Ryan77

Recently, the front end in my truck ('86 Chevy 1 ton dump) started to "bounce" up and down violently. It only does it occassionly, not all the time, and only when I'm going 30+mph. I had the wheels balanced and the front end aligned, the truck felt smoother but it didn't help the "bouncing". The front tires need to be replaced, which I'm doing next week, but I don't think the tires are the problem. Does anyone know what could casue this? The front end is pretty simple on this truck as it's a solid axle, but it has me stumped :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

ROD NOCK

The first thing I think of with uncontrolled oscillations (bouncing) is the shocks. Their purpose is to dampen the jounce/rebound effect of the springs. If they're the orig's, might as well inst new ones, as you've done almost everything else. One of the most common signs of shock absorber failure is fluid leaking (wet) on the cylinder housing.
You can sometimes see irregular tire wear in the form of 'flat spots' if bad shocks are present.
Good luck, and hang on in the mean time! :steering:

LAvetteman

You say it is leaf springs only, right? No shock absorbers?

I would say in that case it has to be an out of round tire.

no_radio

I have had out of round tires or tires with bulges do that. Not always obvious to the naked eye, though.
Jeff

Ryan77

Thanks for the replies. I'm having new tires put on tommorow, so I'll see if that helps, if not I'll do the shocks too (they're cheap for this truck anyways). I'll let you guys know what happens :cheers: