O.K. This post might take a second to read...........I noticed that my steering universal joint going to my steering box was loose so i tightened the bolt problem solved, nice and tight. So i'm driving the next day and hit a very small bump in the road (very small) and the wheel wobbled a little. I thought no problem, i bought a new steering damper installed it the next day and went to driving. I hit another very small bump in the road and got THE SPEED WOBBLE OF DEATH!!! Seriously the steering wheel felt like it was going to fly off the truck and hit someone next to me. I can only describe it as similar to a motorcycle speed wobble that you sometimes get in the handlebars under certain conditions. I slowed down and the wobble disipated and i resumed my drive. I got it home, jacked up the front end and checked everything........tie rods all the steering linkage, wheel bearings, radius arm bolts, nothing was loose or sloppy in any way. Disco Mike, Stop reading now because you will not be happy with what i did next. I had a few free minutes so i fabricated a bracket to install two steering dampers side by side in the stock position, installed them and went to driving, no wobble, no shakes, straight as an arrow. Is the problem gone or is it just masked?? I have posted before that i run rovertyme 3inch springs, matching rovertyme radius arms, additional 3inch body lift, 33x12.50x15 all terrains. This was a new problem to me i have never had a vehicle do this before. Thanks for any info that you may have!!!

 

What kind of steering damper did you install, a HD one or standard?

 

first one oem, then two oem's

 

I wonder if one HD one would do the trick.
Your old one was worn out and then when you tightened up the steering it became more prevalent.
Just a thought.
Was your old one a OEM?
With your lift and bigger tires I think you need more than OEM.

 

the old one was stock, with the two i have on there now it seems to drive great. Would slack in the steering box cause the horrible wobble?? I really have never felt a wheel shake as hard as it did, i was going 50mph i would hate to see what would happen going 70-80

 

I could, here is a scenario...
the front wheels wobble, that wobble is transmitted to the steering gear, tie rods, pitman arm, etc.
The slack in the steering box/shaft u-joint/whatever masks that wobble, its not a big enough wobble to "fill" the "gap" and make the steering wheel move, but once that slack is taken up then all the wobble is transmitted to the steering wheel.
Make sense?
I could be blowing smoke but that is what I think has happened.

 

HEY THERE !
This same thing happened to my DI with ~~125,000 miles (at that time) . I did all the usuall stuff......shocks, st. damper, even new tires( coopers), allignmentnothing took the shake of death outta her......then...one day I was changing the oil in the garage ( nice flat floor) and grabbed the panhard rod to pull myself under.....the damn thing was loose!!!....well this aint right...tightened the bolts, bushings looked good....end of steering shake! Might be worth a look ?

 

1. Never sit-up on a bike traveling at speed wait till it decelerates before using your body as an air brake - Otherwise keep your chin on the gas tank.

2. Take it to an alignment shop and have them go over it - you may have masked the real problem with the double damper, i would say it has been going on for as long as the bolt was loose - because of the bolt being loose you didnt notice it. That could be a wheel bearing.

 

Just don't inhale and....you can still be President!!!!!

 

Man oh man, can you imagine if I were President?
Every Friday would be Hawaiian shirt day, everybody would have health care, we would mind our own business.
Hell, I'd turn the place into a dictatorship and I'd be the dick.