Spooledwhat

ok i have a 6.5in cherokee and at about 30 to 40 mph i have a horrible death wobble everytime. like the front tires go nuts and bounch off the ground. WHY?! whats the main cause of it? is it the trac bar? can it be caused by unbalenced tires?? if i go full throttle it doesnt do it but if i just normaly get on the gas it does it, and when slowing down all in the range of 30 to 40mph. any help will be awsome!

Oath

I had death wobble then I balanced my tires and it was gone. Although you should know I don't drive on the highway or I try to avoid it. So generally my speed doesn't go above 50 mph's. I've also got 3" of lift so it didn't really effect me likes yours is. I suggest checking the front out and tightening any loose parts. All I can offer, good luck.

93gc40

1. Because the XJ supension was design to be instable, insuch a way the all of the insabilities are suposed to cancel each other out. Damb engineers. And you changed that balance by modifying that design element.
2. Ware and damage to any part of the front suspension and steering.
3. Yes.
4. Yes.

You need to check and repair all Susp and Steering parts between the bumper to the crossmember. Do Not stop in between. I'll garranty, it's not just 1 bad part.

jeepjerry

Off balance tires can do it. Weak or junk steering stabilizer will do it also, but hitting a bump usually has to induce it.

This happened on my old chevy p/u on 38"s and i balanced the tires and it stopped doing it when i hit the certain speed. If i hit a bump, it would start doing it uncontrolably. Changed the steering stabilizer and it never did it again.

COSXJFAN

OK, trust me on this, as I have dealt with DW on several Jeeps!! Things to check, and replace if worn:

Ball joints
Suspension bushings
TREs
Steering box
Track bar busing and joints
Tire balance and roundness
Unit bearing hub assys
Caster angle

Again, I'm VERY familiar with your issue. This is long list, and can be quite expensive, but if you do what I did, you'll have to replace it all, ask me how I know this!! I went through replacing one thing at a time, and after I poured a lot of money into the problem, I found out it was the ball joints in the beginning. By the time I found this out, all of the stuff that I had replaced to that point was junk again. The problem with DW is that it WILL trash everything I mentioned if left unresolved. Sorry to be the bearer of crummy news, but you have some work ahead of you. FWIW, the steering stabilizer is merely a mask for underlying problems. Even if the stabilizer makes it go away, it will come back, because there IS something else worn out...PERIOD!! I am currently running a steering system that I built with NO steering stabilizer, and other than some slight harmonics from the tires when I hit any bump at speed, I have no DW at all. I am speaking strictly on the suspension that is under our XJs, as well as ZJs, & TJs. IDK anything about how a stabilizer will fix DW on a Chevy. HTH!!

theyoungun91

when i put a 2in coil spacer lift on my xj i knew it would change the toe in, so i measured it before i put the lift on. after i did the lift i was anxious to drive it so i took it for a spin to the beach... bad idea. it was my first death wobble experience and its not fun. i made it back home and adjusted the toe in back to the original measurement and havent had d.w. since. but i still have a slight vibration at about 52-54 mph. if it comes back ill get a front end alignment. so maybe check your toe in? its free and its a start so why not right?

broncofire75

Death Wobble isn’t similar to a wobble from an unbalanced tire which is usually only felt at about 48-56 mph, DW is by far worse. When Death Wobble hits you will know… it’s a violent shake from the front end that feels like the Jeep is about to fall apart. Usually when it happens the only thing you can do to stop it is to slow down.

The first steps to eliminate Death Wobble should be a visual inspection of each component, check the bushings, the tire balance and the alignment. These are some common things you must check anytime you lift your Jeep. Death Wobble is experienced mostly on lifted Jeeps, however it is not uncommon for someone without a lift to experience the dreaded DW. Listed below are a few things you can check.

-Check your Tires
1. Out of balance tires can cause shaking in the front end, which can lead to Death Wobble. A tire/rim that has been balanced can still have internal defects that lead to DW.
2. Make sure all of your lug nuts are tight, (Sounds elementary but it happens to the best of us)

-Make sure you have a good alignment
1. After you get an alignment done, have them print out the numbers for you. An XJ should have a 7* positive caster angle. A lifted XJ can’t always have that high of a number because the pinion would become out of alignment with the front driveshaft. Pinion angle takes precedence over caster.
2. Make you sure you go to a place that will adjust the caster if necessary (either by shims in the frame side of the LCAs, or adjustable LCAs).

-Check your Track Bar, play in this can cause the axle to shake.
1. Bushings - check to see that they are not worn. Looks for cracks, and excessive play)
2. Angles - this angle should be the same as your draglink. Use an angle finders you can get at sears to determine this, don’t just eye-ball it.
3. Bolts – Make sure all bolts are tightened down to spec (some lift components have a different torque spec then)

-Check the Axle, your mounts may be worn
1. Check the axle mount. Here is a good write up on a wallowed out bolt hole
http://www.jeepin.com/features/trackbarfix/index.asp
2. Check your Universal joints, a binding or lose U-Joint can cause DW
3. On the frame end if you still use the conventional Tie Rod End or (TRE) make sure that there is no play in this, as play can cause DW.
4. Look/Check for worn/torn boots on ball joints/tie-rod ends.

-Check your Frame
1. Small cracks in the frame can cause the steering box to feel loose, Shaking from DW can only make this worse. 33’s and larger should have some form of Steering box brace, or frame brace in.
2. If you have upgraded your frame mount, make sure its cranked down nice and tight. (best to use an impact gun)
3. A busted Frame Mount can cause play in the front end causing DW (Keep a watchful eye on the welds as welds in sheer can break over time.

-The more adjustable parts the easier it is to tune in your lifted suspension.
1. Adjustable Track Bar
2. Adjustable Upper and Lower Control Arms (upper ones above 4” of lift). Not only are they adjustable, but they are stronger.


-Things to remember:
1. After any lift, get your Jeep professionally aligned, this is a REQUIREMENT, not a suggestion.
2. A Steering Stabilizer (SS) is not a quick fix for DW.
3. Make sure that the lift you purchase comes with all the required parts for a safe driving vehicle. (as long as its going to be a DD)
4. PLEASE ALWAYS DRIVE WITH YOUR FRONT SWAY BAR CONNECTED!

Entire list of everything that can cause death wobble:

-Front tires out of balance
-Front alignment out of spec
-Loose track bar
-Worn track bar bushings
-Worn track bar end
-Needing an adjustable track bar
-Bad bushings/joints in control arms
-Worn/damaged steering stabilizer
-Worn/damaged shocks
-Worn/damaged tie rod end
-Bad U Joint
-Bad ball joint
-Loose frame mount
-Steering box looseness
-Need drop pitman arm
-Driveshaft(s) not balanced
-Bad front hub assembly


Torque specs:

Item ........................................ Ft. lbs. ................... Nm

Lug nuts (1/2 X 20 w/ 60* cone) .... 85-115 .............. 115-150
All tie rod ends .....................…..... 55 ...................….. 74
Steering (both ends) ..............…..... 55 ................….... 74
Shock absorber upper nut .............. 16 ................….... 22
Shock absorber lower nuts ............. 17 ................….... 23
UCA frame end .....................…...... 66 ..............…..... 89
UCA axle end .........................….... 55 ................….... 74
LCA frame end ......................…..... 85 ...................... 115
LCA axle end .........................….... 85 ...................... 115
Track bar frame end ..............…..... 60 .................…... 81
Track bar axle end .................….... 40 ..................…... 54
Track bar bracket bolts ..........…..... 92 ...................... 125
Track bar bracket nut .............….... 74 ....................... 100
Track bar bracket support bolts ...... 31 ....................... 42
Hub bolts (3) ............................…. 75 ....................... 102
Hub- axle bolt ..........................….. 175 ..................... 237

Alingment specs (stock):

Angle ............. Preferred ........... Range ............. Max R/L diff.

Caster ............ +7.0* ........ +5.25* to +8.5* ......... 1.25*
Camber ........... -0.25* ....... -0.75* to +0.5 ........... 1.0*
Total Toe-in .... +0.25* ....... 0* to +0.45* ............. .05*
Thrust angle .... 0* to ± 0.15*



Information provided by Jeeps Unlimited

91blackbox

ok have a 91 xj 6 in lift everytime the drivers tire tags a decent sized bump she goes nuts.. all my joints and bushing are new ... i just got the jeep two weeks ago. i found out that the spacer braket for the steering box isn't inbetween the box and the frame and font a broken steering box bolt... i have the bracket.. so my question is.. if i put that spacer in and replace that bolt will that kill that friggin death hop

broncofire75

Possibly. If the bolts broke I'd definately fix it regardless.

91blackbox

i was just out there lookin deeper and noticed my drivers tire is kicked in more then the passenger side... hmmm can we say alignment issues. so now its the steeringbox flex cause of the missing bolt and the bad alignment... i also think i need to adjust the steering box a little

Cherokee 4.0

i had bad death wobble with my 7.5 inches of lift at speeds of 35 or above, took out rear driveshaft until i get my sye and been driving with the front and went 64 on the high way and no death wobble, i havent got it since i been using the front...

AMM518

wow this sounds exactly like what is happening to me. the kid who sold it to me said it was the wheel bearings...i was about to just replace them, should i take it to someone to have it checked out??

dyegunswin

i had the same problem, i would almost guarantee its an alignment issue. i bet you are way toed in or out. if its really bad you'll know soon cuz your front tires will start to wear severely on one side or the other. mine wore down in about 2 weeks cuz of how far out it was.

AMM518

so its not the wheel bearings like the kid who sold me the car had told me?

fantic238

2x Same issue, same procedure, same everything it was the ball joints.