REPAIR SYSTEM 08
Brakes, steering & suspension.
Pads, rotors, calipers, steering boxes, ball joints, track bars and death wobble. Safety items, inspected and quoted before any work.
ON YOUR TRUCK
What fails on your engine.
Pick your engine to see the brake, steering and front-end problems we see most on that generation, what you’ll notice, why it happens and how we fix it.
Showing your saved truck:
Choose your engine above.
THE BASICS
How it works, and why it matters.
What it does
A heavy-duty diesel pickup weighs close to four tons before it hooks up a trailer. The brakes, steering and front suspension carry that weight: pads, rotors and calipers to stop it; the steering box, linkage and track bar to aim it; ball joints, bushings and shocks to keep the tires planted. Solid-axle trucks are tough, but worn front-end parts are what set off "death wobble."
Why it matters
Worn front-end parts make a truck wander, wear tires fast and, on solid axles, can trigger a violent shake at highway speed. Brakes on a diesel work harder because of the weight. Both are safety items.
Warning signs
- Grinding or squealing when braking
- Pulling to one side or a soft pedal
- Wandering or a loose steering feel
- Violent shake after a bump at speed (death wobble)
- Uneven or fast tire wear
- Clunks over bumps
What we check
- Pads, rotors, calipers and brake fluid
- Steering box, tie rods, drag link and track bar
- Ball joints and control arm bushings
- Shocks and steering stabilizer
- Tire wear patterns
Keep it healthy
- Check the front end whenever tires wear unevenly
- Do not just add a bigger stabilizer to hide wobble. Fix the worn part
- Flush brake fluid every few years