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Death Wobble. Parts tight. New trackbar. Loose steering box??
Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
I just had a DW event and tightened up the adjustment screw a little. I now have maybe an inch of play.
That said, proper steering box adjustment is a 3 page document requiring Spanner Wrench C-4381, high and low torque wrenches and pulling and draining the box to work on the bench.
I have read that tightening the screw too much will result in rapid wear of components.
FWIW.
Originally Posted by 4.3L XJ
This is the point where I think we need to see some pics of your front end parts
I will get a bunch of pics tonight if I get time. I really gotta mow and get the garage sorta cleaned up so I can get the wifes car back in there. Ive been hogging the entire garage for the past week or so getting the XJ ready for winter.. Crap.. I gotta get the snowblower dug out and tuned up too.
New springs, shocks, sway bar links and bushings.. IRO 2 inch HD springs. Winch and bumper were dragging the front down a ton.
The carnage. Figured a new rebuild of the rear brakes was in order as they were still original. All new hardware, drums, lines, shoes etc. Was a bear to get the drums off. Heat, pounding and swearing were on the menu. Yes, I kept my rear swaybar mounts to make future BPEs. Everything else got dumpstered at work.
How she sat after all the work. It has settled down a bit since last weekend. I need to retorque the rear u-bolts and trim them down. I haul tools and a drawer box in the back. Currently not in there.
Ill get actual suspension pics later if I get time tonight.
DW fixed. I tightened the new trackbar bolt to 55 pounds. NOT TIGHT ENOUGH! The front axle would shift while having a helper turn the wheel. I hit the stupid bolt with the impact and ran it in STUPID tight. No more axle shifting and shes ROCK SOLID now. Crazy.
I replaced my track bar. No fix. I replaced my shot steering stabilizer and it is covering my Death Wobble up for now, which I needed to buy me some time. It's still there though and I know it's not fixed but band-aided. My steering wheel is still off to the right and my jeep pulls right. If I hold my steering wheel straight it drives left.
I've got a new MOPAR transmission mount to put in this week. Unrelated to DW but needs addressing. Then I can go back to solving these suspension issues and steering wheel issues and fix the DW.
I replaced my track bar. No fix. I replaced my shot steering stabilizer and it is covering my Death Wobble up for now, which I needed to buy me some time. It's still there though and I know it's not fixed but band-aided. My steering wheel is still off to the right and my jeep pulls right. If I hold my steering wheel straight it drives left.
I've got a new MOPAR transmission mount to put in this week. Unrelated to DW but needs addressing. Then I can go back to solving these suspension issues and steering wheel issues and fix the DW.
You checked the toe-in? Sounds like you need to do a poor-mans alignment to get the toe-in set, and the steering wheel centered. Also make sure the steering box is still securely attached and not loose on the frame.
You checked the toe-in? Sounds like you need to do a poor-mans alignment to get the toe-in set, and the steering wheel centered. Also make sure the steering box is still securely attached and not loose on the frame.
Yeah, I've got to get around to checking toe in and the alignment, for some reason lately I have had such low motivation. Not sure why.
Yeah, the original trackbar hole is still good. I *may* just weld a grade 8 washer on there for funzies tonight. Im picking up a low mileage 01 steering box tomorrow from a local salvage yard. My 255K one seems very sloppy and the output shaft appears to have a small amount of lateral movement while turning it.
YES. I had the XJ aligned the other day to spec. Sorta odd as my trackbar was still loose. lol.
New issue I have with the old girl is that the front end just doesnt feel right.. Little bumps cause crazy rebounds. Feels all loose and "wonky" over sharp bumps. Has a bit of bump-steer but Im chalking that up to the steering box.. Im ordering new upper control arms after I hit "POST" on this.. After that, everything has been replaced in the front end. Guess I will just have to live with the strange front-end wonkyness if UCAs and a fresh steering box doesnt fix it..
09-22-2021, 09:33 AM
