Ford V6 bakkie has a whole lot of shaking going on

I have a problem with the steering or wheel balance on my 2004 Ford 4 litre V6 4x4 Double Cab, which I have owned from new.

At about 90km/h the steering feels as if the front wheels are completely out of balance. The movement on the steering is really violent. It seems to be set off by a bump or unevenness in the road surface.

I have had the wheels balanced. I have had the CV joints, steering linkages and all suspension linkages checked, and there is no wear or excessive play in any of these parts.

I cannot drive "through" the shaking by increasing speed.

The only way to stop it is to brake and slow down. When you pick up speed again chances are that it won't recur. I have not been able to deliberately induce the shaking as one can do with a normal wheel balance problem. - BW

BW - The phenomenon that you describe is well-known in the 4x4 fraternity.

The Yanks even have a name for it - they call it the "death wobble". The cause of the violent shimmy can be very difficult to identify. Several different things have been found to cause it, either singly or in combination.

I turned to my friendly local Ford dealership for help, and was fortunate enough to find a mechanic who has experienced exactly the same symptoms on a Ford Ranger 4x4.

In that case the cause was traced to wear in the idler arm bush. It seems these had a bit of a reputation on Rangers built around the same time as yours; they would often start acting up at about 120000km.

I suggest you start by looking at the idler arm, even if it has already been checked.

Ford have since developed an upgraded idler arm, using teflon instead of rubber bushes, and you may be able to fit the upgraded component to your bakkie, if the idler arm should prove to be the problem.

If you draw a blank on the idler arm, the best I can suggest is that you go on the internet and Google "death wobble causes" or "death wobble diagnosis".

You will find an abundance of reports and advice. The following two sites are a good starting point: http://www.jeepforum.com/ forum/f96/diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-1052221/ http:/ and www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489902

I hope you solve the problem quickly. A shimmy as violent as that cannot be healthy for steering and suspension components. Please let us know the outcome - other readers may be wrestling with a similar problem.