I've got an '01 Ranger 4x4 with a SOCH 4.0 & auto trans...

The problem is... after you drive it a while, say 30 minutes or so, it starts shaking/shimmying real bad... Anybody have an idea as to what it could be??? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

 

Tires out of balance, wheel bearings, tie rod ends?

Do you notice it in the steering wheel or the seat?

 

This sounds to me like a loose, ball joint, tie rod end, or wheel bearing.

Jack up the front end. And see if you can feel looseness in each wheel.


Rich

 

It doesn't shake until you drive it for about 30 minutes... Ball joint, bearings ect. would do it all the time "would it not"???

 

It feels like you are on a wash board road... Like I said before, it takes about 30 minutes of driving before this starts to occur...

 

This is happening to me too steering is loose and i have not put it in the air to check play yet. How can i check ball joints?

 

Yours could be bearings but usually they howl all the time if they were getting hot and swelling that would be another story. Also if there's a bulge in your tire and its expanding when they get warm. Check Side walls.

 

Well.. it might not be one of them. Jack it up and see if anything is loose first.

If not.. maybe a wheel bearing, brake, or U-joint is heating up.. then binding.

Rich

 

Exactly, get the weight off the front end by jacking it up and try moving the wheel front and back and side to side and if you have play, you have a bad ball joint somewhere.

 

I've seen people go crazy trying to fix problems like this. I always look to the simple things first. Have your wheels been off the truck lately? Check the lugs, sometimes they get loose. I know that sounds rediculous, but it wouldn't be the first time i've seen it.