can bad bushings cause the front to wander and sway when going over bumps like railroad tracks? i have replaced the swaybar end links, idler arm, and ball joints. still have the wander and sway issues. going to replace shocks once im not sick and can get to it.

 

forgot to add that the truck is a 2002 4x4 s-10 blazer

 

Any worn or loose parts in the suspension or steering linkage can cause a wander, including worn, or out of adjustment steering gear box, worn rag joint, even wheel hub & bearing assemblies. Could even be an alignment issue.

 

If it only happens in suspension squat and not in wind or road surface change most likely is one of the shocks totally gone. Have the same problem and only reason I pinpointed it is I had same with a taurus that was so bad it broke the sway link. Then it got REAL squirrely.

Kindly give us feedback on the shock mfr and origin. Bet I can guess it..

Delphi made in France.

Answer is above.. highlight to see it, only when OP replies.

 

im replacing the shocks tomarrow

 

well, picked up the shocks but never got a chance to replace them. pulled the old ones off and ran into other issues. found the drivers side cv shaft needs replacement. drivers side wheel bearing has play in it. and last but not least, every ball joint was bad due to oil and lube places not lubing the suspension. i've replaced the ball joints before so pulling them was no big deal. this is my sisters blazer by the way, not mine.
also found why i had vibration. the new tires on the rear are out of balance. one wheel didn't have any counter weights and the other wheel only had one.

 

Don't go cheap on the ball joints, use Moog only. When you're done with all that stuff, have an alignment shop check/adjust front chassis ride height, then align the front end. Incorrect ride height will cause premature wear to all 4 ball joints, all 4 CV joints, both outer tie rod ends, and both shocks. Incorrect camber will cause premature wear to the hub assembly. If somebody messed with the torsion bars, that could very well be a contributing factor of why all those parts are worn.

 

i'm not sure if the bars have ever been touched. it is possible, i'm not going to dismiss it. i do know the ball joints wore out due to no grease.

 

Over time, not miles, springs and torsion bars weaken causing ride height to decrease. Usually after 8 to 10 years, they have weakened to the point where ride height is out of spec. After sticking all that money in it, at least checking it is definitely a good idea.

 

thats true. i'll see what the front end shop says about ride height when i take it in for the alignment.