tj death wobble

offroadin 88xj

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Location
winston-salem
My buddy's tj has the deat wobble now we changed wheel bearings steering and the trac bar has no play in it ball joints are good and tight just got it aligned and still death wobbles I've heard towing the tires in or out a certain amount can fix that but don't know any help
 
Sometimes it's the tires themselves. Try swapping front to back, or another set if you have them.
 
caster is out.
 
Have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth while you look at every joint in the steering and suspension. There is something loose or worn out, and eventually you will find it.
 
Does it have dual steering stabilizers on it? adjustable control arms? checked camber setting, needs to be as close to factory as possible. These are a few things I did to get rid of the death wobble on my WJ Cherokee
 
Steering box sector shaft bushing? That's what's wrong with mine.

Steering stabilizers have nothing to do with death wobble, they can only mask it. Likewise with the tires and sway bar. It shakes because something is loose.

Ball joints, track bar bushing, track bar bolt, track bar bracket hole wallowed out, track bar ball joint bad, unit bearing(s) bad, knuckle ball joints bad, steering box loose, steering box sector shaft bad, tie rod and drag link ends bad, insufficient caster angle... that's about the list. Control arm bushings can contribute if they're really shitty, but I'd start with the other items first. *ANY* movement means it has to be replaced.
 
We just put new lower control arms on it helped but still had it a little bit he's on his way now to pick it up from getting it aligned again steering box is new steering new wheel bearings are new ball joints are tight and no play in the trac bar
 
Track bar mount on the frame is a big cast piece that's welded on... But the tapered hole can wallow out.

Also, align it in the driveway with a tape measure and a friend. Only takes a minute.
 
offroadin 88xj said:
Everything's tight
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Apparently not.

But here's a dumb question: Do you know what death wobble is? I mean, really know what it is and can distinguish between death wobble and, say, an out of round or unbalanced tire?
 
offroadin 88xj said:
I've heard towing the tires in or out a certain amount can fix that but don't know any help
Click to expand...

Yes, toe can change it. Death wobble is all about things getting excited and oscillating, which is why things that are worn/loose can cause problems. But bad suspension alignment can excite things as well, so proper alignment is critical. Toe changes the tire preload, which can sometimes help, and that can sometimes preload some of the slack in the suspension joints to keep them from oscillating as well. Adding toe is not really a cure, it's just something that needs to be correct to not amplify other problems. Everything else needs to be correct too. If it's already been aligned and you're still having problems, look elsewhere. If you keep adding toe and it's making things better, you're just masking something else and will also increase tire wear.
 
shawn said:
Apparently not.

But here's a dumb question: Do you know what death wobble is? I mean, really know what it is and can distinguish between death wobble and, say, an out of round or unbalanced tire?
Click to expand...

Yes I know what death wobble is iv had it on all my jeeps in the past I fixed mine by swapping to fullwidths lol but he's not wanting to do that would adjustable control arms help it
 
Adjustable control arms will only help if you have an axle geometry problem and need castor correction. So if it's lifted and has stock control arms, then possibly yes.
 
See post #5
 
offroadin 88xj said:
Yes I know what death wobble is iv had it on all my jeeps in the past I fixed mine by swapping to fullwidths lol but he's not wanting to do that would adjustable control arms help it
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You are asking for someone to give you the answers on the test and everyone is trying to teach you how to calculate the answer on your own.

You can throw parts at it until you hit the magic lucky part or you can slow down, breathe, listen and learn.

I promise death wobble is not a mystery nor inexplicable. It is a verifiable, repeatable response to an inadequate situation. Every case can be different and different amounts of wear can cause different manifestations of symptoms.
 
2x ^ I always start with being sure tires are balanced if there is no visual sign of warn parts
 
jeepyj1129 said:
2x ^ I always start with being sure tires are balanced if there is no visual sign of warn parts
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I always thought Warn was quality stuff, you no like?
 
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