Death Wobble!

[hockeydad4-22]

Help -

Driving the 74 Bronco on Saturday and expereinced a wobble like none I have ever experienced before.

I was heading east bound on C-470 exiting to Northbound I-25 and hit one of the seams in the bridge while turning at aproximately 55 mph or so. This threw the bronco into a wobble that can only be described as being inside an unballenced washer.

At my earliest opurtunity I pulled over and checked everything, nothing loose that I could find so I drove on and had no more problems. In talking to my 16 yr old who is driving it on occasion, he has had it happen to him as well.

Any s, I want to get this fixed asap.

Thanks,

Greg

[sbolt19]

It's pretty common on EBs. Usually associated with front end bushings being shot. Take a look at the track bar bushing, if you have a track bar bracket, make sure it is welded on correctly and make sure alignment is good. Tires can also cause the problem, but probably, the worn bushings is going to be your issue. Especially since you guys just bought the rig...right? It is pretty easy to take care of and if the bushings are fairly new, tires new, etc. check your steering stabilizer if you have one. A worn out stabilizer will magnify the issue, where a good one will help out with it to a certain degree.

[Kinder]

This issue has been talked about often with these trucks on CB.com, all the above are good things to check, I'll add that you'll want to check the ball joints and take it to get the alignment checked. Toe in is easy to correct yourself, camber isn't too bad either as long as the ball joints are good (napa sells shims to correct this), then finally the caster, which requires a different set of radius arm bushings to correct on a lifted rig.

[Rox Crusher]

I'm not discounting your experience and the need to check out your front end............

But I take that I25 on-ramp frequently and even my brand new vehicles jump half a lane on that expansion joint

[hockeydad4-22]

Yeah, I take it all the time too, and I actually take it a little to fast quite often just to have the truck jump over - but this was something far FAR greater, the whole Bronco started shaking like an unbalanced washing machine and did not stop until I was doing less than 30mph and pulled over (I was in the meadian pulling onto I25 by the time it stopped). Quite scary.

I will be checking the suspension and steering tomorrow (the boys are off school so I can take the afternoon off to spend some time turning wrenches with them...

New windshield, washer solvent pump, pull the rear seat and now, up on stands and check the front end.

[airbur]

I'm not discounting your experience and the need to check out your front end............

But I take that I25 on-ramp frequently and even my brand new vehicles jump half a lane on that expansion joint

X2...happens to me all the time in my 2004 4Runner.....feels like the rear end comes off the ground!

I experienced death-wobble in my rig a month or so ago. I had the entire family in the Bronco at the time....scared the !#@$%#@ out of me! Turned out to be my trac-bar bolts were loose. I have a drop bracket and I tightened the bolts up on there good (yes...I know I need to weld that puppy up!). I also replaced the trac-bar to drop bracket bolt with a grade 8 9/16th with both lock nuts and lock washers. It ain't moving now. So far no more death wobble.