Death wobble?

They don't call it death wobble for nothing. When you have it there will be no mistake. The vehicle will shake from side to side so violently, you will think about death. Just about everything to do with the front end can contribute to it. Often, it is many things. Wheel bearings, tire roundness, steering stabilizer, trac bar, tie-rod ends, drag links, steering box, etc. Anything that gets lose from wear. Take it to a good 4X4 or front end shop. I had it in my '93 JGC and a local 4X4 shop fixed it.

Dick

You are describing a part wearing out. It will likely be a normal front end part like a tie rod end. You also could be describing a tire going bad.

Mike

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

When it happened to me a few years ago, it was from tires. Ply seperation. I've heard some say that techinically this is NOT the death wobble, but it felt like it to me :) I hit a hole on the FW, doing about 65mph and was damn near to going in the ditch. I completely lost control of the front end and could do nothing but hit the breaks!

Tim

Ok folks,

I have a 97 TJ, 4 cyl, 5 spd, 95K Miles. Everything's standard, w/ a soft top. No AC, no 30 cal Mk-1, no blitz blaster radios, CD's, nada... null... I do have a shotgun rack, however.

I don't use 4WD that much and this Jeep will never get worn out from MY use. I never need to drive more than 60 mph, so I don't. Right now, I'm getting about 19 mpg, for example. I even keep the tires pumped up to spec.

BUT, the other day, on the way to town, I thought I noticed a slight shimmy in the steering wheel. On the way home, I didn't notice any steering wheel shimmy and so I stopped worrying. I also had 300 lbs of chicken, cow, and dog feed in the back.

BUT, I remember several posts here about the dreaded "Death Wobble".

So, exactly what is it? Symptoms? How do I know my TJ has it? Most likely cause(s)? Best fix? Is this a problem best solved by a "expert" Jeep mechanic?

Thanks in advance... Matt

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As a new Jeep owner who experenced this for the first time a few weeks ago I can tell ya "a slight shimmy " is nothing compaired to the DEATH WOBBLE. If it happens youll know it( and have to change your underware). :) In my case it turned out to be that the shocks were froze up.

The weight of the feed in the back may have lightened your front end enough to bring to light a problem in your front end. Check ball joints, track bar, tire balance/wear. Last but not least, when all else checks out, check the condition of the steering stabilizer.

To check front end abnormalities, with all 4 wheels on the ground, I get someone to manhandle the steering wheel by turning/rocking it back and forth while I lay on the floor under the front end. The resistance from the tires being on pavement makes the loose component show their presence pretty readily. You may hear popping or grinding sounds. Also, I raise the front end by the frame to let the steering hang loose, grab the track bar, ball joints etc. and shake them with force to check for loose components.

tw _____________________________________________________________________

2003 TJ Rubicon * 2001 XJ Sport * 1971 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco

"There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'."

Pronunciation: 'jEp Function: noun Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase') A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80" wheelbase, 1/4-ton capacity and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in World War II. _____________________________________________________________________

snipped-for-privacy@home.com wrote:

One thought - I had one of those "I think I feel a shimmy" cases a couple of years back. The wife and I had just started out on a long trip so when we stopped for lunch I did some looking whilke I finished my smoke before going in and I just happened to see a whole cluster of rocks in one big patch in one front tire. Used a screw drive to dig them out of the AT's tread and the shimmy was gone. Even 3 hours at

75 mph hadn't popped them out. Looked like I had run over a line of gravel and managed to pick up a load all in one spot. I'm pretty sure that the unbalance was enough to set off other worn parts; I had to replace tie rod ends and the track bar within a year.

Mud/dirt > Ok folks,