I have a 99 tj sport with a 5 speed stick shift with a 2.5 spacer lift and keep getting the death wobble almost every day for about 2 weeks now and it is getting old the death wobble comes at about 45 to 50 mph after I go over a bump and it comes some times when on the highway going about 45 + when you turn only right but very rarely it will happen when you turn left so any help will very munch helpful.
I would be checking out the track bar or it's relocating bracket thinking it has come loose or it's bushings are broke. The track bar has a tie rod end on it too that can go bad.
Something is likely loose though.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
I'd first check to make sure all the suspension bits are tight. Or it could be a dead shock.
Finally got around to replacing my steering dampener. It hasn't wobbled since I got a new set of BFG KO's. The old SD was completely shot. Now the steering wheel doesn't shake a few times over bumps like it used to.
Now for some track bar bushings to stop the clunk over bumps.
And, it seems it's not a crackhead in the 'hood. It's juveniles! Chased a couple girls from the tennis courts last night that were trying to break things. A quick drive around the 'hood found a bunch of juvies lighting fireworks. Next time they show up, there won't be anything to steal except a dead lighter with "ha ha, f*cker" written on it! Bastards!!!
check your rear track bar and its ends and mounting points. check your front track bar and its ends and mounting points. are your tires clean (no mud in the rims)? are they all at the same pressure? are your front wheel bearings good? is your steering stabilizer good? are any of the ends on your front suspension bad? how old are your shocks? could one be going out?
Its often a hard thing to find. All of these things above have caused death wobble for me (98 TJ). Mostly I find that (due to my lift I think) I tend to rip the rear track bar mounts off the rear axle. Why that causes death wobble up front I dont know, but it does. the one thing with the steering stabilizer is that just changing it can mask a biger issue, like a bad rod end in your steering.
-jenn
The "Death Wooble" is caused by a dynamically unstable front axle. Many think is is because a a bad stabilizer or worn suspension componates but all they are doing is letting you know that you front end is unstable to begin with and that you are trying to brute force hold it stable. This instablity is cause by the improper caster, camber and toe in combo for your lift and tires. Many think that alignment is same but it is not and factory specs are rarely okay with you add a lift and more tire rolling resistance and tread width to the combo. Usually when you lift it you do not set proper posistive caster angle (the amount that top of axle pivots are tipped towards rear of vehicle) and this results in a front axle that want to osciilate at times. A new damper is just masking the real problem but many are usually convinced otherwise. Dynamic instablity is good for a fighter aircraft because it makes it more resposive to controls but it is not good for a front axle.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Mine is not lifted. I did replace the P205/75R15's with LT235/75R15's years ago. My track bar bushings are shot and need replacement. I'll get to that, soon.
-Scott '97 TJ SE
I used to align those axles many years ago when few even knew what a
4x4 was let alone how to align one. I have seen many death wooble cases that I was able to fix. With leaf springs it was easy to set caster with shims but newer front ends are not so easy sometimes (4 link solid axle and such) For camber you used to bend the housing with a specail 25 ton clamp jack (very carefully too) before they started to use shims behind spindles where they mounted to knuckle. I have mixed feelings about those shims.----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Thanks all of you that put in your 2 cents and will check out what you guys said to try. How do you test your steering dampener to see if it is bad or not? Thanks Jamie
If you can move the rod in and out of it easily by hand it is bad.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Thanks you all of you the steering dampener is bad I order one yesterday (skyjacker heavy duty one) Thanks again Jamie
I got the one from OME. It's nice and yellow! :)
A new steering damper will only 'mask' a problem 'maybe'.
It will 'not' fix the slop that is allowing the death wobble.
If there wasn't something broken or about to break or really worn or 'really' out of adjustment, you wouldn't get the 'death wobble'.
I recently found out my steering damper is only an empty tube, literally, and has been since I bought it way back in the 90's. I haven't had the death wobble since I rebuilt the front end with new parts back in 2000.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06Well I replaced a lower control arm bracket on the front axle on the right side a few weeks ago it did help some but the death wobble is still there
just not as bad
oh and almost forgot back in Jan 07 I had I lost control and ran over a cruve and hit a stop sign on a rainly day speeding and all 4 on my wheels started sliding on the wet pavement just to try to make it to a movie the reno 911 movie and hit no really damage just my bumper had a small dent I plate fell off and my front rim was bent and the tire was trash (big rip in it) and my aliment was way off you can see it in the tire wear and the steering wheel is not right side up like it use to be I do not know if this has anything to do with the death wobble or not
Only a little....
You can use a tape measure to get the toe in back, but it really needs a machine to check it all.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06Ok thanks I will take in dow to get looked at friday (that is when I get paid) Thanks all of you and a specal Special thanks to Mike Romain
You me you had it rebuilt. You are lucky because the caster must be okay (it is positive enough) be bacuse if it was not it would wobble new front end or not when conditions are right.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
No I mean 'I' rebuilt it when 'I' did a frame up restore and glass body job on it in my driveway. I didn't get smashed up as a passenger in the car accident until 2003 which was when I had to stop the heavy stuff.
CJ build
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