Wheel problem on my old Dodge!

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Hello Bitogers,

I'm having a weird issue with my '68 Dodge. As it rolls down the road at slow speeds, say 15 mph, the car has a wobble to it. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. Best way to describe it would be you feel the rear of the car shake from side to side. I also noticed when I make right hand turns the wobble will become more noticable. During the turns I feel the steering wheel thunk in unison when the car wobbles. There's no bent rim issue and I pulled the wheels/drums recently to make sure there was no busted brake hardware. Didn't see any leaky wheel cylinders either. Could it be something as simple as a brake shoe hanging a bit? If a wheel bearing was going bad, would that cause a slow speed wobble?
Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Ed B.
 
Originally Posted By: SuperEd73
Hello Bitogers,

I'm having a weird issue with my '68 Dodge. As it rolls down the road at slow speeds, say 15 mph, the car has a wobble to it. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. Best way to describe it would be you feel the rear of the car shake from side to side. I also noticed when I make right hand turns the wobble will become more noticable. During the turns I feel the steering wheel thunk in unison when the car wobbleso. There's no bent rim issue and I pulled the wheels/drums recently to make sure there was no busted brake hardware. Didn't see any leaky wheel cylinders either. Could it be something as simple as a brake shoe hanging a bit? If a wheel bearing was going bad, would that cause a slow speed wobble?
Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Ed B.




Broken belt in a tire will do exactly what you describe...
 
What you are experiencing is often dignosed as a "radial wobble", or as deeter stated, a defective belt. I.E.,,,bad tires.
 
A buddy had an old Volvo 240DL that did the same thing - but only noticeable from the back seat. He never felt it until I made him sit in the back and I drove. Sure enough, one of the rear tires had a broken belt.
 
Had the same problem with my 70 Lincoln Mk III - problem was the tires. How old are they? Look at the date code on the tires. Just replace the tires with good ones.
 
Wheel bearings, tires, wheels, ball joints , tie rod ends, or control arm bushings can be bad.
Bad suspension parts don't cause a wobble, but will allow it to be felt.
 
Originally Posted By: deeter16317
Originally Posted By: SuperEd73
Hello Bitogers,

I'm having a weird issue with my '68 Dodge. As it rolls down the road at slow speeds, say 15 mph, the car has a wobble to it. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. Best way to describe it would be you feel the rear of the car shake from side to side. I also noticed when I make right hand turns the wobble will become more noticable. During the turns I feel the steering wheel thunk in unison when the car wobbleso. There's no bent rim issue and I pulled the wheels/drums recently to make sure there was no busted brake hardware. Didn't see any leaky wheel cylinders either. Could it be something as simple as a brake shoe hanging a bit? If a wheel bearing was going bad, would that cause a slow speed wobble?
Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Ed B.




Broken belt in a tire will do exactly what you describe...


+1

feel the tire for bumps... i found out the hard way it blew at 70MPH... When going slow i could watch it wobble the steering wheel from side to side. and at hwy speed it was just a shudder.
 
Have a friend follow you and watch the tread closely, preferably after driving on a dusty or gravel road-watch for the tread moving back and forth on one or more tires. That's the easiest way to find the bad one(s)!
 
I vote for the tires also, if you are SURE its not a problem with a bent rim. Bearing and/or suspension problems just don't usually cause that particular shimmying motion without other symptoms, although they can aggravate it.

The "thunk" you feel bothers me a bit, it means that even though it may not be the cause, there's SOMETHING moving in the suspension that shouldn't- like worn tie-rod ends, a worn steering box, pitman arm, idler arm, or even steering column coupler.
 
Wow, I never thought of that! It is quite possible the tires are the cause. They are pretty ancient. The car doesn't get too much use so while there is plenty of tread left, age probably has caught up with the rubber.

Magnum, perhaps "thunk" is the improper term. I feel more of a pulsation in the steering wheel going around turns that coincides with the waddle movement. So, lets say I'm going around a highway off ramp. Basically every tire revolution the car waddles and the steering wheel pulsates.

I think it's time to look into new rubber for the ol' girl.

As always I appreciate the feedback!

Ed B.
 
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