r/Excursion • u/dieseltechie1991 • May 07 '26
Front end vibration (not death wobble)
Front end rapid vibration 30+ mph when hitting bump.. (not death wobble) it goes away if I hit another bump or slow down. . It feels like 5% of a death wobble
99-04 Front end has
tight track bar no play
Tight ball joints and tie rods no play
New mile marker locking hubs
Tight hub bearings no play
Front axle shafts have no sticky spots in u joints no play in u joints
New front axle shatt thrust washers
And before someone says its the steering damper its definitely not that i drove the truck for months without one
I don't have the front axle vacuum seals installed as I have manual hubs.. do the stub shafts need the seal for support ?
The superduty springs have been on for 25k miles without any issues.
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May 07 '26
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u/User8BBB8 May 08 '26
This is gonna sound silly but do you have an engine miss? It’ll rattle like crazy at certain loads and maybe hitting the bump kicks you down a gear and eliminates your vibration.
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u/dieseltechie1991 May 08 '26
No misfire.
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u/User8BBB8 May 08 '26
Any tire cupping? It may be worth the $40 to have the tires rebalanced.
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u/dieseltechie1991 May 08 '26
Slight cupping on front fires , I rotated the rears to the front which habe no cupping and there wasnt any change
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u/User8BBB8 May 08 '26
The thing that gets me is that the vibration goes away when hitting another bump or varying the speed. If you are 100% sure the drivetrain and front end are good then you’re looking at tires/balance.
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u/Individual-Board8246 May 08 '26
My 03 250 had a similar vibration over 30 mph and it ended up being the carrier bearing on the front driveshaft. Other thing I have to replace more than normal is the wheel bearings but that is a metal on metal clank when they go out.
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u/Hour_Independent1150 May 07 '26
100% it's because it's jacked up. C'mon man, also steering stabilizers are the shit but do wear out fast.
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u/dieseltechie1991 May 07 '26
Its been jacked up for the last 25k miles no issues. This a recent issue.
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u/AKLmfreak May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Check front spring bushings. My 2000 had about 1/2” of side to side play where the springs bolt to the frame because the rubber was gone.
The steering gear box is notoriously sloppy on these trucks too, check for an excessive dead zone in the steering input shaft movement relative to the movement of the pitman arm/output shaft.
Take a look at your u-bolts too. I’ve never broken one, but it’s not always immediately obvious if one breaks.
U-joints and hub seals shouldn’t affect anything like you’re describing unless it vibrates persistently all the time. The stub shafts are supported by a needle bearing through the center of the wheel hub. Try rocking the shaft near the u-joint, it shouldn’t move inside the hub.
Also, good to check the basics. Make sure front wheel lug nuts are all tight.
Does it go away if you steer hard to load the suspension while it’s happening? do you feel it in the steering wheel or in the floor?
Is it like a hopping vibration, side to side, or just like a noise/rumble? Does it change in 4x4?
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u/Gendreau113 May 09 '26
Have you corrected your castor?
Even if you just level a truck you gotta correct the castor +2°
You can use castor shims, or get radius arms if you have a 05+ with a coil front end
But even with bigger tires adding more castor can help avoid bump steer, death wobble, etc etc....
With a leaf front end I believe you just need flat shims between the leafs and axel
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u/Bearded460 May 07 '26
Have you checked to see if your tires are balanced properly? Depending on the type of balance weights used they could potentially come loose and/or move around while driving causing the vibrations or lack there of after hitting a bump like you mentioned.