Standing at the service counter at a dealership:
Mechanic: “What happened.”
Me: “I was driving along, everything silky smooth. Then all hell broke loose. The damn truck shook like a meth addict dividing by zero.”
Mechanic: “It was a violent shake?”
Me: “I believe I shit myself.”
Mechanic: “Vibration from the drivetrain?”
Me: “I don’t think so. I’ve got years of experience driving pieces of shit with bad drive trains. This wasn’t anything like that. It was a whole new dimension of totally unbelievably fucked.”
Mechanic: “Sounds like a ‘death wobble’.”
Me: “The words are descriptive, you have my attention.”
Mechanic: “A violent oscillation of the front steering geometry…”
Me: “Yes!”
Mechanic: “Yeah, we see that a lot.”
Me: “You see that? A lot?”
Mechanic: “Yeah, it happens.”
Me: “To whom? NASCAR drivers impacting the wall?”
Mechanic: “Ha ha ha… You want me to look at it?”
Me: “Yeah. Here’s the keys. Take your time.”
Mechanic: “It could take a bit.”
Me: “I’m going to walk over to the Starbucks across the street. I’m going to plant my ass and stay there as long as you need.”
Mechanic: “Shook that much eh?”
Me: “At Starbucks… I’ll be drinking decaf…”
Mechanic: “Well I…”
Me: “…forever.”
Mechanic: “I’ll call your cell when I know.”
Me: “I’m staying at Starbucks. I’m giving up blue collar activities. I’m going to buy a Prius… then I’ll pay someone to drive it and someone else to ride in it… while I do nothing but walk… walk slowly. …and write poems.”
Mechanic: “…”
Me: “Poems about tea…”
Got to love the nuances of coil sprung solid front axels had the same death wobble in my jeep and my dodge ram 2500 the ram was broken steering box bolts the jeep needed control arm and stiffer bushings and a steering stabalizer
Rub,,, rub some bacon on it.
Kevins off road has a death wobble kit it fix my jeep when nothing else would even bacon
If the vibration is primarily through the steering wheel, I’d be thinking worn (or failed) joints in steering components. If it’s from the back end, I’d be thinking loose or sheared prop-shaft to differential bolts. Or if it’s 4wd, maybe loose prop shaft from transfer case to front diff. I always keep a clean pair of shorts in the truck. You know, just in case. Oh, and do what bluesun said.