So I bought my 4th xj this past week. 2001 limited. everything seemed ok for a while, except for needing an alignment horribly bad and bald tires. so i bought a set of 31s mounted on wheels for $50 off craigslist, since i cant afford new ones yet. and then today I went to get the alignment. after the alignment, it was perfect until I hit a pothole. then I got the worst death wobble ive ever had in any jeep, i had to pull over and stop, then try going again. it was alright til i hit another one, then the same thing happened. also i noticed a smelled something the was similar to burnt rubber, but not quite. and while driving i hear a kind of rhythmic clicking, almost a ratcheting noise, like you hear when you tighten a gas cap. so i had no issues before the alignment, and after i have horrible dw, burnt rubber smell, and this clicking noise. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance,
Dustin.

 

The click maybe a hub. The wobble could be ur steering damper.

 

Sorry! But the steering camper Does Not cause death wobble. Many run without one. TO the OP you are going to need to get under it and inspect every joint and bushing to find which is worn out.

 

Yea I figured on doing that. Mostly I wasn't sure if there was a reason it only happened after getting an alignment or of that was a coincidence. And the clicking and burning smell were concerning

 

Sounds like something was over-tightened at the shop and is now rubbing... or rubbed away bushing material until metal on metal. Track bar bushing?

Could be anything. Also... just because it's done in a shop, doesn't mean it's done right. Not a shot at your mechanic, but everyone is human.

I found my passenger-side front wheel hub nut looked all good and was properly cotter pinned with the locker on and all... when I took it all apart to replace the u-joint... the damn nut was only hand tight... if that. You never know.

Good luck, take some pics and post what you find.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I'll probably crawl under it after work later, will post some pics of it