wobbly wheels...

[Mettler]

So I got new tires, fresh balance on them. I've had a wobble for couple years and I finally got sick of it.
Ive replaced pads and rotors. Fixed the front wobble.
I replaced both drums, (I only had maybe 10k on rear shoes so I didnt figure I needed to replace them) still wobbled.
Took both drums back and had them turned and bought new shoes.

STILL FU^%@NG WOBBLES!!!!!!!!!

I checked the axle flanges with a gauge and they roll flat and true. The drums are straight as an arrow. Put the 2 together and somehow I got a wobble. Its not the tire/wheel. (I checked them spinning with the tires off.)

What the hell is going on? Anybody else ever experience this? Im tired of throwing money at it and it doesnt make a dent.

 

[Boodaggy]

When you say wobble, do you mean like the tire is out of balance? My explorer does the same thing. The tires have been balanced many times to try and get rid of the wobble. mounted, remounted etc.. still the wobble is present.

I bought my explorer from him knowing this. The funny thing is, it only wobbles after hitting a bump. like if the road is smooth and I mean smooth (almost doesnt feel right lol this smooth) there is not a wobble at all. But as soon as you hit the slightest bump in the road the tires wobble.

What size tires are you running? Im running 31" Hercules Tera Trac on my explorer. I think the wobble I feel is the actual tires flexing from the impact. Kinda like shockwaves or aftershocks from the impact lol. Like I said it doesnt do it on smooth roads. only after hiting a pothole, railroad tracks, or other imperfections in the road surface.

 

[Mettler]

Have you replaced your radius arm bushings yet? Ball joints? It sounds like it could be bad shock absorbers too. Thats where I would start looking with that one.
Mine, no it had a very small, almost not noticeable wobble. But only when hard braking. You'd feel it in the pedal, and the whole rig as it stops fast.
And Im not talking about hot roding around, this is just normal driving, on and off the freeway, traffic. Ever since I bought it.
Then it started getting worse thats when I started throwing money at it.

 

[Boodaggy]

I noticed today while driving around town the wobble isnt as bad as I thought, I have to be at 45mph or higher when hitting a bump in the road to cause the wobble.

As far as ball joints, the front end of my truck is tight. I am thinking I could use some new shocks though as the rear is starting to get pretty floaty.

I am not really concerned about my wheel wobble as it barely happens (mostly do city driving). I was just throwin the floppy rubber idea out there lol.

On a side note, how tight are you tightening down your lug nuts? I have never experienced it before but have heard stories of people over tightening them, causing the rotor to warp a bit. I really dont have any concrete ideas, and dont really see how you could cause your rotor to warp from overtightening them but it just popped in my head.

 

[1hicj7]

wobble?

Is the wobble only at certain speeds like 45mph to 70mph or does it start at lower speeds? Do you feel it in the steering wheel or on the floor or the seat? Do you think its just coming from the rear?

 

[Mettler]

Its rear brake related. I used to feel it in the steering wheel then replaced the rotors and bearings and that went away. But now its all in the rear. I can feel a very, very, slight wobble while rolling slow (0-35 mph). Step on the brake and the whole rear of the rig wags back and forth. And a bump, bump, bump, in the brake pedal, not in the wheel. I noticed when I was replacing the shoes that the entire shoe assembly on the drivers side sits ****ed off to the left (as your looking at it) The other side sits right on its rub blocks on the backing plate.
The tops of the shoes sit firmly against their pivot. Im starting to think wheel cylinder. It doesn't leak but Its the only thing I've never changed.
Either that or cheap drums. metal density, bla, bla, bla... idk

 

[jd4242]

sounds to me like death wobble.its cause by the alignment or in the rear its caused by bad bushing in the leafs or lose bolts in the leaf or u bolts.it only happens when above 45 and you hit a bump,you can feel it before that but that's when it gets bad!!

 

[Birdman1]

sounds kinda like the backing plate is tweaked out of shape. Or even bent axle housing?

 

[Mettler]

nope and nope. I checked both of those. I have a ball joint deflection check gauge. (very handy tool) the axle shaft flange spins straight and true. put the drum on and you can see the drum wobble. BUT the drum on the brake lathe spins true. Sooo, its a head sctratcher.

 

[Birdman1]

the only way that can be physically possible is if something is in between the 2 surfaces.
or if the mating surface diameters are not matching up correctly.
or a stud or a hole in the drum has a blemish or something stopping them from mating correctly.

 

[Birdman1]

also, what if you put a dial indicator on the axle flange face? a few thou on that small diameter will translate to much more out on the edges of the drum.

 

[atxexplorer94]

you said your brake shoe is sitting crooked,it may be the emergency brake cable is seized,I had that problem,also if your shocks are bad in the rear then that can cause for a very bumpy ride,I would recommend replacing with either motorcraft or blistein shocks,definitely not gabriels

 

[Mettler]

you said your brake shoe is sitting crooked,it may be the emergency brake cable is seized,I had that problem,also if your shocks are bad in the rear then that can cause for a very bumpy ride,I would recommend replacing with either motorcraft or blistein shocks,definitely not gabriels

The cable, maybe. that is good. I'll have to look more closely at that.
The shocks I replaced all of, 18 months ago with sensatracks. They are all still good. I just put on stock replacement stuff because when I bought it, it needed everything. I just wanted to get all the standard maintenance caught up before I started throwing aftermarket parts at it.