My name is Stormy. I just bought a '96 Jeep. Thought I got a deal. I went to another town the other(about 20 miles) and when I hit a big bump in the road, the front end wombled for just a minute, felt like the drivers side. Now their are plenty of bumps on this road and I hit them all. It only happened the once. Bearings??Tie Rod ends?? I haven't jacked it up yet, but from looking under the front end, thiings look good. Their are no other symptoms??
Stormy

 

Do a search for DEATH WOBBLE.

 

lol the first description of a death wobble I ever read said "you'll know it when it happens". And let me tell you, you KNOW. It literally feels like the car will shake apart = not fun on the highway!

Generally the steering damper being shot. Easy DIY, but you need a puller which you can borrow from an Autozone or some such store. I had lots of clunking in my front end, and in addition to the damper I had the sway bar bushings replaced as well. It's worth checking those while you've got it jacked.

 

Steering dampers do not cause death wobble, nor do they prevent it. They are a band-aid that mask other steering problems and are designed to keep soccer moms from flooding the dealership with steering complaints.

 

I'm glad you said that, I have an old post bookmarked from a Bronco website about wobble and the numerous problems that cause it.
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/sho....php?p=1440549
True, the damper is a symptom rather than a cause, but it can get you down the road safely (with dry pants!) while you solve the other problems. Basically I had some linkage parts replaced and the front end aligned, which eliminated my wobbles, but there are alot of things to check, especially if your rig is modified. Hope the link is of some help, and good luck finding your problem!

 

the stock steering stabilizer may be shot, not sure how many miles you have on it

 

 

Allright I always thought I knew what a death wobble was and what it felt like until about a year ago driving my brothers 02 grand cherokee, then I knew what a death wobble was and it scared the crap out of me, I thought I was going to crash.

Its fixed now I think it was the ball joints that needed replacing

 

Had this same issue with my Son's 87 XJ and we checked everything. All linkages were tight and good. It ended up being a steering box.

 

thanks, to everyone that gave me suggestions on my '96 Jeep front end problem. At least it gives me a starting place. I have never owned a jeep in my 53 years. So, I am glad to be a Newbie on the forum.

THANKS, TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

STORMY

 

thanks, Stormy

 

Welcome to CF...when my "Death Wobble" started I tightened up my steering box and every bolt and nut on my front end and found out that the steering bar was lose and it finally stopped it. It could also be shocks, bushings etc...Tj