I have a '92 with an 8in longarm, and I get the horrible DW. I've never had it before, thought my XJ was falling apart, or a tire was going to fly off the thing. I also have a Irok bias tire and beadlocks, so that probably most of my DW. I have low gears so my speed stays low.

 

OK folks, it is amazing how much this comes up. It just shows how much you need to pay attention to the lift you are doing.

First thing. Check your track bar attachments. The number one cause of DW is a worn track bar bushing on the axle. Look under neath while someone turns the steering wheel back and forth about 1/4 turn. If that track bar is moving on the axle or at the frame mount, fix it.

Second, and this is more subtle. Check the castor angle. You will notice that in the specs posted in this thread that it is +7 degrees. When an XJ is lifted, the castor changes by becoming less positive and can even become negative. Most alignment shops don't even check it because it is not really adjustable on an XJ. If you don't have an angle finder, and I suggest you get one, you can check it yourself. The more positive the castor, the less likely it will have death wobble even with worn parts. This means that to correct this, you may have to purchase a pair of adjustable upper or lower links.

Third, look at the steering box and pitman arm while someone moves that steering wheel again. If that pitman arm doesn't move immediately, adjust the steering box and tighten it up. A free fix.

A lot of people just start throwing parts like spacers and the like at a front end to raise a Jeep on the cheap. But it is the extras and extra effort that makes them drive right. Good luck.

 

Your best bet is to check the belts in your tires first. i just had this problem last month and spent 300+ on something stupid.

 

I've got death wobble, as well. After getting an alignment, I was also told that I should replace the steering stabilizer and control arms. And a friend suggested I find loosened/worn bolts and replace or tighten 'em. Well, I'm a noob: I only know what half of those parts are in the list. And even then, everything underneath my Jeep looks worn to me (coated in a mix of either grease, oil, dirt, mud, and age). Every bolt feels tight, the steering stabilizer just looks greasy, and I can't see any issues with the control arm or bolts (unknown problems notwithstanding). Besides, the front end components are immobile when parked (IE, I'm incapable of making the bad part "wobble").

So how can I distinguish a bad connection or worn part (on anything)?

 

IMO this rarely happens to be the solution in lifted jeeps

 

This is why I posted the advise that I did. First have someone move that steering wheel bak and forth and see if anything moves that is not the wheels. If your jeep moves back and forth then start by repairing that track bar. You may need new control arms, but probably only if your castor is not correct, which it probably isn't. If not, get some adjustable ones and take care of that and it will drive like new.

 

I work on alot of Motorcoaches, some are really just modified Busses. Let me tell you, when you get a death wobble in one of these babies you just want to put your head between your legs and wait for the crash. Any loosness in the front end or miss aligned steering angle will cause shake/wobble, and this includes wheel balance, ball joints, and Caster angle. Ask any Ford F350-450-550 owner about what they call SuperDuty shake! Ford dealers can't keep enough steering stablizers in stock.

 

ok guys and gals... my wobble seems to be gone... had movement in steering box... had movement in trackbar and the front was toed in about an inch .. i just got this jeep .. i had to call the guy i got it from and ask him what he was thinking... thanks for all the advise