fury

so I've been driving my Cherokee for nearly a decade now and a few days ago I experienced the so-called "death wobble."
I was going about 35-40mph and hit a bump in the road and my front end started shaking violently. I immediately slowed and pulled over to the side of the road to check my lug nuts because it felt like the tires were about to fall off.
any other members experience this in a Cherokee??
it's only happened once and hasn't happened since but it scared the hell out of me!

Chuck82

Does it still wobble? I remember when I went wheeling one time I started drivin on the road I hit 45 and started to wobble but then it was back to normal with no wobble.

Chuck82

^within a few minutes it was back to normal

xjsnake

Yup, pretty much everyone does if you drive them long enough. As steering components wear and develop 'slop' it causes death wobble. As time goes on if the cause isn't identified and fixed (tons of threads on this here) it will continue to get worse.

4.slow95

well for $300 you can buy all new front end components and never have to worry again. thats what I did. No wobble since

fury

it's not wobbling since that incident but there's movement in the steering wheel and it's pulling slightly to the right.
I'll start with alignment and balance tires and then start replacing front end parts.
I did a bit of research and it seems to be common, but more so with wranglers.

brook

Trac bar.........

SytesStealUrData

Hi,
I had a bad problem, but it was accompanied usually by smoke also. Took 1.5 years to figure out the front right brake caliper was sticking and overheating. Replaced it and the rotors. Had a different wobble at 57 mph which I never figured out, but sold the Jeep to get a prettier one. :^)))

tjwalker

My understanding of “death wobble” is this. Somewhere in the vehicle, one or more components is worn beyond tolerances, and when oscillation initiates from a suspension “traumatic” event (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. It 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 possibly 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 and the root cause is not always obvious and it can often be caused by a combination of things! 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

cruiser54

You beat me to it, buddy!! LOL.

fury

I ordered this:

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/cart/ha...wobble-p-1017/

Tony_SS

Let us know if that works.

ZINGGG

Wish you came to us to ask for suggestions before jumping the gun on that... There are better, cheaper options than that. But the track bar is a good start. to finding what's wrong.

Most places won't do any sort of alignment if you have worn parts.

In the decade you've owned it, have you ever replaced any steering/suspension parts in the front end?

Tony_SS

Can you give us the better, cheaper options for the track bar?

fury

I bought it stock.
added 3 inch skyjacker lift and skyjacker shocks.
added a RE steering stabilizer shock.
that's about all I've done with the steering/ suspension in the front end so far

I've already ordered the KOR track kit so it's too late to turn back but after I install I'll be happy to update with results.
3 or 4 days ago I hit some railroad tracks at about 35mph and the steering went haywire. the tires were bouncing and squealing back and forth but stopped when I slowed down to about 20mph.
the track bar was ordered right when I got home. if this fixes the problem then my concern isn't with cost, just my safety and the price was worth it to me.