Death wobble?

[Salsa91]

Alright, so I'm new here and I'm hoping I can get some input. Bought the xj yesterday. The guy told me it has a wobble in it but never described how bad. When I test drove it I didn't feel it. I did however feel wandering. Didn't think much of it. When I drove it home, I hit a good sized pothole at about 35-45 mph. Holy wobble!!!! I've never experienced death wobble before but I've seen videos and heard stories about it. With that being said, I assume I have it. The jeep and steering wheel started shaking and ticking in a side to side motion uncontrollably. I had to hit the brakes and slow down to about twenty to get it to stop. Since the guy did kinda warn me about it, I can't be to upset that it happened.

But now now I want it fixed. So I took it to work today,(the wobble happened again this morning) and replaced all tie rod ends except for the one of the pitman arm(no one in town had it in stock at 4 pm). I drove it home and didn't feel the wobble but the wander is way greater now. I also didn't get it aligned but I kinda did the DIY alignment.

The guy told me in order to fix the wobble I needed to replace the tie rods and get adjustable lower control arms or long arm kit. I'm running 37's on (what he told me) 5.5 rustys with 2"cool spacers and 3" shackles. I see the jeep has an aftermarket track bar and adjustable uppers with some aftermarket lowers. I'm wanting to go down to 35's.

So how do I fix it, and/or what do you guys recommend? Thanks!

[00ExJay]

But in all honesty, tightness and a proper alignment is key. Make sure all parts of the suspension and steering are tight. Not just nuts and bolts, but all bushings and ball joints. make sure you align it properly, you dont have to get it done at a shop though. there are only two things you can really adjust: caster, via the control arms, and toe in. toe in usualy effects tracking or "wander". but make sure the suspension is solid, especially left to right as this affects steering. the track bar keeps the axle stable from left to right.

[Salsa91]

I had it on the lift today and with the tires in the air I did the push/pull test on the ball joints and they seem pretty solid. However, on the side to side test(? pushing on the front and rear of one tire testing the tie rods) it seemed loose at first but a lot stiffer and solid after the new tie rod ends. With the wander, does that usually relate to the trac bar?

[xaza]

Once you have everything tight if you still have wobble you could be looking at a caster issue. I like this write up.
http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/how-to-...-death-wobble/

[Myrtle Turtle]

You don't say whether or not it has an adjustable drag link to go with that track bar? You can look it up for pictures, but they should line up pretty well. Start with proper angles, good tie rod ends and ball joints and go back and do that DIY alignment with care and you should be good. On a new to me Jeep I would also check all the control arm bushings and loosen, then re-torque the arms with the Jeep on the ground. Since you didn't install them, I would also check the measurements on the adjustable arms.

[Salsa91]

MultiScuf previously posted:

[Salsa91]

Myrtle Turtle previously posted:

[Hypoid]

It would be nice to see some pictures of the tread wear, and steering geometry.

[Hypoid]

It would be nice to see some pictures of the tread wear, and steering geometry.

Salsa91 previously posted:

[gm4x4lover]

You need to get it on an alignment rack and see what all the specs are. Castor is a huge cause of dw. Caster isn't anything that can be fixed in a driveway or with a did alignment. If all your front end parts are tight this is where you need to look. Other common causes are worn track bars, steering stabilizers, shoddy tires, out of balance tires, to name a few.

[newracer]

It can definitely be the track bar.

[jayson44]

Michael has the right answer...track bar is the biggest cause of DW. I have it every once in a while and I need to get under my Jeep and check the trackbar mounting holes. if they get ovaled out, you'll have DW. if the trackbar isn't tight, you'll have DW.

there's a nice writeup on Jeepforum in the TJ section about it. basically, the trackbar controls side-to-side axle placement and is SUPPOSED to keep the axle from moving side-to-side. however, if it's worn out, or not tight, or the mounting holds are ovaled, it will move side to side. when you hit a pothole, the trackbar shifts the axle to one side. then the springs pull it back, and then it goes back in the other direction...back and forth, back and forth, each time increasing the push/pull causing the crazy wobble/bounce effect.

I'm sure there's more physics to it, but that's basically it. I'd check the trackbar first before alignment and all that. my Jeep's alignment is on point, but if I hit a pothole around 35mph, I can get DW sometimes. gotta check that trackbar.

J.

[Salsa91]

Hypoid previously posted:

[gm4x4lover]

What did you guys determine?

[94ToyBear]

Unless I skipped in in someones reply I havve not seen any one mention anything about the steering stabilizer.
I dont belive it will fix the issue but can defiantly help.
I vote track bar to be the main issue.

Have you looked in the the stabilizer at all ?

[94ToyBear]

Lol. Im going to show my student's this

00ExJay previously posted: