Death wobble

DW needs something to trigger it (RR tracks or out of balance tires) something to let it continue (steering stabilizer shot or loose ball joints) and something underlying (bad alignment)

First off, make sure your tires are round and balanced, not damaged and freshly rotated. Take it to a good alignment shop and have them check for loose balljoints, tie rod ends, suspension arm bushings, wheel bearings, etc. Have then check that the toe and caster are correct. For

33" tires the toe needs to be on the lower (smaller number) side of spec. The caster also needs to be on the lower end of spec. If all that checks out, put a new steering stabilizer on it.

D> OK, so i will start out by stating I have limited to no mechanical

I vote for replacing the stabilizer right away. Besides being dangerous every time it happens, if you don't have loose ball joints now you will have them soon.

Earle

And be aware that while individual parts may still be 'within specs' when you have lots of worn front end parts it all adds up.

What is a 'LJ' ?

That aside, you sound like you have a badly worn out part or a badly done lift. If the castor didn't get set right on the lift, you can have wobble issues. With 33's on, these 'fast' turn into worn out parts.

The stabilizer is there for shock absorbing, it won't cure death wobble.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

LJ is a TJ unlimited, I think. I'll second the balance, rotate, and really REALLY check the whole front end out.

Carl

Mike Roma> What is a 'LJ' ?

I had death wobble going on for some time...mine was caused by bad trac bar bushing at the lower end of the trac bar... Get a BDS stabilizer shock...the sell for $50. in Canada and prolly cheaper in the states...

Jeff '03 TJ 5"lift and 33's

I'm guessing it's a TJL, Unlimtited Wrangler. An '04 would have to be driven VERY hard to get those kind of wear issues, I'm guessing the alignment wasn't set up after the lift. He should take out the dropped pitman arm too, if there is one.

Just a thought..... would it be possible to get a death wobble from a leaky and very old steering box? I know that it's not the case here with a 04 TJ, but I have a stock 97TJ with 250,000mi and was wondering if this could also be one of the causes (play in the steering box), besides the usual worn joints???

Not really. That would just make the vehicle 'tack' into the wind as you drive so you need to always have the wheel cut at an angle.

The steering box play is on the wrong side of the steering damper shock for it to cause death wobble.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

I, too, have an '04, as stock as the day I bought it - no lift, Goodyea

Wranglers, etc. I had a very severe wobble last week, twice in a mil at around 60mph. Had to pull over and stop to "correct" it. Thes were my 4th and 5th experiences. I've had the thing aligned, I rotat the tires regularly, I've had the wheels checked for play. I'm puttin Nokians on it today and I'm going to take it to the dealer to see abou the steering shocks. I have complained about it to the dealer but think they're clueless, or pretending to be, at least. I had less tha

20k on it when it first occurred. It has about 40k now

-- rogerw

----- Posted via

Some part has to physically be worn or bent to cause that. The steering stabilizer replacement will not cure it, only mask the worn part until it breaks.

If you had a bent rim or a separated tire belt, it would happen every time you passed a certain speed usually.

You can jack up one tire at a time and shake and twist them to see if you have a bad wheel bearing and be under when someone turns the steering from pin to pin to look for movement in any of the joints or tie rod ends.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

Steering looseness in a Jeep often means steering components. People attack the easy stuff first, like the steering stabilizer and tires, but when it is severe you probably have a problem in the track bar, drag link and/or tie rod ends. In my case it was all three. New tires, steering stabilizer and alignment did absolutely nothing to stop the severe death wobble. Replacing all the parts mentioned completely stopped it.

Dick

mrbogus did pass the time by typing:

Play in the steering, just like going over bumps in the road, can start deathwobble. But what allows deathwobble to happen is the suspension. Worn bushings, shocks, ball joints, and loose stablilzer bar. Or having the front end out of alignment.