW nonetheless.

It may of STARTED with 60 owners, but the symptons are the same regardless of axle.

Of course, my DW days are over since my WTO install (nice little discount cause I am orange BTW...read: got my 25 bucks back PLUS another 25).......


Being <font color="orange"> orange </font> is KEWL!!!

Rob
 
Boys boys boys lets just calm down. Maybe he didn't realize that other axles have preloaded king pin system or w/e its called. :lol I don't know even really know what it is!
 
<font color="green"> You know what's funny? Apparantly this washer fix for DW in D60s has been around for almost 2 years. I went searching through the archives for no reason other than to satisfy my curiosity, and titanic posted about fixing his DW with a washer used as a shim back in May of 2001. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif </font>
 
[ QUOTE ]
and titanic posted about fixing his DW with a washer used as a shim back in May of 2001.


[/ QUOTE ]

i wonder how his new rig turned out /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
[hi-jack] What ever happened to titanic (steve)?? I saw that burb in person and man it was bad. Last I heard he was doing some sort of S-truck conversion. I remeber he sold his axles, but thats about it.


[/hi-jack]


Rob
 
<font color="orange">A 6" C-clamp works well to push the steering arm down enough to get the threads started...</font>

Hey look...orange font./forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Rene
 
Butch,

I tried this fix recently, and it DID change things a little for me. I wouldn't say that my truck handles smoothly now, but the steering feels TIGHTER, like it's under more pressure and resisting my steering inputs.

The one thing that DID concern me, was on the driver's side (the non-steering knuckle) the spring cup distorted visibly when the 1/4" washer stack was installed. There is an obvious seperation where the cup is bending between the bolts (on the longer edge)....in fact, that's where the grease squished out when I re-lubed it!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It seems that the extra spring pressure is too much for the stamped cover to handle and over time I suspect it's only going to bend MORE.

I've been thinking about an extra thick plate with holes cut to clear the hump and for the 4 bolt holes to sort of sandwich the whole mess down more snugly....but I think I'm going to pull the washers out, and try messing with more caster instead.....

Kind of a bummer, I was hoping for a "cheap and easy" fix.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
if it is deflecting the steel cap imagine what it is doing to the plastic bushing.
time for some long term inspection results
 
What MJ said!! Can you say coil bind? Be careful with this mod....on my old springs the coils bind (touch each other) at 1.4575" or just over 1-7/16" compressed height. I installed new springs and measured the amount they are compressed to be roughly 11/16". This only leaves about 1/8" more compression before binding will occur on my new springs. Once the coils touch it's the same as a solid piece of metal, so all the pressure causing your cover to bend is trying to crush that plastic bushing!

Shimming old sagging springs to restore preload would be ok if you do not bind the coils, but there is not a lot of room to play with here. If the spring has sagged then the coils will be closer together so the distance you can compress it will be less. This will make it difficult if not impossible to shim it enough to get it back to the same force as new and not bind the coils. If the plastic bushing has worn so preload is reduced then just replace the bushing.

Hum, replace the upper bushing with a bearing? POR


BTW some spring info (all approximate)

Old spring free length = 2.17"
New spring free length = 2.29"
Estimated installed height = 1.6"
Measured spring rate (old spring) = 850 lbs per inch
Estimated installed spring force (new spring) = 587 lbs
Estimated installed spring force (old spring) = 485 lbs
 
I did this trick before Moab and it worked. After that trip my Death Wobble is back. My front end stuff is worn out bad anyway so I think thats the problem for me.

This trick was also used a long time ago on older Jeeps with Kingpin axles. It worked then so I bet it would work now as long as the components were in decent shape.

In fact on the Jeeps, you would disconnect the steering and then add washers untill it took 18 foot pounds of torque to turn each wheel. Then you were good. That was back when a 33" tire was huge so I bet that number wouldnt apply to us. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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