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wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 10:05 pm
by fireheadman
Was driving down my neighbors driveway.... which has a couple dips and crowns on the asphault.
Speed was maybe 5-7 mph and all the sudden the front end started to shimmy side to side, like the front wheel were wobbling.
I slowed down and this allowed for the "T" to correct itself.
Since this was my third time driving her... I'm not sure if this is an "expected" thing that can happen in even terrain or if maybe there is something I should look at?
When I repacked the bearings, I sinched up on the bearing nut as there was some slop in it.
It gave me flashbacks of my old jeep wrangler that would sometimes have a "death wobble".
I'm open ears for this one....
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 10:25 pm
by Norman Kling
Your front wheels are out of alignment. Look up the specs and adjust the caster, camber, and toe in and it should be OK. Also look for loose parts in the steering system.
Norm
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 10:54 pm
by Moxie26
Wood Wheels?... Tighten the 6 nuts at the wheel hub, check for wear in the complete steering linkage system ... And wheel bearing condition and adjustment.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 11:00 pm
by Professor Fate
Just sent a PM. Please be careful.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 11:10 pm
by Mike Silbert
It can be caused by many things from loose wheels to loose steering joints to a loose steering box (top and bottom).
Also on the possible list is poor alignment.
And binding front shackles can possibly cause the death wobble due to the front axle / steering design.
So make sure everything that is supposed to move does so smoothly without slop.
And make sure everything that is not supposed to move stays put.
Find someone to help diagnose the issue, I know my arms are not long enough to reach everywhere for a proper test.
Mike
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 4:19 am
by fireheadman
thank you everyone for the inputs....
will absolutely take a close look at everything that moves.
if/should there be any slop in some of the joints, like pitman arm or steering arm is there a way to correct those with bronze bushings / inserts?
will also check out the wooden spokes and bolts on them for being loose.
found this in the archive section... this answers my question about the bushings / inserts
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 6:25 am
by Allan
What does cinched up the nut mean? There is a proper way to set the front wheel bearings. Get it wrong and there can be trouble, on top of what you are experiencing.
Allan from down under.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 8:16 am
by Loftfield
Not mention so far is checking the wishbone ball joint. Have seen more than one Model T wobble due to loose wishbone attachment at the engine.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 9:18 am
by John kuehn
Jack up the front end off the ground and slowly turn the steering wheel and watch for any movement or slack in the front end parts and the king pins. You’ll be surprised what may be a little loose. That’s the best way to check out the front end parts. Do this first then go from there.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 9:32 am
by love2T's
fireheadman wrote: ↑Sat Oct 18, 2025 10:05 pm
Was driving down my neighbors driveway.... which has a couple dips and crowns on the asphault.
Speed was maybe 5-7 mph and all the sudden the front end started to shimmy side to side, like the front wheel were wobbling.
I slowed down and this allowed for the "T" to correct itself.
Since this was my third time driving her... I'm not sure if this is an "expected" thing that can happen in even terrain or if maybe there is something I should look at?
When I repacked the bearings, I sinched up on the bearing nut as there was some slop in it.
It gave me flashbacks of my old jeep wrangler that would sometimes have a "death wobble".
I'm open ears for this one....
due to my ADHD and short attention span thereto...this thread is too long already to read the myriad of responses, at least one of which will be this....you have what we call the "death wobble", and 99% of the time it's due to your spindle bushings being shot. Yes, the rest of the steering gear can and will contribute, but start with the bushings, the "black service bible" tells you how to check em but just jack up the wheel and grab it top & bottom and "wiggle it" while observing the spindle bolt bushings. I bet you'll see movement. And it don't take a whole heckuva lot to make it death wobble. Been there!
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 10:37 am
by TXGOAT2
One:
It is NOT normal.
Two:
It should be fairly easy to remedy.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 10:42 am
by TXGOAT2
When the vehicle is parked with the front wheels pointing straight ahead, there should be very little or no slack at the steering wheel. In other words, if you reach in and move the steering wheel back a forth a couple of inches, it should cause the front wheels to move. If it doesn't, find out exactly why it doesn't. The vehicle should not shake, shimmy, wobble, or wander when moving down the road. It should be easy to control on any reasonable excuse for a road, under all normal driving conditions.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 10:54 am
by John.Zibell
I had that happen once. Snugged up the spindle bolts and it hasn't happened since.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:58 am
by love2T's
John.Zibell wrote: ↑Sun Oct 19, 2025 10:54 am
I had that happen once. Snugged up the spindle bolts and it hasn't happened since.
Keep a close eye on it...that's often a sign of failing threads on the yoke and in need of what I call the "Steven's Fix".
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 1:02 pm
by Jerry VanOoteghem
John.Zibell wrote: ↑Sun Oct 19, 2025 10:54 am
I had that happen once. Snugged up the spindle bolts and it hasn't happened since.
That's often a temporary fix and can mask the real cause. Just something to keep in mind if the trouble returns.
Re: wobbly front wheels
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 4:46 pm
by Steve Jelf
Causes of wobbly front wheels:
1 A combination of worn and maladjusted parts adds up to "slop";
2 Poor alignment/adjustment;
3 100-year-old wheels worn out or nearly so.
Fixes:
1 Inspect/fix/replace worn parts;
2 Check & adjust alignment;
3 New wheels.
A century of experience is well documented and available. Read. The more you know, the less money you're likely to throw into the bottomless pit.