Dodge Ram Death Wobble - FIXED! (Ball Joints)

I replace the ball joints in my 2006 Dodge Ram. After struggling with front end death wobble for months, I finally found my solution: ball joints. Track bar, steering box, steering linkage, after-market steering stabilizer, shocks, tire rotation and alignment all did not help.

[@happyhappyjoyjoy6563]

man your ttruck is beautiful, hardly any rust!

[@c1waters]

Awesome video, I have been putting this off but no longer have that option.

[@user-ym9wb2mk5e]

Moogs (ball joints) on my '12 Ram 2500 are on their second set, in about 50k miles, and that's after trying the AAM specifics for my model. These trucks are notorious for eating them. That's after only having the stock suspension, then coil spacers to level, then to full on coil level kit. I won't buy anything Moog until they get back to making good parts. I don't tear up my stuff, so lesson learned on getting quality parts. Going to try Dana/Spicer this month. The best thing to do though is get a heavy duty track bar. I've had death wobble before w/ family in the truck and wife wants to sell it. Haven't had it since changing over to a BD Diesel Track bar. Thing is stout!

[@adrpals2324]

Good job, Sir.

[@AjKaArjun]

This was a great video, I wish someone would make similar video for lifters and cam replacement for 5.7 hemi

[@jeffmartin9523]

988

[@threadtapwhisperer5136]

What I tell everyone is dodge dont make bad stuff, Dodge jist don't want to play with the third party parts development like Chevy amd Is of ford and merlin do. Theres lots of people wanting to build 5.7hemis but I'm am only 1 man with sketchy accuratw tools in a 2 car garage. Only so much I can do and for so lirtle time.

[@allensnook7760]

Check out martins jeep vids he does the 4.7 lifters n cams.might be close to what u need.snookie pa.

[@gregtrent8162]

That universal joint as part of axle joint , should be replaced also

[@rhino736]

Very helpful!

[@philbrown5722]

I'm so glad it was helpful!

[@LoneWolf-cf5tp]

Great job. Always block the axle tube after removing the axle shaft though. Lol Yeah I had to be that guy. 😂. Moog had a bad reputation with ball joints a few years back. Hopefully they’ve made improvements so u want have to replace them again. 👍🏻

[@wallyg9512]

My Moogs only lasted about 40k miles

[@fidiusjwhoopie]

@@wallyg9512 dont trust moogs anymore, carli way to go

[@wallyg9512]

@@fidiusjwhoopie I went with EMF and am very happy. Their videos also solved my root issue which was a bad steering knuckle causing premature wear

[@user-ym9wb2mk5e]

They haven't! Esp ordering ball points and their bearing units, I got tired of ordering (after 8 tries for the Moog hub bearing) from Amazon. The boxes always had the wrong part in the Ram 2500 PN box. I went back to Dana/Spicer on the u-joints. My 2012 Spicer PN is 5-1350X, not sure if they fit the 3rd gens though.

[@mdmwelding3189]

How much would it cost if I take it to a shop to get my ball joints replaced

[@madgunnermaurer]

Sometimes heat and cold can help to loosen the tight rusted stuff

[@gregtrent8162]

You got bad ball joints, or unjoints as ball joints which will create wobble

[@dan10400]

Do you remember how much play you had in the ball joints? Your story of the shops replacing everything else sounds just where I am at now with my 2006.

[@philbrown5722]

I didn't notice much with everything put together (the wheel felt solid when I had the truck jacked up and tried to rock it back and forth by hand). But the old ball joints I removed felt pretty sloppy--especially compared with the new ones, which I could only just move by hand.

[@allensnook7760]

Just got done watching ur vid,it was pretty much a text book job on how its done.isnt it so satisfying knowing u got it done and saved urself 500.00 in garage fees.i could tell you had some self doubt on use of press tool and hammer smacking.but yup thats how its done you even did good on the steering power trick to press wheel hub bearing out.in your kit is some angled cut outs there so you can make the tool press straight,rather than at odd angles as worked somehow in ur favor.none the less u found ones that worked.just my two cents slather the shit on that hub with anti-sieze next time.makes life easier on removale.ive got same scary death wobble on my 2002 4.7l grand cherokee im thinking ur fix is gonna be same fix for me.it drives fine on flat roads.at whatever speeds i need.but if i go across a two inch speed bump even at 60mph it goes nuts to point of wrecking almost.only fix is stop or seriously slow down.just as you done it all looks fine and same thing ive replaced everything else,tie rod,drag link,sway bar,pitman arm,axle center rod(forgot its name.).only thing left i havent changed is you guessed it.ball joints or control arms or shocks.but they all seemed good.well ill try it seems like it was ur fix.sorry this was long but i had alot to explain.great job!!snookie pa.p.s.the dodges and jeeps were known for this bad death wobble easpally with lifts.ive got the 2inch rough country.snookie🤪🤐🖐👍💥💥

[@Hoffman-ed2ul]

Carli suspension makes awesome front ball joints for dodge.

[@threadtapwhisperer5136]

Are those the sperical ones with adjustable woop de woop de too? I only ask due to fighting this same fight. On a Wisconsin dodge, 1998, half cancer custom model. The sheer fact youcan see this stuff means you got the job licked. My dad and I were reduced to 2 man breach and clear style tactics. Breaker bar, with cheater pipe of cold rolled, lifting up on the hub nut, hydraulic floor Jack way out at the end. The truck got about 8 inches and sphincter factor 5.5 before the truck slammed back into the back stands, but came sorta loose, still had to figjt the first inch of threads. Drivers side? Oh dude, no frealing way was that anywhere near the correct torque. Just aboot have dad and I some-are teeth. Passenger side was holing quantum mechanics together. Ol dad and I were each about 245lbs im those days, with 6ft of cheater pipe on a 3/4 drive brealer bar, jist standing on it we should have easily created 380-400ft lbs, right? I commend you, fine gentleman, that job irks my quirks, give me square brain, and has all the no Buenos.

[@Hoffman-ed2ul]

@@threadtapwhisperer5136 My truck is a 2003 3500 Ram diesel dually w/ 8” lift on 37”. Tires. I’m going on 3 years now on Carlis with no issues. I tried Napas ball joints and only got a year out of them.

[@davidburdett1920]

Those are knurled ball joints… meant for oversized holes. Now the holes will be enlarged.

[@philbrown5722]

Well spotted. Thanks for pointing that out. Looks like this truck will be going knurled from here on out. 😬

[@jasondearduff8274]

Try all that up north in the snow county. Everything rusty

[@stevemitchell238]

this is the same wabble you will get on semi truck tag axle before the drives on concreat typ and other heavy trucks same thing over 50 mph and hit a bump . it will make your but pucker seat just get off the fule if this hapens and dump your tag then wright it up for all new bushings

[@denisgiguere1600]

I had the death wabble with a 2011 ram 1500, it was HORRIFIC. It turn out that the left front shock was ''stuck'', the metal rod was ''sunk'' and jammed in the bottom of the cartridge and at first look it was indetedtable. I found the problem only when i removed the part. I bought 2 new shocks and it was the end of the wabble. I have to say that with thw wabble, the maximum speed that the truck can handle was 50 M/H, over 50 it was TOTALLY uncontrollable and SCARY :0)

[@philbrown5722]

Yeah, the death wobble is the worst. I had the shocks replaced at a shop early on and it didn't fix it. I even replaced then again myself because I wasn't sure they used a quality set... Still didn't help my situation.

[@Mega7492]

Should have cleaned the bearing and antiseeze the bearing before assembly.

[@briansengstock59]

If you are getting a wobble going 50 and hit a bump then the wobble stopped when you slow down sounds more like the wheel is out of balance .

[@philbrown5722]

Yeah. I went down the whole tire path early on. Rotation, balance, alignment all done. No help.

[@briansengstock59]

My 2003 2500 ram heavy duty had the steering play were the the input shaft to the steering box would move right or left without the tires moving.I found a aftermarket steering box that fixed the issues.IT IS NOT A REBUILD OF OEM.it is a new box it is about $700.now

[@valbertbadano4763]

Mine is a 2005 2wd and doesn't look anything like this...

[@Kdubz_Auto_HVAC]

Thats a great way to eff your steering rack up man doing what you did to knock the knuckle/hub lose just hit it with a ballpeen

[@philbrown5722]

Bah. Seen lots of people use this method with no issues. Just think of the stress on these components with the whole weight of the truck on the front end: going down the highway at 75mph, driving through a muddy pasture, hitting a pothole, etc. This is nothing. If it can't handle this, it's junk.

[@Kdubz_Auto_HVAC]

@@philbrown5722 thats great logic but basic physics will dictate that a corroded and siezed hub[just an example]could absolutely damage your steering rack by doing that, you are just lucky the hub decided to give way instead of your rack. Seized components can literally prevent a car from moving so it could absolutely damage your rack. Im tryna help you man but its all good brother you clearly got it all figured out. You will misalign the pinion off the grooves if its a rack and pinion which could blow seals.

[@endtables]

How was your steering return after putting the moog ball joints in?

[@philbrown5722]

I didn't really notice much difference in steering with the new ball joints..

[@jaxturner7288]

Steering return is influenced by the caster adjustments. The stiffness of your ball joints will not influence it or even be noticed while driving. Usually the front axle trailing arm bushings go limp in the one direction and that decreases caster causing memory steering issues on rams. Especially on 3/4 tons because they are the same arms as 1/2 tons but often used even harder. So check your arms if you have return steering issues, and of course check your actual alignment settings if you haven’t.

[@mudslutmusic9052]

It’s in the steering box

[@BigAl52]

How many miles where on your truck when you did this

[@philbrown5722]

About 180K

[@BigAl52]

@@philbrown5722 Thanks for the reply

[@deanlee1871]

Awesome were those the original balljoints

[@philbrown5722]

You know, I'm not sure. Probably.

[@bryanhauschild4376]

FYI, I fixed my death wobble by getting rid of my Cooper tires and putting Toyo’s on my Dodge 3500. I changed nothing else.

[@philbrown5722]

Interesting. I read similar reports while researching my issue. I rotated my tires, which didn't help, but have not replaced them as that's one of the most expensive individual "repairs" in the whole system. However, I don't doubt that tires alone can cause serious issues. I've seen it on other vehicles, and wouldn't be surprised if they are a contributing factor in my case.

[@bryanhauschild4376]

@@philbrown5722 I can agree on the contributing aspect.

[@thewolf8848]

and we dont get to see the result???wow.

[@briananderson3801]

4 wheel drive the steering box the steering arm has to b lowered away from the steering box how ever many inches u raised the truck

[@krojas7607]

You're gonna find out mood ball joints or no good you're gonna have to go back in there within a year and a 1/2 to replace them again I'm again Napa makes a ball joint fool that truck it's put out by nascar they work better for that type of truck same truck I have

[@paddlefaster]

I solved my death wobble by selling the friggin truck. Dodge is turning out pieces of crap. Back to the line of trucks I swore I'd never own again, F-150s. Right out of the gate the Dodge had 12 things wrong with it.

[@briananderson3801]

The bump steer is not right the tie rod is probably lower than the bottom ball joint along er a arm is needed ,,,u raised the truck ,,,lower it 2 to 3 inches and it will stop ,,,if you don't want to change the a arm😊