The "Death Rattle"
06-16-2009, 12:25 PM
#1
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Location: wayne, PA
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The "Death Rattle"
Hey everyone!
Within the last few months I have been experiencing a "death rattle" in my front axle. It occurs when i am going more than 60mph and I hit a pot hole or uneven road. If anyone has experienced this they know what I'm talking about. Its more than just a shake, it is a rattle that goes through the front of my truck and in order to stop it I have to pull over and stop the truck.
Now, I have replaced the stabilizer pump and have gotten the wheels balanced and the truck aligned, and it still continues...I have done all the maintenance through Chrysler. I even brought the truck to a private garage and they thought it might be the "bar" that connects the front and rear axle, but it turns out it was not. After going back to the dealership the Manager told me that they called Chrysler and Chrysler said that the tires were worn differently and that was what was causing the rattle...But I have always rotated the tires every time I get an oil change. And none of the tires look more worn then the others.
Honestly, I think that Chrysler doesn't know what they are talking about and just want me to drop $600+ dollars on new tires. There explanation doesn't seem right.
Does anyone else agree?
Has anyone else experienced this "death rattle"?
Can someone please give me some better explanation of what could be causing this and how I can fix it? Bc it is really unsafe and I almost got into an accident the other day bc someone was following too close.
I really appreciate any feedback.
Thanks,
Jason Jaramillo
Within the last few months I have been experiencing a "death rattle" in my front axle. It occurs when i am going more than 60mph and I hit a pot hole or uneven road. If anyone has experienced this they know what I'm talking about. Its more than just a shake, it is a rattle that goes through the front of my truck and in order to stop it I have to pull over and stop the truck.
Now, I have replaced the stabilizer pump and have gotten the wheels balanced and the truck aligned, and it still continues...I have done all the maintenance through Chrysler. I even brought the truck to a private garage and they thought it might be the "bar" that connects the front and rear axle, but it turns out it was not. After going back to the dealership the Manager told me that they called Chrysler and Chrysler said that the tires were worn differently and that was what was causing the rattle...But I have always rotated the tires every time I get an oil change. And none of the tires look more worn then the others.
Honestly, I think that Chrysler doesn't know what they are talking about and just want me to drop $600+ dollars on new tires. There explanation doesn't seem right.
Does anyone else agree?
Has anyone else experienced this "death rattle"?
Can someone please give me some better explanation of what could be causing this and how I can fix it? Bc it is really unsafe and I almost got into an accident the other day bc someone was following too close.
I really appreciate any feedback.
Thanks,
Jason Jaramillo
06-16-2009, 12:33 PM
#2
JK Jedi
Check your axle mounts for any cracks or wallowed out bolt holes.
Try tightening up the bolts first if you don't see any cracks... give it a whirl for a few days to see if simply tightening helps.
If it keeps happening, pull the arm off and inspect the bolt holes very closely.
I had the same problem ~ the wallowed out bolt holes was my particular death wabble issue.
If this is the case for you, I would recomend going up a size in bolt and do a little reinforcement welding.
Try tightening up the bolts first if you don't see any cracks... give it a whirl for a few days to see if simply tightening helps.
If it keeps happening, pull the arm off and inspect the bolt holes very closely.
I had the same problem ~ the wallowed out bolt holes was my particular death wabble issue.
If this is the case for you, I would recomend going up a size in bolt and do a little reinforcement welding.
06-16-2009, 12:40 PM
#3
JK Jedi
Here is a thread about it and some possible fixes.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...ed#post1017590
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...ed#post1017590