Hey all,

Looking at an 04 F150 FX4. Truck has 82k miles and includes a 6" lift, 35" tires. I have been out of the IFS game for awhile but once you hit 55 mph, the steering wheel shakes pretty violently. Dealer mentioned it was a bent rim, though I see no road rash that indicates this. I had the dealer turn the steering wheel back and forth while I crawled underneath to look for anything loose. I noticed new ball joints, but no play anywhere that I could see. They claimed it wobbled like this when they took it in, put it on a lift and gave it an alignment and balance but the wobble still is present, they dont deal with aftermarket parts much and dont want to sink money into it. Truck is being sold as is and the price reflects the wobble. They are going to swap tires on it for me in the morning to prove that it goes away, we'll see how that goes. Aside from a possible bent rim, any chance there is something else I am overlooking? Thanks for the help, hopefully it comes back as a minor issue or truly is a bent rim. Its a steal right now...

Coolant was clean, oil clean, transmission shifts smooth thru all gears, 4x4 works, no issues with cam phasers, small tear in seat but everything checks out.

 

I would suspect ball joints or sway bar.. alignment

 

Ball joints are new, they claimed to have it aligned with no success. I'll have to take a closer look at the sway bar this afternoon. They're swapping tires to prove it is a bent rim, but I'll see how it handles first hand. Even if steering, sway bar, and cv joints need replaced they appear to be relatively cheap online. I like to think of myself as pretty mechanical, but like i said earlier, I've been out of IFS for awhile

 

Let us know how the wheel swap works out...

 

I'd bet money on a tire being messed up, or a wheel is out of balance. Inspect the back side of the wheels if they're claiming it's a bent rim. What tires are on the truck? I have a suspicion that they're a cheap tire...

 

They are Thunderer Trac Grip MTs in a 35x12.5R17. Which I am sure are not helping at all being a mud tire. The two fronts are brand spankin' new, the rears have probably 80-90% tread left. I did inspect the rims closely yesterday, I didnt notice any road rash or out of roundness (not to say it isnt there exactly, maybe it was to subtle for the naked eye). They claimed to have them balanced, but Ive known dealerships to be pretty lazy. If the different wheel/tire combo eliminates the wobble, then I think I will jump on it and use the tires as a bargaining chip.

I know on a SFA, you can do a dry steering test to check for play in any bushings/TREs/Trackbars, etc.... I had the dealer turn the wheel back and forth while I looked at the front end, I did not notice any play anywhere. But maybe that method doesnt pertain this type of suspension.

 

It's the tires. They're cheap and will be more prone to belts separating, tread separating, and balancing issues. Mud tire isn't helping but it shouldn't be causing that. I'm running Yokohama MT's on my truck, no shudder. I even ran Federal Couragia MT's on my last truck (07 F-150 in a 35x12.5R20) no shudder.

 

dont forget tierods. both inner and outer.
I had a slight shake until i replaced mine.

 

Could be these as well. A good test for them is to grab them and pull on them to try to shake them. If they move, they're bad.

 

Ill take a look, thanks!

Maybe shake isnt the right word. Wobble? The steering wheel will just go left/right/left/right at 55-65. I could see a tie rod causing steering issues, but this tracked straight, turned fine, no strong resistance or loose steering.

They say it goes away with a different set of tires, but I need to see/drive it to believe it. Still waiting for them to call me.