05' Ram 1500 Front End Vibration, All Speeds

[Fuergrissa]

Owner (friend) claims when it started you could only feel it in the steering wheel, but was strong, Now you can feel it strongly in the wheel but also in the rest of the chassis (through the seat, pedals, floor, basically anywhere your body contacts the vehicle)

It happens the same at 2mph or 60, but increases in frequency of vibration with speed and feels cyclic if that makes sense which makes me lean away from a tie-rod or bushing problem and more towards something rotational. Almost positive it's not an out of balance issue because I can't imagine being able to feel anything like that at 1-2mph

When going really slow you can feel in the steering wheel as it gradually and increasingly will pull the the steering wheel, then when it gets to a certain point (presumable in the rotation of whatever is causing the problem) the steering wheel will fall back to the neutral position stay for a moment, and then start pulling again. It feels exactly the same through every cycle.

I hope that's detailed enough that somone might offer some starting points for checking it out. If possible please offer a possible problem, and a method for testing/isolating whether that might be the actual problem.

Thanks!

[aleekat]

Does it do it just sitting in P/N and reving the motor? If so, I would check serpentine belt/pulleys. Engine Mounts?

[Fuergrissa]

No, Only when moving, and increases in frequency with speed not with RPM.

[Chris Stewart]

Sounds like a bent rim or busted tire belt doesn't it?
If the steering wheel doesn't pull constantly one direction or another, the frontend components are likely ok.

Jack up one wheel, give it a spin and see if it appears to wobble.
Does it seem to settle in the same spot like a heavy place in the tire?

[aleekat]

I would move 1 front tire to the rear. Drive it and see if the vibration moved rearward or stayed up front. Then do the other if it stayed in the front.

[rottonrattt]

you should lift it up on a jack and take a crow bar and put it behind the lowwer bottom end behind the tire where the lowwer ball joint is and see if you can pry and see if theres any play.

[BleedDodge]

Is it a 4x4?

[Fuergrissa]

As a folowup, it was a broken belt in the tire. I had considered it, but my previous experience with a broken belt felt like the car was going to come apart at freeway speed. lucky though, nice easy fix, thanks for your suggestions everyone!