TheJEEPernator

Hey guys, well here's my problem. I bought my XJ about 4 months ago. I get the death wobble like 5-6 times on the freeway! Let me tell you it's some scary s**t. So I did some inspection and found out my steering stabilizer was mounted the wrong way and that it was completely shot. I buy a new one. It goes away for a good while. About two weeks ago I started to notice it was trying to come back. So I replace the steering stabilizer again (still had warranty). Steering feels a little different, my guess it was that again. Well, turns out it made it come back 10x worse! Now it's so sensitive any little bump on the road triggers it.

So I take it to three different shops to get the suspesion checked out. They all say there's nothing wrong it. One of the guys there tells me that it might be my trac-bar since I have a 2 in lift. So I take it to a 4 Wheel Parts store they check it out. The manager there said there was up and down play on the trac-bar. Told me 95% of the time replacing it got rid of the death wobble. So I go across the street buy a trac-bar head home and replace it. I go test it out on the on-ramp that never fails to trigger it and bam! Here we go again. The steering was definitely better but the wobble wasn't.

So now I'm running out of money (I'm a college student). Rotation, balancing, and alignment don't seem to be a problem since all my tires are wearing out perfectly and it drives super straight when I'm not holding onto the steering wheel. Anyway, I get my tires balanced and rotated. Tested it and another failed attempt. At this point I want to get rid of it.

I decided to get one final opinion. So I take it to a local 4WD shop and they mess with it for a while then come up with the following conclusion. My steering box is the problem.

So now my question is can a worn steering box cause the death wobble? If it does, how many of you have replaced it and found out that was not the problem? Also if you have any other theories on what might cause it please let me know. Thank you for all your help! I want to drive my XJ again soon!

razor02097

First please take a look at this post... It is a very good write up for diagnosing DW.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/di...-wobble-55021/

NELAwhitetails

I am having this same problem, but I just bought my jeep last week. I bought it for a trail jeep, but I want to drive it on the road also occasionally. When I get to about 35mph, and hit a bump, the front end starts to wobble terribly. I have watched the tires, both driver and passenger side wobble in sync left/right, and wont stop until i slow WAY down and they stop. It seems like the steering box could be the problem, but Im not sure where or how to tighten up the steering in the box, other than replacing it. I talked to a local mechanic who is familiar with the "death wobble." He said there is a screw/bolt on the some steering boxes that you can tighten up to take the slack out, but I wasnt able to find one on my jeep. Im hoping someone on thie forum can help me also. Im going to be doing some work on it, way beyond the steering, so Im hoping this forum will be a good resource.

NELAwhitetails

Thank you Razor. Very informatve link. I knew someone here could point me in the right direction.

Agent_Oragnge

Search

in the upper right hand corner is a big help too guys. saves a lot of time.

razor02097

Fun fact for the day.... If you search "Death Wobble" and do a title only search on this forum it returns 229 threads!

no rdplz

That's because the majority of people on here either don't know how to search because they didn't read the stickies or they're to lazy to search.

TheJEEPernator

Thanks for the link. I've seen it before. But I just wanted opinions from the members before I start spending money and replacing everything on the DW thread.

dcrasta

I had Death wobble with a RE 3.5 kit.

I had ball joints that were bad, and the factory ball joints gave me bad castor for my lift.

Using the 'adjustable' ball joints resolved my problem.

You should also check alignment, tire wear, and definately check for bent parts.

BrownieBoy247

i cured my death wobble with the following
1. alignment
2. re-balanced my wheels
3. new track bar (was totally shot)
4. new steering stabilizer (was totally shot)
5. new shocks

freegdr

low air pressure will also trigger the wobblies

Evil Drew M

Steering stabilizers don't cause or cure death wobble.

A good one is merely a band-aid.

That's because while you were driving on your new band-aid whatever was the real cause got worse to a point where the band-aid could no longer cover it up.

The reason why people are telling you to search is because the list of causes is HUGE and we can't possibly tell you what is worn out and what isn't on YOUR Jeep.

There is no magic "one part fixes it" diagnosis. More often than not the cause is multiple issues.

JamieMc

I purchased the jeep about two months ago (33's on 4.5" RC lift) and have not done any offroading to date. I had the wobble issue around 45-50, (33's on 4.5" RC lift) so I got the tires balanced and rotated. The wobble got 10 times worse between 45-55. I verified all tires pressures and in doing that, I had a lot of moisture come out the front left valve stem.

Next morning I checked tightness on all the steering components and found the steering stabilizer loose. Once tightened I took it back to the shop that did the rotation to see about an alignment it drove noticeably better, but wobble was still there.

I had the shop check the tire with the moisture and they found about half a gallon of water in the tire.

I learned that 3 pounds of water in a rear tire will give you wobble at 45-55 and is manageable. That same amount transferred to the front will freaking just about kill you.

The Mule drives like a Caddy now, I even hit 80 on the interstate just to see if she would get there. I have a totally new Jeep!

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 or when a vibration reaches a certain point and harmonic at a certain speed, it causes the other components to react. It is called the “multiplier effect”, where one component affects one or more other components as the event travels through the system.

Death wobble is not uncommon with the 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. It is very helpful if you know or have a technician that knows how to perform a comprehensive inspection.

Possible causes of DEATH WOBBLE are listed below. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination and the root cause is not always obvious.

Note: It can oftentimes be due to a combination of things!

Check out this link if you want extensive reading on “death wobble” causes and cures.
From my research, Kevin is among the sharpest with tracking down root cause of D.W

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/how-to-...-death-wobble/
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-Front tires out of balance (try swapping fronts to rear; see if symptoms change)
-Tire pressure. Don’t laugh. Experiment with tire pressure to see if it helps. Lower usually better for D.W
-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

Scotty16

Ah ha, that explains mine.