Programbo

Hello all. Hope everyone is well. Recently I took a long trip and had 2 instances of very bad "Death Wobble". My '93 XJ always seems to have a slight vibration on the front at higher speeds but this was that the front is shaking so violently it seems as if one of the wheels is coming off wobble. Only slowing down to below 25 or so made it go away.....Anyway the reason I call it a "specific" death wobble is both times it happened when I hit a particularly hard jolt in the roadway at high speed. A large rough patch caused by construction or area of very rough road with a large lip. I could drive 65-70MPH fine with no problem other than the ever present slight vibration but hitting something rough at that speed set off the death wobble that got worse and worse.

So my question is does this particular set of circumstances narrow down the potential causes of the "Death Wobble"? Thanks for any input.

Turbo X_J

It can be caused by any type of looseness or play in the suspension. One good jolt is all it takes to set off a harmonic reaction. Due to age alone the first thing I would look at would be the control arm bushings, then the track bar mount.

Klutch

Typical causes of "Death Wobble":

- Worn tie rod ends; especially the one that connects to the pitman arm

- Worn track bar

- Front wheels out of balance

- Worn steering dampener

First, I would suggest replacing the steering dampener. While that won't completely solve the problem, it will likely help. Unless you've replaced your dampener recently, it's likely worn out.

Second, take your XJ to a shop to have the wheels rotated and balanced. If you bought the tires that are on it, likely the place where you bought them will rotate and balance them for free.

Third, take your XJ to a shop to have the front wheels aligned. The alignment tech can tell you exactly what's worn out and provide an estimate for repairs. Tell him, "Thank you", then say in your best Arnold voice, "I'll be back".

Replace all the components the alignment tech said were worn out. Buy good quality parts like Moog.

Take your XJ back to the alignment shop and have the job finished. Dollars to doughnuts, your death wobble will be gone.

I think lots of people pull their hair out over death wobble because they don't want to pony up and replace worn components. These Jeeps did not have death wobble when they were new. Therefore, if you make the suspension like new, you won't have death wobble.

Programbo

Thanks for the input. I'll get under there this weekend and see what everything looks like. The last time I had this on my '94 XJ it turned out to be a bad tire.

SteveMongr

Steering damper is never the cause of death wobble. In fact it would be best to remove it to be certain that the wobble was fixed.

Otherwise, what Turbo X_J said..

cruiser54

Correct Steve.

Thanks for pointing out that the steering damper is many times thought to be the issue when in fact over many years, we have learned that it is not.

How some of these automotive wives' tales live on still surprises me.

Crazy 8s

The dampener is just a shock absorber, a totally reactionary device. There is no way that it can be the cause of any steering issues. It will only hide them.

You won't need an alignment technician to diagnose our steering issues, as you can just crawl under there and check them pretty easily without any tools. The steering parts cost about $80 new and the alignment job is going to cost the same or more. You will want to get it aligned after, and you don't to pay someone twice to do the job once.

Klutch

You misunderstood my point. My point is replacing the steering dampener will not solve death wobble. However, it WILL help to reduce it while you're fixing everything else. I've owned two XJs with death wobble and in both cases, replacing the steering dampener lessened the wobble while I was fixing the things that actually cause the wobble. Since it takes only about ten minutes to replace a steering dampener, I suggested the OP first do this.

So, you're right. I should not have listed it under "causes" because it's not actually a cause. OK? :-)

Klutch

You don't need to pay for the job twice. I don't think it is easy to diagnose what's wrong by crawling underneath yourself. If you can do it, great. But not everyone can. You might be able to spot some problems, but maybe not everything.

On the first visit, the shop should charge you a nominal diagnostic fee. When I did a few months ago, it was $20.00 at Midas. For me, paying the guy $20.00 to know exactly what was wrong was well worth it.

cruiser54

Look at all this stuff while someone see-saws the steering wheel back and forth. That's pretty easy in my book.

LiamLikeNeeson

that's what my mechanic said. Dampeners only hide the problem, so they are pointless to have and it's better to invest in control arm, bushing, etc repairs than buy something that is unnecessary to buy. Keep in mind this guy cut an '89 XJ in half and added 2-3ft in the middle, dropped a Hemi V8 in it, and fabricated and welded his own bumpers (that are like 1/2cm thick at least) just as a side hobby.

tjwalker

My understanding of “death wobble” is this. Somewhere on the vehicle, one or more components is worn beyond tolerances, and when oscillation initiates from a suspension “traumatic” event (like hitting a bump or a pothole) or also when a vibration reaches a certain point and harmonic at a certain speed, it causes the other components to react. This is called the “multiplier effect”, where one component affects one or more other components as the event travels through the front end of the vehicle.

Death wobble is not uncommon with the XJ! It is even more common with a lifted XJ. Finding the worn component or components is not always easy and can sometimes be downright difficult. Sometimes it’s obvious, other times everything appears to be okay when you perform an inspection on a hoist, but getting the vehicle up in the air and going over everything with a fine tough comb is always a good first step. Have a friend turn the steering wheel back and forth full travel as you perform the inspection. It is very helpful if you know exactly how to perform a comprehensive inspection of every single front end part, looking for abnormal wear and or play in that hardware. If you do not know how to do this type of inspection, pay an experienced professional to do it. Be sure to ask them if they are familiar with “death wobble”, as not all technicians are versed in this…..

Check out the below link if you would like some extensive reading on “death wobble” causes and cures. From my research, Kevin (the author of this tutorial) is one of the best in the business with tracking down root cause of death wobble. He does offer hardware for sale that can help resolve death wobble, but even if you don’t buy any parts from him, you can still get some excellent ideas on what to look at in resolving your death wobble.

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/how-to-...-death-wobble/

Possible causes of death wobble are listed below. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination; the root cause is not always obvious and it can often be caused by a combination of things! Always chase and resolve death wobble because if it is not resolved, it is such a violent event that it has the potential to seriously damage front end parts. From my personal experience, I would first concentrate on the track bar and the control arms and associated bushings.
--------------------------------------------------------
-Front tires out of balance (try swapping fronts to rear; see if symptoms change)
-Tire pressure. Don’t laugh. It’s not a root cause but can exaggerate the problem. Experiment with lower tire pressure to see if it helps
-Improper lug nut torque on wheels
-Front alignment out of spec
-Loose track bar
-Worn track bar bushings
-Worn track bar (check for play!!)
-Bad control arms and associated bushings
-Worn/damaged steering stabilizer (not generally a cause in and by itself)
-Worn/damaged shocks
-Worn/damaged tie rod end
-Bad U Joint
-Bad ball joint
-Loose frame mount
-Steering box loose
-Bad front hub assembly

Programbo

Hello all. Just as a follow up since I started this thread...This is what cured my "death wobble" I moved the front tires to the back and it never happened again. Just to restate my original post..When I say I had "death wobble" I mean it was way worse than a vibration or shimmy..This was the whole front of the Jeep shaking violently. If you can imagine not tightening your lug nuts and then getting up to 60 MPH and the wheel starts coming off that is how bad the shaking is.

Thanks for all the input and detailed replies. I am sure it has helped a lot of people who just haven't replied.

bryanintowson

Agree - thanks for all the input. My 92 is currently in the shop for the exact same symptoms that Programbo described.

@Programbo - is there a shop that you use to work on your XJ? I'm local to Baltimore.

kjdad

In my case the lower trackbar mount was messed up. The hole was all ovaled out causing to front axle to walk. I welded washers and haven't had a problem since.