1st Gen Taco Death Wobble???

[taco_tay]

Hey guys I bought a tacoma last summer. The previous owner says it has a 2" lift (not sure what kind). When I drive on the highway around 60-70 and hit a road transition from a bridge to road, I get the gnarliest death wobble you could imagine. My girlfriend grabs the oh ******** handle every time. I have a topper on the truck which adds some weight but I don't think it would add enough weight to cause the problem. Have any of you guys experienced this in your rigs? I think it might just have worn out shocks but thought I would get all of your opinions before I go and put some new shocks on it.

Thanks

 

[1MK]

Check for play in all steering and suspension components. Lift the front end up and shake the wheel up and down, left and right. Worn balljoints, tierods and rack bushings can cause ill effects.

Alignment? A lot of times a lift needs a upper control arm to get the alignment back into factory specifications. Not enough caster will make the vehicle track all over the road, especially going through bumps.

I'd start there first before investing into shocks.

 

[v_man]

Need more info ... what size tires are you running ? Do you have to stop completely do get rid of wobble , or can you accelerate or decelerate to get rid of wobble ?

Start with easy fixes first , I highly doubt changing shocks will fix . I'd check your steering rack for any free play , then I'd get a good alignment , and then check your wheel bearings ...

It is still IFS correct ?

 

[taco_tay]

Ok awesome thanks...that is a good place to start. Might be a cheaper fix than buying new shocks. I also hear a clicking noise occasionally when i'm driving down a dirt road with washboards. Now thinking about it I bet it could be play in the front end. The only thing that confuses me though is if I hit a bump right my rear end kicks out. Any thoughts on that??

 

[taco_tay]

Need more info ... what size tires are you running ? Do you have to stop completely do get rid of wobble , or can you accelerate or decelerate to get rid of wobble ?

Start with easy fixes first , I highly doubt changing shocks will fix . I'd check your steering rack for any free play , then I'd get a good alignment , and then check your wheel bearings ...

It is still IFS correct ?

The tires are 31's and no I don't have to come to a stop. Braking slightly is the only thing to get it to stop. If I try to accelerate it gets worse. Yes it is still IFS (wish it wasn't) lol...the goal eventually is to do a SAS but that may be a ways down the road.

 

[duckhunter71]

I think the rear end kicking out may just be the nature of the beast. My 3rd gen 4Runner did that all the time and it was completely stock. Seems like it's just a characteristic of the platform as wider/heavier vehicles that I've driven in the same areas do not do it.

 

[DVexile]

Check and make sure you still have a sway bar. Many people remove them from their trucks and it can make on road handling dangerous. Though I'm not sure that completely matches the symptoms you have, it would be a sensible thing to check if someone sold you a lifted truck. Completely blown shocks would of course make wobbles go on forever, but you'd be able to see the same effect just from a speed bump. Should be pretty easy to tell if you have blown shocks.

 

[taco_tay]

Ya I'll have to check the sway bar as well... I think you guys are right. My old truck was a 06 sc taco and its rear end would kick out in the right size pot hole too. Might just be dealing with a warn out front end component. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Yuman Desert Rat]

Start simple.... make sure that your tires are balanced.... from there start looking into ball joints, alignment, tie rod ends sway bar bushings....

 

[taco_tay]

Will do!

 

[p nut]

I could never pinpoint on my old Tacoma, either. Hit a little bump on the freeway at speed, and the front end bounced all over the place. I was able to get it somewhat subdued by replacing the steering rack bushings. Not too hard to do, but wasn't without challenges.

http://wheelersoffroad.com/product/...s/steering-rack-bushing-kit-for-01-04-tacoma/

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Lots of things can cause death wobble. Tire size, tire shape (crown or flat), tire imbalance, tire pressure, wheel offset, use of wheel spacers, etc. Those are the most overlooked aspects of a truck that often lead to death wobble.

On first gen Tacos though, the tie rod ends on the steering rack are NOTORIOUS for wearing out and causing problems. Check those first.

And then if you are using wheel spacers, remove them and try it. If you have access to a different set of wheels and tires, try those too. Try going up or down with your tire pressure. Sometimes too much pressure causes death wobble.

If you do find a problem and a fix, post it up so others can benefit.

 

[taco_tay]

Thanks for all the info guys...i'm going to put it up this weekend and start checking it out.