Death Wobble

[Big hammer]

Balance the tires

[Rob Doe]

Originally Posted by katy

What's the anti-freeze supposed to do?

Some old timers used antifreeze to balance the tires from within. It is common practice on larger truck tires to use a liquid in the tire or tube to balance it.

[nkaminar]

If the inside if the tire is round with respect to the hub bearing adding something inside will balance the tires above the critical speed for the tires/wheels. The critical speed is the rpm where the movement (bouncing) is the greatest, which is a function of the springs, shocks, and weight of the tires/wheels. Above the critical speed the light side of the tire/wheel is moving at the greatest radius so whatever is inside the tire will move to that position and balance it.

I have never tried antifreeze or the balancing beads. I balance with stick-on lead weights. I would think that you would need a viscus fluid inside the tire so that it does not move around very much, for instance when you hit a bump. Also has to be heavy (dense) and not hurt the rubber. Maybe something like a rubber lube and the balancing beads?

[WHN]

On a car or truck with a solid front axel you should check the following for steering wheel shimmy.

Bearings, alignment, wheel balance. Now on a car that’s almost 100 years old! You could also have a combination of many little things. The some total of which add up to your problem.

If fixing your bearing problem, that you know about, and your tire problem, that you also know about. Does not solve your shimmy. Than I would recommend dropping your front end and checking everything. A little here and a little there, causes a problem.

I bet it only shimmy’s when you are going straight. My guess is it’s mainly the two issues you already know about.

Good luck.

[Bill G]

Yes, the wobble happens at low speeds, and is very annoying. When I bought my car and took it home, it had the same wobble. Irregularities in the road and slowing at stop signs were usually what set it off. I replaced all the cups and springs in the tie rod and drag link. Still had the problem. Tightened and made sure the wishbone ball was good and properly seated. Mine originally had the rubber ball on the radius arms (wishbone) and I went back to the standard set-up. Fortunately the ball was in good shape. Still had the wobble. Checked the wheel bearings. Wobble still there. King pins were nice and no play. Set the toe-in and it improved, but still wobbled on occasion. Even though the wobble persisted, each step did make some of the steering better. What finally solved it was that the Pittman arm was not tight on the sector shaft of the steering gear. That sucker needs to be tight. Another thing that can set it off would be an excessively wobbley wheel, but check everything methodically.

None of the above things cost much money, but as you can see, there are a lot of variables that go into routing out the wobble. Just go through each item and take your time and learn from the experience.

[nkaminar]

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The bolt/nut on the pittman arm, as you say, needs to be really tight. A 1/2 inch breaker bar and socket wrench is needed. There should be no movement relative to the shaft coming out of the steering box.

I forget if you have adjusted the steering box but if you haven't that would be something to do.