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Bad shakes at 55

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Old Mar 27, 2011 | 10:20 PM
  #1  
Celticclove's Avatar
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From: provo, utah
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Default Bad shakes at 55

I just got my jeep ans when you get to 55 it shakes hard core! But if you punch the gas pedal just be for and keep it above 65 it dont shake ?wtf?
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Old Mar 27, 2011 | 10:44 PM
  #2  
goldenlandscaping's Avatar
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From: Carrollton, Georgia
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 Liter High Output
Cool Congratulations You Got Death Wobble

Originally Posted by Celticclove
I just got my jeep ans when you get to 55 it shakes hard core! But if you punch the gas pedal just be for and keep it above 65 it dont shake ?wtf?
Well i will give you a list of possibilities
-Trac Bar Bushings
-Lift and a nonadjustable trac bar therefore axle not centered
-Loose Steering Parts such as TRES and or Steering Gear
-Ball Joints
-Unbalanced tires
-Bent wheel
-Needs an Alignment
-Control arms bent or need shims or even shot bushings

Best way to check these is to get under the front and just check everything under there for play at all and also check out this thread....
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/di...-wobble-55021/
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Old Mar 27, 2011 | 10:59 PM
  #3  
HCCAFan's Avatar
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From: North Carolina
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: Gas
Default

If the tires are balanced, I say front driveshaft.
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Old Mar 27, 2011 | 11:42 PM
  #4  
Llamacide's Avatar
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
Default

Yep, Death Wobble. Check the items listed above. I had the DW on two different XJ's and for me it was bad tires in both cases. The steel belts were damaged and replacing the tires fixed it for me.... But check the other components too.
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 12:11 AM
  #5  
00-buck's Avatar
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From: HUNTSVEGAS AL.
Year: 1988
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 renix 4.7 soon to drop back in
Default

Originally Posted by goldenlandscaping
Well i will give you a list of possibilities
-Trac Bar Bushings
-Lift and a nonadjustable trac bar therefore axle not centered
-Loose Steering Parts such as TRES and or Steering Gear
-Ball Joints
-Unbalanced tires
-Bent wheel
-Needs an Alignment
-Control arms bent or need shims or even shot bushings

Best way to check these is to get under the front and just check everything under there for play at all and also check out this thread....
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/di...-wobble-55021/
X2
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 05:15 AM
  #6  
DaveK-9's Avatar
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Agree!!!!!!, mine was a bad trac-bar bushing and the control arm bushing were shot. once I put new lift on with all new bushings problem stopped.
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Old Mar 28, 2011 | 07:02 AM
  #7  
fishtaconc's Avatar
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From: Watha,NC
Year: Jeepless at the moment
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If you take it to a shop to be looked at and, they say it just needs a new steering stabilizer, find another shop, because a new stabilizer may stop it, its just a band aid. sounds like tires are out of balance or possible busted belt, and it sets it off, so check all the steeering components for any play and replace.
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Old Apr 12, 2011 | 11:44 AM
  #8  
Celticclove's Avatar
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From: provo, utah
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
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Busted belt? What belt? My alinement is out a this is a factor but I have.never had a truck shake this.bad
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Old Apr 12, 2011 | 11:48 AM
  #9  
Celticclove's Avatar
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From: provo, utah
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
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And it feels like the.whole.fricken.truck is there such thing as a 4 wheel alinement ?
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Old Apr 12, 2011 | 12:01 PM
  #10  
Gee oh Dee's Avatar
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From: Milwaukee, WI
Year: 1987
Engine: Check
Default

He meant the belt in the tire.
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Old Apr 12, 2011 | 01:21 PM
  #11  
Celticclove's Avatar
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From: provo, utah
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Default

K and how can do i tell if my axle is centered ? I dont have an adju. Trac bar but it dont look stock I have a 41/2 inch lift that I didnt put so im,nnot sure what has been changed with the lift

Last edited by Celticclove; Apr 12, 2011 at 01:45 PM.
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Old Apr 12, 2011 | 01:25 PM
  #12  
XJJeff's Avatar
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From: NJ
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 I6 Powertech
Default

Same exact thing here for me its my tires are chopped from the old owner not getting proper tire rotation and balancing.
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Old Apr 12, 2011 | 04:00 PM
  #13  
TheJerm's Avatar
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From: Flint/Asheville
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Default

Ive always found shaking around 55mpg to be due to unbalanced tire or tires. Now if you get bump steer or death wobble when you hit a bump at highway speed then its something in your front suspension.
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Old Aug 26, 2011 | 10:33 PM
  #14  
BotakBeng's Avatar
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From: Las Vegas
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Default

This is a good checklist,

Originally Posted by tjwalker
Possible causes of DEATH WOBBLE. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination and the root cause is not always obvious.

Until you figure this out, keep an extra pair of underwear on hand in case you soil yourself when it feels like your Jeep is dismantling itself.......!!!

Note: It can oftentimes be due to a combination of things!
--------------------------------------------------------

-Front tires out of balance (try swapping fronts to rear; see if symptoms change)
-Improper lug nut torque on wheels
-Front alignment out of spec
-Loose track bar
-Worn track bar bushings
-Worn track bar end
-Bad bushings/joints in control arms
-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
Here is a long *** one.

GL.
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Old Aug 27, 2011 | 12:12 AM
  #15  
mmikeyy's Avatar
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Angry death wobbles

i'm having the same problem, only mine begins around 45 mph or sometimes when crossing a bridge or railroad crossing at highway speeds. everything has been replaced: tie rod ends, ball joints, trac bar etc.. the only thing that hasn't been swapped is the steering shock absorber.. which in mine is gonna be a real bear since i don't have a small enough pickle fork to pop the tapered bolt out of the tie rod.. so i had to take off the bumper and front skid plate in order to be able to smak the tapered bolt with a copper faced hammer.

.. i really like driving the thing..but they didn't build the cherokee with maintenance in mind.. which is a real shame since they go to some of the craziest places.. a vehicle like that needs to be more maintenance friendly

the death wobble or death shimmy as i have heard it called is caused by one thing and one thing only.. unfortunately the process of elimination has not been fruitful.. mine was eating trac bars like candy for a while until i figgered out how change them out: take the bracket off with the bar and not leave it attached.. it is virtually impossible to tighten the castlenut onto the tapered bolt .. the stupid rubber sleeve interferes with proper seating and then the hole is out of round in less than 50 miles.. then the bracket needs to be replaced...from my experience sofar the trac bar and the steering shock absorber are the main culprits

out of balance tires will wobble even at low speeds and just get worse as you accelerate.. a sudden shimmy (like the death shimmy) at a certain speed is what i'm having issues with.. while it is possible that a new trac bar is bad right out of the box it seems highly unlikely that a guy would get one and then get another one and then another one.. if my luck was like that i'd play lotto
so in the AM i'm gonna swap out the steering shock absorber and maybe the sway bar links.. they look a little worn... of course another trac bar too.. if that doesn't cure the problem i would hope that someone else out there can point me in the right direction
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