# Truck is falling apart after 6 years..



## sailscall01 (Oct 19, 2005)

I have a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 and recently with in the last year it has started to fall apart. Replaced one ball joint so far, exhaust manifold on right side replaced(under warranty), paid for a $58 chip that cost $500 in labor to replace. Now when I drive on the expressway at 65 mph my truck rattles and shakes and feels like it is bouncing. I recently had the tires rotated and rebalanced. Someone mentioned cupping, however when I took the tires to be rebalanced again, the guy said they look ok.. Any suggestions or has anyone had a similar problem.. I thought it might be a strut but another mechanic said he didn't think so.. Any help is appreciated.. Thanks in advance..


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

Doesn't really sound like its falling apart to me, sounds like your truck needs proper maintenance and replacement of wear items.

I'd suspect one or more of your U-Joints on one of your driveshafts is gone causing the issues going down the highway. I'd check the rear first.


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## cmo18 (Mar 10, 2008)

plowguy43;1347396 said:


> Doesn't really sound like its falling apart to me, sounds like your truck needs proper maintenance and replacement of wear items.
> 
> I'd suspect one or more of your U-Joints on one of your driveshafts is gone causing the issues going down the highway. I'd check the rear first.


i agree with this guy


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## affekonig (Aug 5, 2008)

I'm not sure, but do Dodges have the death wobble issue that's common in so many solid axle trucks? I googled it and got a bunch of hits, so I'm guessing that they do. There's probably a ton of reading out there to be done on it.


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## oldbluehairhemi (Oct 22, 2011)

u joints are a good place to start but a common overlooked item is the steering stablizer. they can make that truck do some weird stuff.


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

plowguy43;1347396 said:


> Doesn't really sound like its falling apart to me, sounds like your truck needs proper maintenance and replacement of wear items.
> 
> I'd suspect one or more of your U-Joints on one of your driveshafts is gone causing the issues going down the highway. I'd check the rear first.


That sounds about right.


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

affekonig;1347493 said:


> I'm not sure, but do Dodges have the death wobble issue that's common in so many solid axle trucks? I googled it and got a bunch of hits, so I'm guessing that they do. There's probably a ton of reading out there to be done on it.


Yes they do and i have had it happen to me but he would know instantly when that happens cause it feels like nothing else


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Once worked for a guy with a 92 3500 Dogde replaced the whole front suspension and still felt the bouncing. Turned out to be a loose steering box. HTH


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

Strut ???? For the mechanic who said he doesn't think so, Fire him!!! I can say for 150% certain it is not the strut. 

As for the vibration. Does it change in sound or amplification when the brakes are applied?? Any wierd noises when in 4x4 and turning??? I'm thinking u joint. Death wobble is more known in the 2nd gen trucks. Mostly due to the poor design of the track bar. 

I would inspect the entire front end for worn parts and all U joints. 6 years of running a plow truck will eventually wear out front end parts and universals. If you think that is falling appart ask some 6.0l ford owners about there drive line.....


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## sailscall01 (Oct 19, 2005)

I can say that in the 6 years I have had the truck, I really didn't put out any money to have anything fixed.. Nothing really ever broke or needed replacing so the truck has been reliable.. I guess when it rains it pours when things go wrong!! Especially right before the snow season with out of pocket costs... I shouldn't *****.. I should have been more proactive for the preventative maintenance issues. 

As far as the "DEATH WOBBLE", it feels like I'm bouncing from the left side:bluebounc.. I'm in no ways "mechanical". I've mentioned it the problem to my neighbor, who is a mechanic for Ford, and he said possible cupping from the tires.. I have an appointment with a mechanic on Friday and will mention all these issues everyone has mentioned. The best way to explain it is a road test with them. 

Thanks again and keep anymore suggestions coming..


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

death wobble is 90% 2nd gen trucks from as said poorly designed track bar. When you get it you know it- the whole front of the truck shakes violently, brakes applied or not makes no difference. Loose steering gear will cause it to the frame or internally worn. I have that issue now on mine- new track bar, new tie rods but the gear is worn and allows the front end to wiggle.
very rare on 3rd gen trucks because they don't have the ball/socket joint track bar.


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

justme-;1349358 said:


> death wobble is 90% 2nd gen trucks from as said poorly designed track bar. When you get it you know it- the whole front of the truck shakes violently, brakes applied or not makes no difference. Loose steering gear will cause it to the frame or internally worn. I have that issue now on mine- new track bar, new tie rods but the gear is worn and allows the front end to wiggle.
> very rare on 3rd gen trucks because they don't have the ball/socket joint track bar.


I agree that it is mostly 2nd gen mine never did but I know of guys that have had it happen to 3rd gen. Untill 08 the track bar setup it the same as the 2nd gen tho so it still happens unless you but the upgrade kit and make it like the 08 and newer trucks


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

wideout;1349440 said:


> I agree that it is mostly 2nd gen mine never did but I know of guys that have had it happen to 3rd gen. Untill 08 the track bar setup it the same as the 2nd gen tho so it still happens unless you but the upgrade kit and make it like the 08 and newer trucks


Track bar is the same design from 03-12+, it was the steering setup (linkages) that changed from a Y design to a T style in 2008.5.


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## UglyTruck (Feb 8, 2007)

6 years on a dodge with a plow and only 1 ball joint? that seems suspicious. at 6 years old with a dodge i would expect to start replacing front end components. at 6 years with a ram that has a plow hanging on it i would say that you are luckier than most. I am going to guess that your mechanic is going to tell you that you need front end work, u-joints, and shocks. 
How many miles are on the truck and what tires (Brand and load range) are you running. I have seen too light of a load range tire on trucks cause some serious drive-ability issues.


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## JBMiller616 (Dec 12, 2007)

affekonig;1347493 said:


> I'm not sure, but do Dodges have the death wobble issue that's common in so many solid axle trucks? I googled it and got a bunch of hits, so I'm guessing that they do. There's probably a ton of reading out there to be done on it.


Yes....yes they do. The last time it happened to me in our 2007 was about two months ago. I was on the highway in the right hand lane with the cruise set at 65, went over a small bump and the truck started violently shaking. So much so that it was bouncing back and fourth in the lane and I couldn't control it. I gradually slowed the truck down and it wasn't until I slowed to about 30mph that it stopped shaking. This had happened to me a couple times before but not this bad.

After that I did a little research and found a one hundred and some odd page article on the NHTSAs website with literally hundreds of complaints pertaining to "death wobble" in Ram trucks. Of course the dealership played dumb when they looked at it saying everything looked fine. I even printed out that whole article and brought it with with me and they said they had never heard of the issue.


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## Sealer People (Nov 16, 2008)

Hi guys, Im not very mechanically inclined, but reading all these posts just makes my job of looking for a new truck alot harder. 
A wobble happened to us once in the past, it ended up being that the mechanic didnt tighten the wheel nuts lol. 

I was just looking at an 07, ram 2500, diesel, 6.7, 4x4, extended cab 
Looks like a great truck, just what I need for personal & plowing as a back up or "just incase" truck, but more for personal. 

Im not so sure anymore.
Came on the dodge discussion section to find out more about the 6.7 engine on the 2007's,,,
Now that im hearing about this death wobble, Im really thinking twice. 

Im not too happy with the ford reviews,

Dont hear much bad about the chevy's or GM's. 

Lastly, cant fugure out why when comparing prices, dodge rams are always more expensive/. 

Ive had people tell me about weak tranny's & front ends & very expensive repair costs. 

I love the truck & just looking to get a little insight.


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## bltp203 (Nov 5, 2006)

Dont let Death Wobble scare you from buying a Dodge. I had it and it wound up being bad ball joints. It usually is attributed to the track bar, but not in my case.

It CAN be fixed. Mine drives like a dream now and I will not hestiate to buy another Dodge.

To the OP, if you replaced one ball joint, you may want to consider just getting them all done.


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## hardwoodcd (Dec 29, 2010)

I would agree with most of the posts that are saying start with the rear u joint. I to am not very mechanically inclined. But have some basic knowledge and also have the best diesel mechanic. And Sealer People, you will be replacing front end components. Just do it with the proper parts and put it behind you. You won't hear me say that dodge is the very best, but CUMMINS IS!!!!!!!


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

I'm a huge Dodge fan but even I have come to grips with the fact their front ends suck. If you've only replaced 1 ball joint in 5 years then you're luckier than most. Take your truck to a reputable shop and they'll get it figured out. You might faint when you see all the parts you need but they're probably right.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Surprised the tranny pan hasn't rusted out on that truck.Or did it?


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

Sealer People;1351474 said:


> Hi guys, Im not very mechanically inclined, but reading all these posts just makes my job of looking for a new truck alot harder.
> A wobble happened to us once in the past, it ended up being that the mechanic didnt tighten the wheel nuts lol.
> 
> I was just looking at an 07, ram 2500, diesel, 6.7, 4x4, extended cab
> ...


I've owned 6 Rams spanning from 97 - 2004 and have never had it on any of them. The only Ram I owned without a Solid Front Axle was a 2002 1500.

Crazy enough, a lot of guys have the issue when switching to BFG AT's, some argue its not the case but guys have swapped tires and the problem went away. Others will say track bar, or Ball Joints.

What it comes down to is if you are experience death wobble, its a combination of worn out front end parts. If you replace worn parts with high end aftermarket replacements, it won't happen again. Repair costs are not expensive. The Cummins is the easiest diesel to work on and isn't any more expensive than the others. The 07's needed some reflashes and turbo replacements but that has all been updated by this point so I wouldn't be worried.

Best of luck.


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## dm5.9 (Dec 23, 2009)

check your front axle u-joints behind the front brakes. I have one that is shot has a lot of up and down play in it, and I get a vib on the highway just like you mention. Also had a problem like plowguy stated with the bfg's causing death wobble, after new tires and an alignment it went away.


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## nalegtx (Dec 22, 2008)

sounds like you have bad rear u-joint. Mine did the same thing out of no where. If not that then i would check your steering, as everyone here has mentioned it is common. You'd be surprised what low tire PSI can do as well, something you can check prior to bringing it to your shop. Make sure your tires are inflated to the low load rating as indicated on the driver door, there is a secondary sticker on the actual door itself. I believe its around 40 or 45, also make sure they are load rated 'E'. Just some quick checks you can make on your own.


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## pooleo8 (Nov 8, 2009)

Maybe you should replace the rest of the ball joints? usually when one goes, the others are not far behind


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

The Trani internals are not junk at all, they are actually very bullet proof beyond an Allison. It is the fluid transfer, flow, and valving that is the main issue. I have over abused my truck on completely stock internals and have no issues at all. I did a few adjustments to the valve body and added a better external cooler when I first got the truck and have no over-heating issues, shifting, shutter, excessive metal shavings in pan, nothing. Without proper fluid flow through a trans of any kind it will fail. Just my two cents and what I have found after pulling a fluid diagram and looking at the internal parts. Now ball joints?, oh yeah my Dana 60 eats them alive, but it is a solid axle, U-joints?, you bet. Got grease able Spicer in them now so should be ok. Body rust? All over. Rear bumper?? It rusted off. Truck still go?? Like a champ!!


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## BlueRam2500 (Jan 15, 2005)

sailscall01;1347383 said:


> I have a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 and recently with in the last year it has started to fall apart. Replaced one ball joint so far, exhaust manifold on right side replaced(under warranty), paid for a $58 chip that cost $500 in labor to replace. Now when I drive on the expressway at 65 mph my truck rattles and shakes and feels like it is bouncing. I recently had the tires rotated and rebalanced. Someone mentioned cupping, however when I took the tires to be rebalanced again, the guy said they look ok.. Any suggestions or has anyone had a similar problem.. I thought it might be a strut but another mechanic said he didn't think so.. Any help is appreciated.. Thanks in advance..


I bet your u-joints are bad. Replace them all at once, along with all of your ball joints. As long as you got the stuff apart, do it and go with the Spicers or the Moog parts.


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## Moonlighter (Mar 31, 2008)

Proud owner of a 94 Ram 2500 4x4, I have upgraded all my suspension to off road standards (not cheap but well worth it), regular maintenance, grease everything after each storm, and keep her clean and she will purrr for a long time.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

I have had none of the reported issues every Dodge owner complaints about in the mileage issues they report- including ball joints, wobble, tie rods...

The front ends can be fixed - the ball joints are Dana 60, the same as Ford and Chevy used so I've never understood calling the junk. The tie rod system is bad, but bulletproof steering will fix it perm for the same cost as rebuilding with Moog or TRW.

The track bar without the ball joint is the fix for the wobble issue, while the track bar alone is not the only cause for the wobble.


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## sailscall01 (Oct 19, 2005)

Well I am actually getting everything done to the truck. I actually printed all the replies everyone left for me and presented it to a mechanic. He is going to check U Joints, tie rod and the other ball joint. I am also going to replace my shocks, front and rear. I have the original factory set on.. What are you guys replacing them with. I have the Dodge Ram 2500 HD with the Plow Package.. Thanks again for all the replies with this wobble issue.. 

Happy New Year!!!

Sailscall01


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## USMCMP5811 (Aug 31, 2008)

I just did all 4 of my shocks in my 05.

These guys seem to have the best prices going.

http://www.topguncustomz.com/


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