jakebl

Hey everyone. Thought I would get on here and see what you all think. I have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport, that has a 3 inch lift. When I accelerate and hit the 50-55 mark the stearing wheel has a slight shake. Every now and then when I hit the brakes, the jeep will really begin to lurch, but its not all the time, and also when I hit a bump just right it will do the lurching back and forth.

Any thoughts on what the cause could be? I know that there are several things that could be the cause for this, but wonder if there were a coulple that would be more likely than others.

I know there are other posts asking about this, but figured it would be easier to just make a new post.

Thanks for the replies in advance!

4X4times4

Sounds like death wobble. Google Jeep Cherokee death wobble and you will get all sort of results. It is usually worn front end components.

4xj4offroad

http://www.quadratec.com/products/56116_300.htm

i know these parts right here will help u out because it wont cause play in your traction bar plus looks very clean under the rig
- get tires aligned after installation
- and make sure your tires are not low on air believe it or not that causes it

nickxj94

Balance tires? Warped rotors, and alignment is the cheaper to start with then if it still does it check the trackbar, tre's,balljoints, hub assemblys,ujoints, pinon angle, shocks and bushings, that's a start of everything that can cause vibration or dw ..Goodluck it's a pita!

no rdplz

Please no. this is beyond simple "bump steer". If you start getting a shaking steering wheel without hitting a bump, you are beginning to get DW. It may not be severe, but it will get that way. Find the cause, then buy parts. Don't just shot-gun parts at an issue.

jakebl, you are getting the starting effects of Death Wobble. It's a very common issue that many Jeeps encounter, especially after being lifted. The reason DW happens is you have misaligned or worn (could be, and usually is, a combination of the 2) steering/suspension parts. As forces build and act against these parts, they fail, and you start getting DW. If it goes unfixed, it can wreak havoc on your front end and cost a bunch of money. So what are the culprit parts to check over?

Track Bar
Tie Rod Ends
Ball Joints
Hubs
Axle u-joints
Lower Control Arms
Lower Control Arm Bushings
Wheel Balance
Wheel Alignment
Varying tire pressures
Cracked Track bar mount
Worn Steering box

First thing's first, did you relocate the trackbar/get an adjustable track bar after putting on the lift? If no, this could possibly cure your DW. A lot of companies say you don't need a new track bar with a 3" lift. My experience, and that of many other XJ owners is that you do. If you really want to invest in a track bar that will last you a long, long time, look into IRO's (Iron Rock Offroad) double sheer set up. It comes in 2 different set ups, so make sure you order the correct one for the amount of lift you have. Even if it's not the cure to your DW, it's still a great investment that I would recommend for any lifted XJ.

If that's not the issue, if you already have the track bar taken care of, let';s start with something that will only cost you some time (a couple hours or so) and no money. Jack up the front end, get underneath it, and have a second pair of hands starting turning your wheel back and forth quickly. Look and feel for any loose parts. If you see any, go there first for tightening/replacing. Also, look at your LCA bushings. You shouldn't see any gap between them and the mount, nor should there be any cracks in the bushings. If it all looks/feels/is tight (recheck the torque on everything), move on to your wheels.

Rotate your tires on the rig. Put the rears up front and the fronts in back. See if this cures it. It may be that you simply have a tire out of balance. If this doesn't fix it, do a quick driveway alignment. This is done by marking a common place on the front and back of both front tires (a tread lug works great as a mark point). Take out a tape measure and measure the span from one tire's mark to the others on the front side of the tire. Remember that measurement. May be a good idea to write it down just in case. Then do the same on the rear side of the side of the tires. The 2 measurements should be the same. That at lest tell you that you're close on the alignment. From here, grab your wheel at the top and bottom and try to wiggle it. If there's movement, look into the hubs and ball joints.

Hubs are fairly easy (there's a writeup for doing it in the write-up section with pics) to check, and if need be, replace. While those are out, the axle u-joint is available to check as well, same with the ball joints.

DW does not have one "fix-all" cure. It can be caused by a single part or by multiple parts being bad. One "cure" that some people will give is to replace the steering stabilizer. Walk away from them. A stabilizer will only mask the real problem.

This stuff should at least get you started and hopefully point you towards the part(s) that are causing the issue.

slayer9019

Sounds like the beginning of death wobble. I got the same thing (very very small vibes at around 50-60). Take care of it now as the oscillation over time will loosen up everything.

car5car

6 month old thread?

Red82

And?

Dw is always an issue. Some great info here.

no rdplz

It happens.