Death Wobble on stock setup, shocks ??
This will sound crazy, but rotate your tires. I developed a bad case of d.w. last year, torqued everything down to specs, and found nothing wrong. I gave up, but the next time i changed my oil and rotated my tires, it disappeared. Hopefully it stays that way...
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Joined: Sep 2008
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Year: 94 XJ, 03 TJ, 03 WJ, 90 XJ
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 and 4.7 HO
As has already been mentioned, replacing the SS has managed your DW by overpowering the setup oscillation. Enough so, that the frequency needed to either build the frequency (DW) or sustain it (shimmy) isn't reached. However this stresses the SS which will probably result in premature failure.
If you plan to keep your rig for long, I'd advise you continue to research your problem. Additionally worn out shocks can contribute to DW, shimmy etc. Just like the SS, shocks dampen oscillation. The difference being lateral vs. vertical oscillation. I've never heard of worn shocks being the root cause of a DW issue. But I have seen incidents where they contributed to it.
The idea of rotating your tires is a good one. It's free (assuming you do it yourself) and can provide clues as to if your tire/rims have anything to do with your DW.
All suggestions relating to anything in the steering / suspension system are of course sound as well.
Sadly finding the root cause of DW can be very time consuming and expensive. This is just one of those issues we have to deal with using live front axles.
Probably one of the odder root causes I've seen was the wrong size track bar bolt used on the axle mount after a lift was installed. It was 2mm smaller then it should have been. So while the bolt was tight and there was no visual indication of wear, hitting a pothole etc would allow the track bar to move just enough to start and sustain an oscillation.
Hope this helps,
Kent
If you plan to keep your rig for long, I'd advise you continue to research your problem. Additionally worn out shocks can contribute to DW, shimmy etc. Just like the SS, shocks dampen oscillation. The difference being lateral vs. vertical oscillation. I've never heard of worn shocks being the root cause of a DW issue. But I have seen incidents where they contributed to it.
The idea of rotating your tires is a good one. It's free (assuming you do it yourself) and can provide clues as to if your tire/rims have anything to do with your DW.
All suggestions relating to anything in the steering / suspension system are of course sound as well.
Sadly finding the root cause of DW can be very time consuming and expensive. This is just one of those issues we have to deal with using live front axles.
Probably one of the odder root causes I've seen was the wrong size track bar bolt used on the axle mount after a lift was installed. It was 2mm smaller then it should have been. So while the bolt was tight and there was no visual indication of wear, hitting a pothole etc would allow the track bar to move just enough to start and sustain an oscillation.
Hope this helps,
Kent
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ARCH4NGEL_II
Modified XJ Cherokee Tech
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