I just picked up a '95 XJ, 5 speed, 4.0, 4 door. I like it a lot. 137k miles, runs smooth as butter. The interior looks like it's BRAND NEW. Got it for $1,750

The bads as of when i got it:

Badly cracked windshield (just got it replaced during lunch)
Passenger seat belt floor buckle missing (junk yard fix)
Drivers side rear door won't open from the outside (possible junk yard fix)
The key that came with it works for the ignition, but not the doors, so it has to stay unlocked

***Intermittent death wobble***
When driving around, everything is super, super smooth. When decelerating down from highway speeds to, say, 45mph, DEATH wobble sets in. Violent, uncontrollable shaking that doesn't stop until you slow down to 15mph. Then...nothing. It goes away completely. It's only done it to me twice....but i've also only had it for two days.

However, when getting the windshield replaced, i noticed that the front drivers side wheel does not have a balancing weight on it......could that be the problem? Could i hit just the right bump that gets the tire out of sync/balance just enough to throw it into death wobble-type symptoms?
The previous owner said he had a shop look over the entire suspension and they couldn't find anything........

Thanks in advance, guys.

 

Absolutely must start with wheels and tires. Here's more though on death wobble.
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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 (hitting a bump or a pothole) or also when a vibration reaches a certain point and harmonic at a certain speed, it causes the other components to react. This is called the “multiplier effect”, where one component affects one or more other components as the event travels through the front end of the vehicle.

Death wobble is not uncommon with the XJ. It is even more common with a lifted 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 exactly how to perform a comprehensive inspection of every single front end part, looking for abnormal wear and or play in that hardware. If you do not know how to do this type of inspection, pay an experienced professional to do it. Be sure to ask them if they are familiar with “death wobble”, as not all technicians are versed in this…..

Check out the below link if you would like some extensive reading on “death wobble” causes and cures. From my research, Kevin (the author of this tutorial) is possibly the best in the business with tracking down root cause of death wobble. He does offer hardware for sale that can help resolve death wobble, but even if you don’t buy any parts from him, you can still get some excellent ideas on what to look at in resolving your death wobble.

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/how-to-...-death-wobble/

Possible causes of death wobble are listed below. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination and the root cause is not always obvious and it can often be caused by a combination of things! From my personal experience, I would first concentrate on the track bar and the control arms and associated bushings.
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-Front tires out of balance (try swapping fronts to rear; see if symptoms change)
-Tire pressure. Don’t laugh. It’s not a root cause but can exaggerate the problem. Experiment with lower tire pressure to see if it helps
-Improper lug nut torque on wheels
-Front alignment out of spec
-Loose track bar
-Worn track bar bushings
-Worn track bar (check for play!!)
-Bad control arms and associated bushings
-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

 

1. replace steering stabilizer ($30) 15-30 min job.
that is for 00 XJ:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...r=8690_0_6717_
2. check everything else.

 

^^^ good answer. Wheels being unbalanced or unevenly worn will be a major cause of death wobble but like he says, its an accumulation of wear and tear, not one single bad part.

 

Not a good answer.

Take the stabilizer off and throw it in the trash. It does nothing.

Balance your tires first.

9 times out of 10 when death wobble set's in when braking I've found it to be the control arm bushings. It could be something else but that would be the first thing I checked.

 

a front end in good shape does not require a steering stabilizer. check your tires, tracbar, and control arms and all the bushings. that would be the first place i would look

 

Replacing the steering stabilizer will only mask the real problem. Like the other guys said check the wheel balance first and the alignment. you also need to climb under her and check for any loose parts.

 

"It's only done it to me twice....but i've also only had it for two days."

Just a thought; might not want to drive it anymore until it's been repaired, it would really suck to nail an oncoming vehicle head-on.

 

fresh tires, rotate and balance, steering stablizer

 

WRONG!
If everything is as it should be you shouldn't even need the stabilizer.

 

I agree that the stabilizer is not a "root cause" of death wobble.

But because most (all?) of us have some worn parts on our XJ, the stabilizer absolutely does serve a purpose.

But look elsewhere for an actual CAUSE of death wobble.

I have seen where a new stabilizer can "mask" death wobble and stop it from happening at that particular time, but I think it is important to understand that if you replace the stabilizer and you don't have death wobble after replacing your stabilizer, you haven't actually "cured" your death wobble, but rather you have put a band-aid on the problem. It is still there.....lurking.

 

Ok guys i just got back from discount tire and had them balance and rotate the tires. The previous owner bought them there and they had a lifetime warranty. They were put on middle of last year and have about 4k miles on them. The guy in the show room said they weren't out of balance that bad, but the guy that actually balanced them said they were off by a lot. Haven't been back on the highway yet, but i haven't had the problem since yesterday and i've driven it probably 300 miles total. We'll see what happens when i get on the highway.

Also, i had the windshield replaced and i had a key fitted to the door. She's on her way to being perfect. I've got to say, i love the 5 speed. It's a lot more fun just to drive around than an auto. However, it's much, much different in 4wd. The last 5 speed i had was a wrangler and that's been a while. You really gotta re-learn how to drive the thing when it's in 4x4. But heck, this 5 speed with the 4.0 gets WAAAAAYYY better gas mileage.

 

That's not true. It's not a sentient automatic magical psychokinetic steering assist, but it definitely doesn't do "nothing".

 

my 99 had a case of death wobble when I bought it. the only loose front end part was the right side tie rod end and it was very very slight movement. Unfortunately, the right side meant I had to buy the whole drag link up to the adjusting sleeve, which was kind of expensive. I also replaced the stabilizer and I never had death wobble after that. Just be sure to check every part of the front end. Or take it to a shop and have them do an alignment/ suspension check. The one I work at will credit you the price of the check if you do the recommended repairs and alignment. Good start with getting the wheels balanced. Also, if the tires are wearing unevenly, that is a sign of loose/worn front end parts.

 

Ok, so i got it back on the highway and it's BAD. it starts happening right at about 55-60mph. i took a look underneath and it has a brand new steering stabilizer and a new ball joints on the passenger side. i noticed that the sway bar bushing was a little worn and the control arm bushings seemed bad too. I picked up two control arm bushings.

The question i had at autozone is: if there are parts listed as "control arm bushing front" and "control arm bushing rear"....does that mean that's the front and rear bushings for the front control arms? The rear has leaf springs, so i don't think there's a control arm back there. I just got two bushings because they were out of stock of the "control arm bushing rear"...and they were also $89.

Insight?