Thread: Front End Shudder

Swivel bearings and preloads are a PITA to check and do, so my preference is to check and do the easier stuff.
I had a similar death wobble(had to slow to 60k/h) recently in my D1 too.
In the past 2 years I've been changing/replacing stuff I know from experience that causes these issues, and I want my D1 to be gentle on it's tyres and driver too.
I know my radius arm bushes are all in good nick, panhard bushes a little dodgy(bolts slightly worn/slack, etc. so changed them.
I prefer Polys now(just previous experience), but anything new is good.
I've done all four tie rod ends, and I also got a new steering damper. This was all in the previous 18 months, then about 6 months ago, I got another bout of death wobbles.
Out of the blue.
Double checked radius arms, all good. But as a precaution I had plans to change them too.
When I fitted the tie rod ends, my drag link was worn inside the threads, and wheel alignment joint said they could move them.
Maybe the drag link .. got a new one, same problem(slightly less, but still there). Bugger!
On a whim, I thought get a new steering damper .. kind'a feels like it, but couldnt' possibly be .. it's a fairly new one, heavier duty(!!) got it from the well know company that uses a bull as it's logo.

Fitted the standard Armstrong(I think $50), non heavy duty damper ... death wobbles gone!

Still can't believe a basically new product, supposedly better/more durable .. caused me so much grief!
I still have it, it feels fine along it's travel, smooth operation no sudden slips/slack .. just crap quality!

So for the sake of 30mins work and whatever the cost of a std defender steering damper .. I'd say it may be worth replacing just for the peace of mind knowing it's not the cause.

And as for the pitman arm joint .... I'd change it to the D1 style drop arm with the hole instead, and use a good quality tie rod end instead(I did that on my RRC).
But, for sure, a half mm play in that will cause these issues too.

Originally Posted by megz

- I haven't checked my toe setting but now I know what it is I'm going to check it.
- Lifted the truck? Do you mean has it got a lift kit? because no it's stock standard suspension.
- I haven't changed the radius arms in the 18 months I've owned the vehicle. Do you mean the bushes or the entire arm? How often/kms to replace when the vehicle is 90% on road?

How ya going, Dave - thanks for the info - just trying to learn more about your setup

- The quick and dirty fix for bad front shudder, the kind that makes a person deathly afraid and goes away when you slow down is to increase toe out.
- Good to know on the lift - lifts change caster.
- The radius arm itself - some aftermarket arms can change caster as well.
- Not sure about how often to change the radius arm bushes, although I've seen trucks that seem to drive fine with some truly stuffed bushings.

I'm not sure that swivel bearing preload will cause the frightful shakes, maybe, but I've never seen it. A quick way of telling about the swivel bearing preload is if you slam on the brakes hard from 10-20 miles per hour, and you feel the truck almost changing lanes by itself, or if you feel the truck feel like it's wandering left and right on its own on the highway. If you have some more time, jack up the axle, grab the tire, and give a good push-pull top and bottom on the tire with two hands. If you can notice a small jiggle, it just needs some adjustment.