Alright guys I've got a vibration somewhere that I can't seem to find. It comes on at about 67mph and goes through 71. then fades up until 75 where it gets worse again. Above 80 it starts to fade.

Things I've done: All new U joints, tires balanced, checked driveshaft and all weights are still there, and the rear pinion is tight.

Any idea where I can look to find it??

Did you bend a u joint yoke with a particularly stuck universal? 

 

The one I replaced tonight was still good, and the other one was just missing needles. In other words, nothing appeared abnormal to me.

I'm guessing the vibration is coming from the back of the the truck?

Honestly I can't tell where. It could be coming through the front too. I'm going to jack up the front tomorrow and check wheel bearings. 190k with most of the life at 285's could have eaten one.

I also had some wicked death wobble recently. I'm wondering if ht vibration didn't attribute to that.

Edited November 8, 20159 yr by TFaoro

Hmmm might be time to take a good look at the control arm bushings if it's getting death wobble. I've also seen dried up front axle u joints cause weird driveability issues.  

Also seeing as you've had basically the whole drivetrain out somewhat recently might not be a bad idea to put a wrench on all the nuts and bolts. Stuff can loosen up, I know I almost had a transfer case fall off once. 

Edited November 8, 20159 yr by Buzzinhalfdozen

Both front axle U joints are new as well. The only joint I haven't replaced is the front pinion, but it's good and it doesn't turn while driving.

I got the death wobble fixed. It was the track bar loose.

I'll crawl under there and check things. Thanks!

I am sure you have already went through this but might not hurt to check. Did the vibration start after changing anything? Or fixing anything? Has it always vibrated? Just trying to help narrow down when it started.

I got rid of my vibration by re centering the front axle/ differential to a point where the wheels were both even on the front fender sides. I had one wheel and tire sticking out 3/4 of an inch more than the other side when the truck was at rest on the ground. Soon as I centered it back in place it stopped and hasn't come back in many years. I re centered by adjusting the track bar.

Edited November 8, 20159 yr by JAG1

17 minutes ago, Ilikeoldfords said:

I am sure you have already went through this but might not hurt to check. Did the vibration start after changing anything? Or fixing anything? Has it always vibrated? Just trying to help narrow down when it started.

It seems to have started after it death wobbled 3 or 4 times. It wasn't after any parts or anything. 

7 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

I got rid of my vibration by re centering the front axle/ differential to a point where the wheels were both even on the front fender sides. I had one wheel and tire sticking out 3/4 of an inch more than the other side when the truck was at rest on the ground. Soon as I centered it back in place it stopped and hasn't come back in many years. I re centered by adjusting the track bar.

Interesting you say that. After the last bad death wobble my axle seems to be sticking out on the drivers side more than usual. It has always been a bit off center with the level but not as bad as it is now. I really don't want to drop the coin on an adjustable track bar though.

I'm going with dodgeoffroad.com if that's what I need.

I lied. Death wobble is not gone......smh

If it was me. I would have the tire rebalanced for absolute zero. Some shops allow for 1/2  or a bit more. Double check the typical like bearings, ball joint and shocks too.

Then on the driveshaft I've seen on my 96 some how I struck the front u-joint yoke and the yoke ear was bent slightly making a vibration. I just replaced it with a salvaged shaft. It might be time to consider spin balancing the shaft again.

I've seen plenty of trucks with death wobble but I've never experienced it in either one of my trucks yet!

Must be nice. 

I'm going to put my winter tires and rims on to see if that stops the vibration.

I'll have my room mate wiggle the steering wheel later to see what the heck is loose. 

Did you actually see and verify the alignment specs after all the new front end parts and the fender bender? This style of steering isn't that common on an alignment rack and can be a bit tricky to get dialed in if the tech hasn't done a lot of them. Not questioning anyone's work just a thought.

The reason I ask is because when I was a mechanic I saw more than a few old dodges where the person had spent thousands replacing tires and every steering component chasing a death wobble.  Then I tell them it's a bent control arm or bad bushing. The bushings can be very deceiving and sometimes you can only tell by removing the arm and seeing if the center hole is ovaled out. I actually had this exact same problem on my own rig, chased it for months. 

Edited November 8, 20159 yr by Buzzinhalfdozen

Centramtics took care of my wheel balance issues

 

That where over size tire users have some of the issues. With larger diameter tires and wider faces it takes so little to be out of balance that death wobble does occur. I've seem some with huge amounts of weights plastered to the wheel trying to obtain balance. Then when the do hit a bump or bridge seam then the death wobble starts. This is because of the geometry of the tire and the out of balance can be so small that the leverage angle of the weight is greater that factory sized tire. Not to mention factory sized tire weight much less in rotational weight. All play a roll in the death wobble problems.

Factory steel 17" rims off an 03 and 265 tires. Yes they're bigger than stock. No it shouldn't make a big difference given the stock size was 245. Something somewhere is worn out I just need to find it. 

Well in your case might not be then but still wheel balance can be a factor still. Is the tire true round no blisters or such? You'll be able to see it on the tire balancer if so.

Shocks would be my next step.

I would switch to dynamic balancing either way. Beads or Centramatics work great, I have used both, and my truck has never been smoother. 

I thought 02 didn't have CAD and I don't recall you having aftermarket hubs so why isn't the front driveshaft spinning?

Pinion angle is know to cause vibrations at certain speeds in these trucks, but if the vibration is new and the angle hasn't changed it probably isn't that. 

Have you checked for a bent wheel? Steel wheels bend much easier than aluminum ones. 

Early 02's have CAD. Mine does. I bought it in late 01

Found the looseness. Bushing on the axle side of the track bar. I'll go pick one up at napa and see if that fixes at least the death wobble