Vibration Issues 87 Ram 50 2.0

[crashman911]

I have always had a small vibration in my truck but now it is getting worse. A few weeks ago i got it in the air and noticed the idle arm bushing were gone. I replaced them and the vibration got worse so i checked the steering and i had play in the pitman arm and the passenger tie rod end. I have replaced the pitman arm and drivers and passenger tie rod end and the vibration seems better. I have new tires that were balanced a few weeks ago and I still have a vibration that i cant find. It doesn't get worse when stopping and generally gets worse over 45mph but not always. The vibration is always present but gets better and worse sporadically. Any Ideas?

[lush90]

What condition are your shock absorbers in?

[bobbyk]

check the u-joints in the drive shaft

[crashman911]

Shocks are pretty worn but not out and the u joint at trans is solid but the one at the rear end has a slight bit of wiggle. Would the little bit of wiggle be enough for it to get almost violent at time while driving.

[Law Dog]

Take the excess play out of the gear box maybe, next time it's real bad make a turn and see if that helps any (changes the tire from rotating in sync). My jeep will do that and I think there is enough play in my gear box that the wheels are just enough out of balance the fight each other at higher speeds.

[pennyman1]

LCA and strut rod bushings need replaced - get urethane ones from prothane or energy suspension

[bobbyk]

There should be no play in your u- joints. I would start there and also do front end bushings like pennyman said.

[crashman911]

money is tight is there a way to tell if the lca and strut rod bushings are bad? I going to replace the ujoint anyway.

[pennyman1]

the strut rod bushings you can see under the rad core support without lifting the truck. for the lca bushings, lift the truck up and look where the lca goes into the crossmember, if there is any of the bushing that you can see, it is bad. rubber ones are about 10/set, urethane is 16-20.

[ahicks66]

I am soooo glad I found this post... I've been a GM car owner, with the exception of a '94 Tracker, for twenty years... And sadly, my knowledge and diagnosis skills are not in the suspension and steering areas.

My '95 MM has similar issues - I get a random, violent shaking (where the steering wheel tries to rip itself out of my hands) that is specifically triggered by bumps, frost heave, and the "crown" in certain streets. It's usually remedied by sharply jerking the steering wheel one way or the other, a majority of the time going RIGHT solves the problem. On some bumps, especially on corners, the truck gets absolutely skittish and the read end wants to come around on me. Having some weight in the back helps the skittish behavior, but often makes the wobbling worse.

For me, on limited income, I am constrained to taking the absolute cheapest way out, at least for now. I've gotten it narrowed down to the following issues:
* shocks all around (front right has no bounce and usually remains at whatever height you push or lift it to, truck leans left slightly, front left bounces a little when you push down and release)
* pitman arm and idler arm, bushings are completely toast
* all four tires have severely cracked sidewalls (tough to find 14" decent truck tires at an affordable price, any suggestions?)
* strut rod bushings (thanks to the above post by pennyman1, I now know what those cracked bushings are called!)

My mother's boyfriend used to have a Ford Courier with similar issues, he suggested checking the ball joints, which I tried the rock-back-and-forth method both on and off ground and they seem to have no play. I haven't been able to check the control arm bushings yet. Thankfully, I have time to get into it this week and the wobbly issue is something that I need to address ASAP but as cheaply as possible.

Can anyone suggest what I should start with? Tires are probably not an option at this time, and although I know I need the idler and pitman arms (which, as far as I know, will only clear up the 4"-5" of play in the steering wheel), should I look at the front shocks first? Or do you guys recommend something else?

I look underneath these trucks, look at the suspension setup, and I honestly am stumped. I've only been under 4WD trucks (3 "square-body" S-10 Blazers, and my '94 Tracker) so I don't completely understand how it all connects and works in conjunction. 20 years of doing my own car maintenance, including "freelance" work, one year as an assistant mechanic, and never been formally trained... So any advice you could give would be very much appreciated!!!

As a sidenote: While being an assistant mechanic, we had a second assistant mechanic for two months that owned a D-50 2wd 5-sp., and I used to scoff at his passion and obsession into his truck. After having Maximilian for two years, all I can say is NOW I GET IT!!! I totally understand why these trucks have such a loyal following now that I own one.

[ragragtimetime]

along the idea of "absolute cheapest way out": do you have any tire wear that may help with diagnosis? or any connections with someone at an alignment shop that could "attempt" to align which would immediately find any issues that may be a safety factor. (i understand that you "rock-back-and-forth method both on and off ground" but some components need to be pried to reveal an issue). best of luck (& use the discount code from rockauto when the time comes).

[crashman911]

ok its been a little while since i was on i replaced my lca bushings on both sides along with my leaf spring bushings that were worn the strut bar bushing are in good shape. the only thing i can come up with is a tire out of round on the rear causing it to jump since the rear ends in these trucks are so light. the tires are new so i may be the rim itself. is there a way to straighten them or do i need to take them somewhere to have it done.