Bad shakes at 55
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 711
Likes: 0
From: provo, utah
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
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?
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 693
Likes: 0
From: Carrollton, Georgia
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 Liter High Output
-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/
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
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.
Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 171
Likes: 0
From: HUNTSVEGAS AL.
Year: 1988
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 renix 4.7 soon to drop back in
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/
-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/
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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Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 711
Likes: 0
From: provo, utah
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
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.
CF Veteran
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 4
From: Flint/Asheville
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
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.
CF Veteran
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,894
Likes: 4
From: Las Vegas
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
This is a good checklist,
Here is a long *** one.
GL.
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
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
GL.
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
.. 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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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.
