[gomer pyle]

I am starting to get death wobble in my 17 F250(60k). It normally happens at really hard dips but I was pulling a trailer yesterday and it happened multiple times. I've read of so many "fixes", I don't know where to start. At my last alignment(couple of months ago), Ford set my caster at .06* and .13*. My tires are ready to be replaced but I would rather fix this issue first due to the damage DW did on my company flatbed tires.
Where do I start? Tract bar, tie rod and drag link? Dual stabilizer, or is that just a band aid?

 

[BKB94]

how about posting the alignment sheet for all to see. If caster is what you say that’s the problem, 5 would be my minimum #.

 

[gomer pyle]

 

[BKB94]

I don’t see where they even measured caster, it’s gray.

 

[gomer pyle]

What should I ask for it to be? The other numbers look good?

 

[84flatbed]

I'm not sold on caster being the cause of your death wobble, and steering stabilizer definitely isn't the cause. Both can help mitigate it some but your issue will be some worn component(s).

 

[gomer pyle]

I guess that is my struggle, I cant find anything loose and they didn’t either with the alignment. I don’t mind to do whatever it takes to fix, I just don’t wanna throw money at it if it’s not needed.

 

[84flatbed]

I guess that is my struggle, I cant find anything loose and they didn’t either with the alignment. I don’t mind to do whatever it takes to fix, I just don’t wanna throw money at it if it’s not needed.

I've read from some who claim bad tires can cause death wobble. You could move forward with replacing the tires, if it's time, see if that makes a difference. If you wanted to try dialing in more caster, and maybe a new single stabilizer, that's relatively inexpensive and could possibly help. I just don’t believe in it being the underlying cause.

 

[RMTZ07PS]

My death wobble was a tire separation.

 

[Calif250]

My father's 17 f250 had death wobble at less than 15k miles. Dealer replaced track bar. Fixed the issue. I would start there. Do any of the suspension or steering joints appear worn? Any noticeable play? If you know someone with a goPro you could mount it under the truck and take it for a drive to see how the suspension and steering is working.

 

[BKB94]

You need to know what the caster is at before throwing parts at it. Since they didn’t even measure it where you took it you should get your money back or have them actually preform the alignment. Any quality shop would do an inspection and look for worn parts before an alignment. Since alignments loose money their job is more to find issues so they can charge you for parts and labor.

 

[gomer pyle]

I’ll call tomorrow and see if they can give me the caster numbers

 

[cletusjermal]

I had death wobble from the get go. From about 800 miles on the truck. I ended up replacing the tries due to being wore out at roughly 50K. I haven't had an issue since replacing tires. I took it to ford 6 times for fixes and they replaced the steering damper each time. since replacing the tires I have not had an issue. Its been roughly 20K since I replaced the tires. If your due for tires id start there and see what if does.

 

[John in OkieLand]

I would not call this issue a Death Wobble, but it will cause the truck to dart to the opposite side of the road a bit. in a 4x4, the front U-Joints can freeze up, and every 1/2 revolution pulls the steering sideways

 

[gomer pyle]

Now to decide on what tire! I thought I knew what I wanted but now I'm not so sure.

 

[Calif250]

Depends on the size. I've had really good experiences on bfg k02s in the 33 range. Got 42k on my last set before I got a bolt in a tire and decided to swap them for another set a few weeks ago. Pricey for a set of 33s at 1350$ mounted. They would have hit 50k no problem and I never had to rebalance them. There are a lot of good tires in that range.

35 range is hit and miss on a lot of brands but the usual toyo, nitto, falken are solid high mileage tires.

37 and up which I have on my other truck I would stick with name brand stated above, they are harder to get balanced correctly from the factory and a lot of shops around me only road force balance up to 35s.

Everyone has their own experiences and opinions. Some people get a bad tire from the factory and others get lucky. It's all in who you ask.

 

[JimmyMac]

I encounter a Wabble in army F250, that had never been off the road. It took almost 4 years (less than 5000 miles) to finally ascertain the issue. Went to the shop over 25 times- they returned it stating “inexperienced drivers”. on day I ran some experiment. While driving 20-25 mph, and crossing a distortion in the road (tracks, potholes, speed bumps, etc), I got it to reoccur every time. This time the shop too us seriously and found a thrust bearing in the transfer case was the cause. It was slipping into 4H @ low speeds. Definitely gets you attentio. Of course there were some that said the vehicle was possessed.

 

[gomer pyle]

Finally talked to someone in the service department and they did not measure caster, “since it’s non adjustable “.

 

[BKB94]

Haha that’s funny. I honestly don’t even know what to say. Probably not worth your time dealing with idiots take it to a different Ford dealer or reputable shop that does alignments.

 

[gomer pyle]

That’s why I ended up at this dealer, farther from the house, because I’m struggling to find a reputable shop.