Death Wobble

[dig255]

driving home from an outing got on the freeway got up to speed and all of a sudden the front end was like possessed wobbling all over thought I was going to crash. Slowed down and it smoothed out. Pulled over changed my shorts then started looking around for a obvious problem like something shifted or moved or loose, but saw nothing. Had a 90 mile white knuckle drive home not knowing what was wrong. Got home 4 hours later driving 20 miles an hour on the shoulder of the freeway.
Upon getting home and further inspection found a bad TRACK BAR MOUNT

[KTMRIDER]

That’s not good. Glad you are ok. Seems like that van has it out for you!

[IanF]

Yikes! At least it got you home and shouldn't be too hard to fix.

I'm curious - when you buy a 4x4 converted van, is a parts list included with part numbers? My understanding is SMB uses as few pure-custom parts as possible. A track bar should be an off-the-shelf item that can be ordered from any parts house or RockAuto.

[deserteagle56]

Originally Posted by IanF

Yikes! At least it got you home and shouldn't be too hard to fix.

I'm curious - when you buy a 4x4 converted van, is a parts list included with part numbers? My understanding is SMB uses as few pure-custom parts as possible. A track bar should be an off-the-shelf item that can be ordered from any parts house or RockAuto.

My 2007 Quigley came with a 20 page parts list and diagrams of everything - and I bought it used. Supposedly Quigley can still supply each and every part on the list. I can't verify that because I've not had any problems with mine. Love it!

[Beasty Boy]

Originally Posted by deserteagle56

My 2007 Quigley came with a 20 page parts list and diagrams of everything - and I bought it used. Supposedly Quigley can still supply each and every part on the list. I can't verify that because I've not had any problems with mine. Love it!

I'm guessin a bungee wouldn't have fixed that

[arctictraveller]

Wow, that looks like it's been worn for quite a while, glad you made it home safely.

[Twoxentrix]

Bet you were exhausted - 4hrs of knuckle driving (at any speed) & never really knowing if something would fall apart is certainly an emotional drain. Guess the upside is you can access the fix without having to remove 15 peripheral engine parts.

[SierraHawk]

The track bar may be a casualty of the death wobble. Toe in, caster and camber should be checked but sometimes it is just an emotional problem with the Dynatrac. They are sensitive to any kind of changes even those from normal wear of the components. Sagging rear springs, towing a trailer, angle of decline and speed, etc. The death wobble did not break my track bar but it did break the lower track bar mount that is built with heavier material than the track bar. Called Peter. He said that 4X4 owners are welding the lower mount back together. Replace the track bar, check for any other damage front to rear but ultimately you need to install the SMB death wobble kit. I am only saying it because it is literally risking your life while traveling in the conditions that we drive off road and then hit the pavement on the way home. I am usually disgusted by the materials and workmanship I see in over half of the things I purchase but the SMB steering stabilizer kit is designed and machined very well. It takes an hour to install. And no...Peter did not pay me anything to write this but if he is feeling generous maybe a break in the price of parts later on? All for now.

[daveb]

I broke mine several years back. It looked just like the pic Dig just posted. I was scheduled for some work at SMBW and was asked if I was having issues. I never even knew it was broken. SMB replaced it but when I took it to Deaver for new springs, they installed a more heavy duty track bar after showing the one SMB replaced a few years earlier was cracked as well.

[SierraHawk]

I replaced the original track bar several years ago because it was cracked. Materials seemed too thin but the second track bar I installed did break the lower mount. Not sure what to make of it but the death wobble can cause some serious damage to even the heaviest materials.