I have 2004 dodge 2500 4X4 Quad Cab 5.7 Hemi. When you hit a bump in the road going about 55 mph or above, the front end starts shaking violently. I have replaced front struts and rear shocks. Replaced ball joints. Replaced dampener shock. Had front end alined. had tires ballanced and rotated. Still having same problem. Now my sway bar is getting loose and the stabalizer links are busting and bending. Can someone please help before it tears up everything on my ride
The bumps do initiate the shaking. When my 2006 Ram 2500 4x4 started shaking, I had just had it aligned that morning. A month or so before that alignment, my passenger side outer tie-rod broke while driving down a rock road. I replaced it with a heavy duty MOOG tie-rod end. Anyway, the same day I had it aligned I was driving back home from a job and towing my bobcat behind me. I hit a bump and the truck did the "death wobble" with the front end shaking violently up and down in an alternating fashion (one tire in the air while one tire on the ground and then vice-versa). I changed the tires first (which were worn-out 305/75/17 mud tires). Since the day I bought the truck new in Jan. 2006, I've had larger tires on the truck than the tiny 235/75/17s that came with it and I've done a lot of heavy towing with it and never had a problem until this alignment was done at Sears. I;m still trying to figure out if it was the alignment specs that they used or if the problem coincidentally started that same day. I also changed the steering stabilizer. Neither the new tires nor the stabilizer/damper helped the problem. So I changed the other outer tie-rod end and the upper and lower ball joints (all MOOG with grease fittings). I turns out they were worn out. So, the truck no longer shakes violently up and down when I hit a bump. That problem seems to be in check. However, now when I hit a bump the truck's front end wobbles side-to-side. I can do a few things to recover from it. I can hit the brakes pretty hard and sudden (which can cause an accident on the interstate), or I can **** the steering wheel side-to-side a few times (from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) and that stops it immediately...until the next bump in the road. Also, if I let my foot off the accelerator just before hitting a bump and let the truck coast over it instead of power through it, sometimes the truck will ride over the bump without incident. I found out yesterday on a 5 1/2 hour road trip that if I did 80 to 90 miles per hour and powered through every road blemish, the truck rode fine...no shaking at all. I suppose the high speed forces the tires to stay straight when they hit a bump. Lastly, to confuse my problem solving attempts further, sometimes the truck rides like a cadillac (for an hour or so) at regular speeds and no matter what bumps I hit. Then without worning, the front end will loosen up and get that sloppy feeling again and the wobbling comes back at every bump...until the next time it feels like tightening up and driving right again. I have no idea what to do now. I'm going back to Sears today to have them check their alignment. Other than that, all I can think of is to change the rest of the steering components and check the steering box for malfunction. I hope someone can help all of us Dodge owners out off of the road tested info that I've just provided. Dodge doesn't seem to care to address the problems with their trucks front ends, and we need a solution before people get hurt or die. I was almost run over by an 18-wheeler trying to figure out how to handle the shake. I can't afford to buy another truck. So I need to fix this one so I can keep working. If anybody has a concrete solution to these problems, please let us know. I've read 20 different opinions from mechanics on these blogs, but nobody has said yet that they fixed someone's truck with these problems and have since heard from that customer and everything is still working fine. Opinions are helpful sometimes, but they're also confusing when they're conflicting.
The problem is the track bar, They make couple aftermarket ones that take care of the problem, 2003-2008 have same problem sooner or later
I have an 04 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4, 5 speed manual with 5.7 Hemi. I have not had a ton of "problems" with this truck, though it does have its quirks. My drivers side tie rod end broke on me while idling down a rocky road. Come to find out, this is not a new problem and is just now being recognized by Dodge. I called Dodge Corporate about the issue and they reimbursed me for an entirely new steering linkage! $400 dollars worth of parts! And I am the second owner of the truck! I find this to be impressive that they would help a second owner with no warranty like that. Anyway, when I bought this truck, it came with a 7 1/2ft western plow, so I knew full well it had been worked and the front end had probably seen plenty of abuse. The whole "death wobble" thing kind of gets thrown around alot and applied to a lot of different problems. My truck has never done anything that I would call the "death wobble" but I have noticed some shaking/vibrations and some clunking at certain speeds and while going over bumps. You can feel it right under the floor board. I have done a TON of research on this issue and so far I think I have it narrowed down to my front drive shaft and/or my steering gearbox. I just got done replacing all my ball joints, my front universals, and my wheel bearings (which didnt need replaced) but just for good measure. The truck rides much much better since but still some clunking/vibration and it comes and goes. I know for sure my front drive shaft is shot. I am going to have it rebuilt soon. Hopefully this will resolve any further issues but there are a LOT of things that can contribute to your problems. Check your sway bar bushings and end links. Any play will cause handling issues. Also the stock drag link uses crappy bushings that get sloppy. Good after market drag links are available that have bearings instead of bushings AND are greasable. There is no question the 3rd Gen Dodge trucks have their share of front end issues but its nothing that cant be solved without a little elbow grease and good parts. Really what truck doesnt have front end issues? My dad's chevy clunks, rattles, and steers terrible! Its just plain scary to drive. My friend's ford sounds absolutely awful when it hits bumps and has 4-5 inches of play in the steering wheel. Fact is manufacturers have chosen to use cheap parts to use in an effort to cut costs, if you want your truck to do the things you expect it to do and handle the way you want, you better be willing to shell out some cash for good GREASABLE components and spend some time in the garage.
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Are the tires the same as the factory install? If you change tire type and so from what the factory installed then that is most likely the problem. The truck gets some-what designed for the tire. I know it sounds dumb but that is like the shocks. If you change shocks with a different brand other than dodges shock it will ride different.
Try the transfer case. The viscious coupler might be bad. I think the bump is not a part of the problem.
That make's no sense,you changed the entire suspension. There's no other option. Check the transfer case for issues. That's all I got.
Transfer Case ?!? Really ?!? It is a STEERING Problem ! I have the same problem with my 03 2500 4WD. I removed my front drive shaft to prove to the local idiots running the local Dodge Shop. NO CHANGE !!! Dodge has a defective steering problem, and they do not want to admit to it ! I have changed tie rod ends, steering dampener, ball joints, new tires, alignment, front hub bearings and front hub u-joints. Still the same !!! I guess when us loyal customers gets killed or kills someone else due to the fact we cannot control our trucks, maybe then someone dig a little deeper into this !
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The tires are not the same as factory, but they have been on for about 20k miles and are the same as what was on the truck when i got it 50K miles ago. The problem just started about 10 k miles ago and it only happens when you hit a bump or rough spot in th road
Thanks
hello everyone I changed my steering gear box on my truck in september 2009 the problem ceased imediatly and I have not had any troubles since. Everyone keep saying it was fine and had no play, but i decided to try it anyway. Been driving relaxed now for 4 months. 30 mph / 90 mph / pot holes / RR crossings / Interstate bridges / NO PROBLEMS !!! I want to say hanks to all that tried to help.
I replaced a lose idler arm on my 98 grand Marquis but still when i hit around 50-55 mph yu can see/feel tha passenger seat shake in razz front end
I replaced a lose idler arm on my 98 grand Marquis but still when i hit around 50-55 mph yu can see/feel tha passenger seat shake in it vibrates n sways like wheels are loose wat could out be?
I replaced a lose idler arm on my 98 grand Marquis but still when i hit around 50-55 mph yu can see/feel tha passenger seat shake in it vibrates n sways like wheels are loose wat could out be?
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