Death Wobble at 45+

i82much · December 27, 2019

1 minute ago, Bowtieordie221 said:

Yeah, I’ve got a 74 K30 with a NP435 and a front Dana 60, it’s does what a truck should. When they made the switch to IFS I felt like they were trying to make them more like cars and less like work horses and man I had some problems with the steering system on my latest Dmax. The 2008 I had before that went through ball joints and control arm bushings like they were candy and I finally switched up to the new model which was a mistake. I’ve got 88k on my Cummins and haven’t had a single problem with it, honestly think I should have taken my brothers advice years ago. The interior and everything is nicer and it does better in the snow and mud than my Dmaxs did.

That's interesting. For the most part, I've heard that the 2011 and up GM HD trucks have a rock-solid IFS due to some major frame and suspension changes that were made that year. I do not expect to have any issues with my 2016, but I also imagine the gas engine is a lot easier than the Duramax on the front end due to the weight.

All that being said, my straight axle 72 will walk all over my 2016 when it comes to off-roading, it's just that I actually need that capability so rarely I find my new truck is really the perfect fit for me.

Bowtieordie221 · December 27, 2019

3 minutes ago, i82much said:

That's interesting. For the most part, I've heard that the 2011 and up GM HD trucks have a rock-solid IFS due to some major frame and suspension changes that were made that year. I do not expect to have any issues with my 2016, but I also imagine the gas engine is a lot easier than the Duramax on the front end due to the weight.

All that being said, my straight axle 72 will walk all over my 2016 when it comes to off-roading, it's just that I actually need that capability so rarely I find my new truck is really the perfect fit for me.

I thought the same when I picked up my 2016 but it was not good. I’ve also talked to quite a few guys that have had the same issues even with their Vortec trucks. I’ve become a lot more skeptical that GM is just really good at making us think what they want us to haha. In the words of Tommy Boy, “they could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves!” I’m really happy with my Ram and if they keep making their trucks like this they’ll keep having my business.

Bowtieordie221 · December 27, 2019

10 minutes ago, i82much said:

That's interesting. For the most part, I've heard that the 2011 and up GM HD trucks have a rock-solid IFS due to some major frame and suspension changes that were made that year. I do not expect to have any issues with my 2016, but I also imagine the gas engine is a lot easier than the Duramax on the front end due to the weight.

All that being said, my straight axle 72 will walk all over my 2016 when it comes to off-roading, it's just that I actually need that capability so rarely I find my new truck is really the perfect fit for me.

Just read some of the other guys who posted on my thread and this isn’t the only thread out there about it.

i82much · December 27, 2019

16 minutes ago, Bowtieordie221 said:

Just read some of the other guys who posted on my thread and this isn’t the only thread out there about it.

My truck is a work truck and doesn't have the digital steering assist, so I am hoping to avoid the issue.

Bowtieordie221 · December 27, 2019

3 minutes ago, i82much said:

My truck is a work truck and doesn't have the digital steering assist, so I am hoping to avoid the issue.

Oh, yeah you dodged a bullet there. My 2006 didn’t have the system and it never had a death wobble but it did go through bushings and such like crazy. Hopefully they’ve made things better since then. I do use my trucks off road quite a bit but by the miles I have on my new truck I’d have already had to do ball joints and control arm bushings on my Dmaxs. Not to mention CVs

i82much · December 27, 2019

1 minute ago, Bowtieordie221 said:

Oh, yeah you dodged a bullet there. My 2006 didn’t have the system and it never had a death wobble but it did go through bushings and such like crazy. Hopefully they’ve made things better since then. I do use my trucks off road quite a bit but by the miles I have on my new truck I’d have already had to do ball joints and control arm bushings on my Dmaxs. Not to mention CVs

Every now and again being a tightwad turns out for the best!

dlg65gto · December 31, 2019

December 31st, 2019. I picked up my 2016 GMC 2500HD with 58,000 miles from the dealer today. They had it over 6 weeks. They replaced my steering gear, all associated links, (pitman arm, idler arm, and all attached links and bushings), to the tune of $1763.68!!! This truck has been babied, garaged, maintained impeccably. Their reasoning??? Regular maintainance. Anyone want to start a class action lawsuit to get our money back? Oh, BTW, the new steering gear was a different part number than the original. I'M PISSED, AND DISAPPOINTED AT GM.

Bowtieordie221 · January 1, 2020

20 hours ago, dlg65gto said:

December 31st, 2019. I picked up my 2016 GMC 2500HD with 58,000 miles from the dealer today. They had it over 6 weeks. They replaced my steering gear, all associated links, (pitman arm, idler arm, and all attached links and bushings), to the tune of $1763.68!!! This truck has been babied, garaged, maintained impeccably. Their reasoning??? Regular maintainance. Anyone want to start a class action lawsuit to get our money back? Oh, BTW, the new steering gear was a different part number than the original. I'M PISSED, AND DISAPPOINTED AT GM.

I know all about that crap man, which is why I traded up. I was pretty die-hard GM until my last two trucks, but by that point I was done. Can’t say enough how happy I am with my Ram, I’ve started replacing my fleet Silverados and Sierras with Rams too after a bunch of crap from the dealer and other repairs.

I had a 2015 3500 HD DRW utility truck with 71k and the turbo went, took it to the dealer in May and they told me it was because of improper emissions equipment maintenence...at 71k. They at least split the cost so it only cost $2800 to have replaced. Then the same truck lost the radiator in July, which I had to pony up for. Not to mention fuel pump and injector problems through the years. I’ve lost more money in down time on those trucks in the past 12-15 years than they cost up front combined.

dlg65gto · January 1, 2020

Thanks for the input. I also had a DEF tank heater go out. I argued it's part of the diesel system I bought, I was told, no, it's electronic. Cost me $200. I got a letter of recall last week and filled out a form for refund. Big Woop.

Bowtieordie221 · January 2, 2020

22 hours ago, dlg65gto said:

Thanks for the input. I also had a DEF tank heater go out. I argued it's part of the diesel system I bought, I was told, no, it's electronic. Cost me $200. I got a letter of recall last week and filled out a form for refund. Big Woop.

Follow up on the CAL and maybe they’ll refund the truck! Haha

dozerboy · January 22, 2020

All that being said, my straight axle 72 will walk all over my 2016 when it comes to off-roading, it's just that I actually need that capability so rarely I find my new truck is really the perfect fit for me.

Maybe if your a rock crawler, but not in the mud where IFS has better ground clearance.

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dlg65gto · January 22, 2020

7 minutes ago, dozerboy said:

Maybe if your a rock crawler, but not in the mud where IFS has better ground clearance.

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I've never been off roading, been kept out of the elements, babied....maybe that's my problem.

i82much · January 22, 2020

25 minutes ago, dozerboy said:

Maybe if your a rock crawler, but not in the mud where IFS has better ground clearance.

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I dunno. The 72 has a 2.5 inch lift and 32's on it, same size tire as my 2500HD. The biggest difference is probably the wheelbase, a longbed K10 isn't that long compared to a crew std bed 2500HD.

Bowtieordie221 · January 22, 2020

3 hours ago, dozerboy said:

Maybe if your a rock crawler, but not in the mud where IFS has better ground clearance.

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I’ve heard this argument a lot, and i agree that the IFS has more ground clearance but only up front, and that always seemed to get me into more trouble when it came to high centering. My 74 on the other hand handles snow, mud, woodsy areas, and other stuff better than my 16 Dmax did by far. It wasn’t even a comparison. In fact, none of our Dmaxs did/do well in snow, even with a good A/T. Whether it’s the IFS or not, I’m not sure, but I ran fresh tracks through snow up to about 3” above the bottom of my door in my Ram about 2 weeks ago and it didn’t skip a beat. All I have on it so far are a set of 35” General Grabber A/Tx, but that’s what I ran on my Dmax too.

dlg65gto · January 22, 2020

9 minutes ago, Bowtieordie221 said:

I’ve heard this argument a lot, and i agree that the IFS has more ground clearance but only up front, and that always seemed to get me into more trouble when it came to high centering. My 74 on the other hand handles snow, mud, woodsy areas, and other stuff better than my 16 Dmax did by far. It wasn’t even a comparison. In fact, none of our Dmaxs did/do well in snow, even with a good A/T. Whether it’s the IFS or not, I’m not sure, but I ran fresh tracks through snow up to about 3” above the bottom of my door in my Ram about 2 weeks ago and it didn’t skip a beat. All I have on it so far are a set of 35” General Grabber A/Tx, but that’s what I ran on my Dmax too.

Just got a call from GM cares. There is an interoffice memo about issues with the 2500hd steering gear. It's a known issue.