Death wobble
- Thread starter B192734
- Start date
If I had to sum it up I'd say worn parts. Start by looking at the tie rod and go from there.
You can start by sitting in front of the Jeep and watching the tie rod / suspension while your wife turns the steering wheel back and forth (engine off). You don't need to go from full lock to full lock, you just want small turns back and forth, looking to see something that has more wiggle than it should.
http://www.jeepz.com/forum/suspension/29510-wrangler-death-wobble-what-causes-how-fix.html
You can start by sitting in front of the Jeep and watching the tie rod / suspension while your wife turns the steering wheel back and forth (engine off). You don't need to go from full lock to full lock, you just want small turns back and forth, looking to see something that has more wiggle than it should.
http://www.jeepz.com/forum/suspension/29510-wrangler-death-wobble-what-causes-how-fix.html
Try some free stuff like torquing all suspension bolts to factory specs, and swapping the front tires onto the back.
what causes the shaking to start (I.e. hit a bump, or every time you hit 55mph)?
what causes the shaking to start (I.e. hit a bump, or every time you hit 55mph)?
cowboywelder
New member
my 2000 xj did the same thing after i lifted it ended up being my trac arm was worn so bad there was no bushing and the hole was woloed out and the lift put the last strain it would hold on it
I had it on my 2012 JKU and found a steering stabilizer that was shot and leaking fluid. I replaced it with a Bilstein and it went away. I had tires balanced, alignment, and all the bolts replaced and torqued prior to the stabilizer and the death wobble persisted. Now it drives fine again.
B192734
New member
We'll see what happens. I am going to get a new set of shocks (since I need them anyway...) and new tires and rims. That was all planned in advance, so maybe I'm just way out of balance or something. Then once I have that on, I'll see how it handles and start troubleshooting from there.
B192734
New member
So, I have been doing a little more looking and watching while I wait for parts, and I have noticed a couple of things.1) When parked I can feel a slight tick in the brake pedal that I can make stop by slightly turning the steering wheel.2) When driving, I can feel the wobble/vibration/general bumpiness, but can make it stop with a little turn of the steering wheel. It always comes back, but initially it will cease when the wheel is turned slightly. Not enough to actually turn the vehicle, but just slightly. Could all of this be connected, or could we talking other issues that I happen to notice because I am paying such close attention?
B192734
New member
So I finally got around to replacing my rims and tires, and that actually has reduced the wobble a lot. Not 100%, but the majority of it. I think that I will attempt to get some new shocks on this weekend or next, and see what that does. I figure that I will just start spending my "allowance" and replacing parts one at a time as I have the time and money. After the shocks, since I already have them, what would you recommend I start with?
Catoctin Jeep
Official Vendor
Did you check for any play in the front wheel bearings. Also, when you get a front end alignment or if you do it yourself, toe the wheels out instead of toeing them in. This makes a big difference, especially with larger tires. Do what others had said as well, check everything on the front end for worn parts.
B192734
New member
So I got under and did an oil change this last weekend. While under there I did a checking and I found that both my drag link and tie rod have play in them. I can grab them and twist probably about 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch. Is this normal? I've never checked before, so I am not sure if there was much play before or not. I think I'll get in there and give it a bit of lubing as well, but I'm not sure how much that would tighten anything up.
Catoctin Jeep
Official Vendor
There will be some twisting movement, but it should be snug, there should be resistance. Unlock the steering wheel and have someone move the steering wheel back and forth. Have them do it slightly and slow and watch all of the steering linkage. Listen for popping sounds, watch for any delay in movement as well. Ex. if you watch the pitman arm, the pitman arm and tre should move at the same time. If the pitman arm moves and then the tre then that tre is bad. I hope I haven't confused you. It's hard to explain typing than verbal.
J Smith
New member
I am always amazed at the complete ignorance people spout about this subject (Death Wobble). It's almost always them passing on crap they've heard or read, but the lack of REAL experience and understanding of steering and suspension is something that drives me to either laugh out loud or lose my temper... depending on the day I've had I guess. I do not know it ALL, but have enough experience with DW to have written in depth about it to help others get some understanding of it.
That having been said, there is only a slight bit of good advice in any of the above posts and as usual, the very first thing that should have happened is that someone should have asked for more information before giving up ANY "help". You can NEVER answer a question about DW without KNOWING a lot more than "my front end shakes". Any tech worth a second thought would never give an answer to that without probing into the trouble. Like: what have you done recently to change things, any hard hits or bumps, mileage, is the vehicle lifted, what are you driving, a JK or TJ or... you know, the easy stuff.
If you want to KNOW about DW, go to my article at: Happy Trails 4wd: Death Wobble
There you will learn a great deal about the REAL causes, how to check for them, how to truly fix them, and more. It also tells you that most "good techs" that I have worked around are not qualified to cure DW. Not many have the ability to think "Into" the parts and understand what makes them work together. They just replace parts until something changes enough to make it quit. DW is without a doubt one of the hardest problems to diagnose. It is seldom just one bad part, but more often a combination of a little wear here and there that add up. Of course there are exceptions.
Read the article and watch the videos from Teraflex. You will then know more than the average tech. Even if YOU are not mechanically inclined, you may at least be able to find a tech that will be able to help you because you will KNOW what to ask them to know if they are knowledgable or just learning at your expense.
You can get SOME good info on these forums, but you have to know when to take it to heart and when to RUN AWAY. Opinions sometimes don't repair anything but the ego of the writer. But who pays the bill if you buy into the opinion? The above posts from Catoctin Jeep have been on the right track, but need to expand just a bit. Most of the rest have been poor or even bad advice.
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J Smith, that's not cool. If you disagree with someone then it's fine to say so, and to tell why, but we don't tolerate name calling or talking down to people. Please keep it civil.
Having said that, I see nothing wrong with what Catoctin Jeep wrote.
1 - The drag link and tie rod are ball joints and will rotate(twist)...that is normal. Lateral movement is bad.
2 - It's common advise to begin troubleshooting death wobble by laying in front of the Jeep and watching the suspension while someone moves it.
Having said that, I see nothing wrong with what Catoctin Jeep wrote.
1 - The drag link and tie rod are ball joints and will rotate(twist)...that is normal. Lateral movement is bad.
2 - It's common advise to begin troubleshooting death wobble by laying in front of the Jeep and watching the suspension while someone moves it.
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PoliceMonkey161
New member
You know.... I second what Terry said! We are here to help each other and learn. Not make someone else look bad or doubt their advice.
Just my two cents....I'll get off the soap box now...
jessinak
New member
Had it to. Go get a 5 degree shim and put it between the leaf springs and axle spring mount. The castor angle is off. It took me about 20 min to install them and... holy moly... it was like I had a new jeep. NO more death wobble for me!
Castor angle can definitely contribute to death wobble, but this is going to vary quite a bit based on lift height, and just Jeep to Jeep.
Also, I believe that his 2000 Cherokee has coils in the front. He would need adjustable control arms to fix castor issues.
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