Hitting bumps causes WOBBLE!!!

[nicktoney]

So i never new these forums ever exsisted! Great find! anyways, i have an 01 yukon. slt. 4wd... needless to say it seems slammed.. previous owner had already lowered it so i have no idea of the components... heres my problem...

when driving down the road, about 45-50mph, if i hit a bump, the steering wheel jerks back and forth for a while after the bump... seems like "death wobble". how do i fix this?? i did notice my inner tie rods need replaced.. that will be swapped. also if the tops of the tires are leaning in, would this cause "death wobble" ? i need to do the tie rods and get an alignment but i just hope this would solve the problem.. any ideas or anybody have the same situation? alllllso im getting a clunk when i come to a stop and punch the brakes. then after i come to a stop if i birp the throttle i get a clunk again... Aaaaaaany ideas of anything would be appriciated.. ive been under there a few times and all i could find was bad inner tierods and the tops of the tires are leaning in towards the motor..

 

[Effeckt]

Welcome to the site first of all! I am not great at mechanical issues unfortunately but I would think that you are on the right path by replacing the tie rods and steering components but I will let someone with more knowledge follow that up.

 

[BOSS]

Definitely check on getting a steering damper when you replace the steering pieces, sounds like he may have had aftermarket wheels..it's pretty common to have that, some have it worse. KYB makes a good one, check my threads

B

 

[YNOT]

i've always heard of that being called "bump steer". Depending on the design of the lowering components is how noticable it will be after lowering or lifting.

 

[05Yukon]

I havent lowered any of mine but I do know the steering boxes tend to wear out and get loose. It will be noticeable when you hit bumps it will start to wander one way or the other. Tie rods could also be your problem.

 

[Donkey Punch]

Its usually the steering damper and or the control arm bushings. Any worn bushings etc should be looked at. Are you planing to keep it slammed? or raise it up some? There are a few variables there that could cause the issue but definately have the steering damper and all other suspension bushings etc looked at.

 

[nicktoney]

lastnight i greased all the fittings and it seemed to help the wander a bit. it had 24" wheels on it before fwiw. im thinking it has loweing keys because thats all i can see up front thatd cause it to be that low. the rear has blue coil springs.. so that doesnt seem factory. id like to get it back up to normal ride height someday or get some dif wheels but for now id like to get it straightened out

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thats how it sits (stock wheels on now)

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(that back is on a hill... much lower that it looks)

 

[hokieguy]

I also have this problem along with movement in both my brake and gas pedal. My truck has been lowered using the McGaughy's 2/3 drop and I have 45 series tires...I have also cut the bump stops. Should I be looking at the control arm bushings and ball joints?

Newly balanced wheels/tires.....I have even switched the front to back and no improvement.

 

[Max]

Doesn't look that low, maybe a 2/3 drop. Have someone shake the wheel back and forth quickly while you sit under the truck, use a pair of channel locks or pliers to check for play on the tie rod ends. Also pay close attention to the pitman arm (comes off the steering box on the driver's side) and the idler arm (located on the other side of the centerlink. You should also jack up the front end under the frame where the lower control arm attaches, then stick a pry bar directly under the wheel and pull up...you should notice any play in the upper/lower balljoints or the wheel bearing. My truck had some serious bumpsteer before I replaced the entire front end.

 

[rigo_jones]

check for any play on the front wheels if your ball joints didnt have grease that means it was rubbing metal to metal causing the bad bumpsteer.