Long time mechanic - F 350 front wheel shaking. To understand this problem without needing a degree in physics all you have to do is think of a shopping cart. Have you ever had one and the wheel shakes so bad you turn it in for another one. The wheel is called a caster for a reason. When they become out of place it changes the geometry for which it was designed for. The result can be shaking. I will not go into much detail about caster but I will tell you it is there so when you turn the steering wheel and let go the car well return to straight forward. How does this relate to your car? This is how. A manufacture sets the caster and when front end components are tight the wheels behave as they were designed to, however when a little play is existent as in when the front end components wear. The tires send a movement from one side to the other and the harmonics increase back and forth. The more caster there is the more harmonics will be exhibited. Also true with larger tire sizes. An easy fix is a damper available at off road centers. They come in universal attachments. A damper basically stops the transfer of movement from one side to the other. It looks like a side ways shock absorber and that is basically what it is with a different attachment point and damping characteristic. Wheel balance and tire spec should be at proper index. Severely worn front end components should always be replaced with new quality parts. A damper will stop the tires from shaking, but it is not a fix for worn front end parts that can be a potential for failure. I hope this helps and I know some of you will have more questions.
The entire front end had to be rebuilt at this mileage - ball joints, etc. The dealer says they get at least one a week to do. This was a $40,000 truck.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The entire front end had to be rebuilt at this mileage - ball joints, etc. The dealer says they get at least one a week to do. This was a $40,000 truck.
- msdaisey, Snow Hill, MD, US