SpitFire

Anyway......

95 Cherokee
208,800 mile on the old speedo
new shocks all around

Ok guys, At around 50+ Mph I get the DW, mainly on uneven roads. Occasionally it will happen on a perfectly flat road. Very rarely it will start to wobble below 50Mph.

The front tires are very worn on the inside and I can see on the driver side some belts just starting to show through. ALSO when I make a left turn there is a noticeable clicking noise "I assume that maybe the CV Joint" of I could be wrong. I also notice that same noise turning right, but no where near as bad.

The rear tires while used are in great shape. I do not notice any uneven wear on them.

I understand from reading multiple threads here it could be many problems, but I was thinking of starting with these first.

1. New tires in front (balanced,alignment and what not)
2. CV Halfshaft left/right
3. Wheel Bearings (all)
4. Steering Dampener
5. Suspension Bushing kit

Pretty much in that order. The Jeep was not treated well before I got it other than regular fluid/filter changes.

Any idea's? Am I heading in the right direction?

SeriousOffroad

Nope, you're headed in the wrong direction entirely.

Seems every time someone has a case of death wobble the instinctive feel the need to throw bucks of money at their rig. While a non-issue for some, many folks simply don't have the means to do that.

What's the right direction? Find the root cause of the problem.

New tires? No, not until the problem is resolved. I would move the good tires to the front while troubleshooting.

Start with the basics. With the engine off, have some one move the steering wheel back and forth quickly while you look at, listen to, and feel every moving part of the steering system. Here's a checklist for ya:
Track Bar (TB)
TB frame side bracket and mounting hardware
TB frame side TRE
TB side axle bushing and bolt.
TB axle side bolt hole (wallowed out?)
TB adjusting collar

Drag link (DL)
Dl TRE and castle nut at pitman arm
Tapered hole in pitman arm wallowed out from loose DL TRE?
DL TRE at steering knuckle

Tie Rod (TR) bent
TR TRE's at the DL and at the steering knuckle
TR adjusting collar

Ball Joints (BJ) & Unit Bearing Hub (UBH)
Jack up one tire just high enough to get a long pry bar/cheater bar under it.
While jacking the the heel up watch for obvious and gross changes in the camber of the wheel/tire. This will indicate a bad BJ or UBH.
Have your assistant move the pry bar up and own quickly while you place your fingers on the BJ boots. Watch and feel for any pop or clicking noise.
Grab the tire at 3 and 9 o'clock and try to lift it straight up. movement indicates a bad BJ.
try lifting the tire from the bottom. Movement indicates a bad BJ or UBH.

Toe-in/out
Using a tape measure, check the toe. The easiest way to do this is by measuring the distance between the inner sidewalls at 3 and 9 o'clock. make sure to measure at the same points on the rear side as you do on the front side. Toe-in should be 1/8 to 1/16".

Caster can be measured with a cheap angle finder from lowes, Home Depot, etc. The factory spec is as follows:
CASTER
Preferred + 7.0°
Range + 5.25° to + 8.5°
MAX RT/LT DIFFERENCE 1.25°


Wheels and tires
Check for bent rims
Missing weights
Debris between tire and rim (sicks, splinters, etc)
Unusual bulges on the inner/outer sidewalls.
Properly balanced

Steering Stabilizer...take it off, at least until you've fixed the problem. Steering stabilizers are a band-aid that mask other issues. It does nothing more than give drivers a false road feel.

U-Joints and CV's
Bad U-joints do not cause death wobble, PERIOD.
There are no CV joints on a XJ.

4.3L XJ

I would add one thing. Since the tires are worn in the inside, they are probably towed out. Get that alignment right away.

SpitFire

Thanks frank! That is much more advise/know how than I was expecting.

After looking at parts, I realize as you said. There are no CV joints on an XJ.

I went to Autozone.com and here are some items I'll be buying. Also I'm sure this should be done anyway seeing how the original owner treated the Jeep.

1. Wheel Bearing/Hub Assembly-Front x2
2. Energy Suspension / Suspension Bushing Kit (can't hurt)
3. Center Link
4. Control Arm x2
5. Ball Joint - Upper/Lower x2
6. Tie Rod ends
7. Sway Bar Repair Kit
8. Steering Damper/Stabilizer

I had planned all this getting replaced anyway, but I wasn't sure where I should start. I'll be rotating the tires in next day or so and going through the list of troubleshooting you posted.

Does this look like I'm understanding the parts you listed correctly?

I'm hoping things will last over the next 3-5 paychecks. It would nice to just pay it all.

SeriousOffroad

In blue....

93gc40

If by Center link you mean the trackbar, do it First, worn trackbar is the #1 cause of DW.
Control Arms, why, unless your lifted, or lifting, the stockers are fine. The bushings for them are in the Energy kit, But stock bushings would be better.

Autozone.com is not you best souce for parts. Look at someplace like Rockauto.com, or dedicated Jeep suppliers for better parts, selection and pricing. If you go to the local parts stores DON'T buy the cheap parts. If the same part is available locally it may be cheaper than the internet, due mainly to shipping charges.

SpitFire

1. Wheel Bearing/Hub Assembly-Front x2 I'll leave as is for now until I get done troubleshooting. I'll keep my finger crossed I won't have to replace them.

2. Energy Suspension / Suspension Bushing Kit (can't hurt) OEM it is.

3. Center Link When I looked up the Drag link on autozone it gave me "centerlink"

4. Control Arm x2 Bushing alone will work, then that's what I'll do.

5. Ball Joint - Upper/Lower x2 bad or not I would still like to replace them ever since my car accident. I still have back problems from that.

6. Tie Rod ends Same as Ball joints

7. Sway Bar Repair Kit Just bushing sounds great and a bit lighter on the pocket

8. Steering Damper/Stabilizer I would like to stick with what's there until I get I better understanding of the Jeep.

again, thanks for taking time out to reply Frank. I'm sure it's obvious I'm new to this. I've learned over the years it is much better to ask question after question than just guess.

I'm open for pretty much anything right now, but I do have to keep in mind my monthly budget. I know autozone won't be THE place to buy everything so I have been shopping around the internet for quality/affordable parts. Thanks for the link, checking it out now

Next paycheck along with tires to replace the two extremely worn ones.

93gc40

Don't forget the shocks or trackbar. Check your alignment.
Oh, on tires, if you have 242 Transfer Case, 4Ft option, you want to get tires in sets of 4. Tires must be same size and type for Full Time 4WD to function properly.

SpitFire

Shocks have already been replaced. The alignment will be done with the tires. I'm getting the two tires right now because that is all I can really afford. If I can manage some overtime, I'll get 4 at the same time. The local tire shop had mentioned the same thing as you, but also said the front needed to be replaced as soon as possible.

As far as Full time 4WD, I won't be doing that until the tires are replaced and the DW is fixed.

95Cherokee

Can you get OEM style rubber bushings at the parts store or is that a trip to the dealership?

SeriousOffroad

Available at any parts store, Moog and TRW are the 2 that come to mind.

brucebo

My '89 XJ was experiencing occasional death wobble if I hit a bump at the right speed. I looked at the track bar mountings, drag link, etc and couldn't find anything. I took off my steering stabilizer and discovered that it was completely dead. I could push it in and out with little effort like a trombone! I could pretend I was Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. I put on a new Old Man Emu stabilizer and I no longer experience any death wobble problems.

-Bruce

Mike1998XJ

One school of thought is that a steering stabilizer masks the root cause that is causing DW. There are people, including myself that have run without a steering stabilizer at all on a non-lifted Cherokee and not had DW. I remember a post from way back where a guy had heard of a nearly new stock Cherokee that had DW. Cherokees are a different breed in ways.
For my money you still have DW lurking and the steering stabilizer is meirly masking the fact. If you search this seems to be a widely accepted notion.
Mike

SpitFire

Ok guys

I hope this link works. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/rafr...0708df99d8fdb3

I tried to use my best judgment and all of your advise. Am I missing anything? Do I have to much in the cart?

4.3L XJ

I can't bring up your shopping cart, only your computer can. But I still think y o may be spending money you don't need to. The one thing we have not told you to do is to have somebody move the steering wheel back and forth while you watch what happens under the front. If something moves and the wheels don't turn, then fix that part. Look down on the steering box while doing the same. Does the pitman arm move immediately when the shaft is turned? If not adjust it. This is the way any good mechanic would go about it.