MAJOR death wobble

wranglerrambler

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Location
oxford,nc
having a major issue with death wobble. have replaced the tie rod ends, drag link end, checked the ball joints, checked the control arm bushings and even the tires and EVERYTHING seems to be in great working order. still have the problem and cant figure it out. only happens once i hit a bump and then it feels like the wheels are coming off the ground. any help would greatly be appreciated.

thanks
 
I had a similar problem to that -- the tires were severly over-inflated. Also check your steering stabilizer.
 
tires are at 35 psi (normal pressure that i have been running in them for a while). check the stabalizer sunday afternoon then. thanks. anymore thoughts would be great
 
wranglerrambler said:
tires are at 35 psi (normal pressure that i have been running in them for a while). check the stabalizer sunday afternoon then. thanks. anymore thoughts would be great
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35 psi seems high for a TJ.
I run ~29 front 26 rear in mine to get the proper wear.

Also, are you running a drop pitman?
 
been running 35 for a while with no problems. wobble just started. no drop pitman arm either. 3.5" lift 33's been like that for two and a half years or so. first time i got the death wobble i corrected the toe and the problem was solved... now the alignment is as close as can be expected and its horrible.

btw... the drag link and track bar are almost completely and perfectly parallel
 
I'm going to say tires are probably slightly over inflated, drop it to 30psi and also get them re-balanced, that could make a big difference
 
How are the tires balanced? What kind of tires are they? Radial or bias ply? They probably need to be pad balanced esp if they're Swampers or any other tire with very agressive tread. I have a friend who had a very similar problem and pad balancing eliminated everything.
 
not sure what pad balancing is, but the tires are 33 winston winner mt's. i have balanced them three times and still not going away. will change the air pressure though this weekend to give it a try. just for thought... i have, on multiple occasions, run those tires at about 40 psi on trips (with no wobble)


??????????????????
 
Standard MT's shouldn't need to be pad balanced. Pad balancing is where they glue a weighted pad inside the tire on the tread section. For large 35"+ tires as well as bias plys it can work wonders. It's just another alternative to golfballs, BB's, airsoft pellets, equal and numerous other methods. I'd drop the pressure like was mentioned earlier. Did you check the unit bearings?
 
Even if the air is to high I don't imagine it would cause this issue only when you hit a bump. If I were you I'd check those track-bar bushings again. I'd be willing to be thats the problem. Make sure the bolts are tight too and there is no slop in the holes.
 
Yep, once that bottom hole wallows out, no amount of tightening is going to stop it from moving. Been there.....
 
Put your Jeep on jack stands. grab a hold of a tire at 12 and 6, try to rock back and forth. It moves? OK have someone else do it and you watch the inside, see if it's moving at the center. If it is, it's a bearing issue. Either loose or worn.
If it's moving where the ball joints connect then there's your problem.

Have you lifted it? could be a caster/camber problem

If you have not made a change then you simply have to look at everything that moves. all suspension, steering, and rotating parts.
 
only thing not mentioned here is check you steering box for excess play or frame cracking
 
im his brother i know He just replaced the hub assembly's for each side less than a month ago. when he hits a bump it is as if each tire is jumping a couple of inches off the ground. it did it going 70mph down the interstate so bad that the gear shifter was swinging back and forth about a foot and a half. needless to say scared the crap out of us. like he said he has had everything on this jeep the exact same it is now for around two years. never done it until now. my cherokee has the same simliar problem at slow speeds occasionaly and i only runs 25 psi in my tires. . thanks for yalls help
 
If all the steering and suspension parts are in good working order You may need to make your lower control arms longer. About an 1/8 to 1/4 inch this has worked several times on tj/xj/zj's with death wobble.
 
Check your Wheel Unit Bearings, and recheck that Upper Front Driver side control arm bushing on the axle end. that bushing tends to oil on it and that degrades the rubber bushing. I know you said you checked it but make sure. that one can hide on you.
 
mbalbritton said:
Check your Wheel Unit Bearings, and recheck that Upper Front Driver side control arm bushing on the axle end. that bushing tends to oil on it and that degrades the rubber bushing. I know you said you checked it but make sure. that one can hide on you.
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Can a bad wheel bearing hub still feel tight? I've got some DW on my lifted XJ, and have had some bad tirewear on the driver's front. I shook everything, had someone saw the wheel back/forth, nothing looked or felt loose. Jacked up the front end, wheel bearings seemed fine. I'll have to re-check the UCA bushings on the axle end. I had no DW with 3.5" Rusty's spring, but added a 1" spacer on top a year later and get now have DW.
 
well i will check the bushings again tomorrow. as for the lowers are too short... wouldn't that problem have started shortly after i lifted it? it has been about two and a half years since it was lifted. thanks for the continued help.
 
i got dw on mine twice today around 50mph. real bad too. i feel your pain...
 
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