I have a 2002 Chevy Express 3500 work van with a Spartan tool body on it. I'm the original owner with 210k miles and have never had any hint of a death wobble but I have replaced nearly every ball joint and tie rod in the front suspension as they wore out. 30k miles seems low to wear something out up there but something is definitely wrong so get it looked at ASAP !
Death wobble can happen on ifs front ends. Most cases are due to loose/worn pitman and/or idler arms. It would be rare to have worn parts at 30k, but something could have broken or just be loose.
My 98 3500 express has 186000 miles on it and I just had every front end suspension/steering component replaced. I had very sloppy idler arm brackets and worn out ball joints and wasted control arm bushings. Even so, I never had any issues with death wobble and often had the van loaded to 9,000 pounds with a motorcycle hanging off the back. My vote is also for something being seriously wrong with your van. I hope you get it figured out!
So, I brought the van to a reputable alignment shop. They found a faulty hydroboost that caused the brake pads to ride on the rotors. Rotors are warped. I couldn't tell while driving, I was always impressed at how well it coasted. I'm saving up to get it fixed. I'll let everyone know if that does the trick. The rest of the suspension checked out ok.
So, I brought the van to a reputable alignment shop. They found a faulty hydroboost that caused the brake pads to ride on the rotors. Rotors are warped. I couldn't tell while driving, I was always impressed at how well it coasted. I'm saving up to get it fixed. I'll let everyone know if that does the trick. The rest of the suspension checked out ok.
I can understand warped rotors from the brake pads ridding the rotors, but it seems that a stuck caliper would be a much more likely suspect than a faulty hydroboost unit. Interesting.
Herb
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