bjm3.8

So for about the past three months i've been trying to find the answer to solve my death wobble issue on my 88 XJ. As of now i've replaced the steering stabilizer, all the worn out ball joints, brand new trach bar, and I have replaced all the tie rod ends. I still have the death wobble, the jeep does fine till it hits a bump and it goes NUTS.

This past weekend my friend and myself replaced the tie rod ends hoping it would solve the problem but it didn't. On are way back we noticed that if you sit in the jeep and slightly turn the steering wheel side to side no more than a inch or two, you can see the whole front of the jeep move side to side. It's as if the whole front clip is moving with the steering wheel but tires are hardly moving at all. I'm running out of options I feel on solving the death wobble issue, but could this be bad control arm bushings causing the front to dance around like i'm describing, which is causing the dreaded death wobble???



Thanks

88chief

Yes the control arm bushings can cause DW. That is what itwas on mine the last thing I change.

cdeal28078

When my track bar was loose at the top my jeep would act like that
clint

Allusion

i was reading through lift instructions before i put mine in and the RE instructions say that to much caster can cause DW.. just a thought but caster shims might help.. i really dont know how right this is but it could help.

93gc40

FWI, turning the wheel side to side will cause the front-end of every front steered vehicle on the road to move slightly side to side.

With an 88 anything and everything in the frontend can be contributing.

Do you have a lift? how much?
What is the condition of your ball Joints? Major DW cause
Are your tires balanced?
Have you checked alignment, toe and caster? Caster is more important than toe when chasing DW. Shops don't adjust this you have to DIY.
Are your shocks good?
What is the condition of the control arm bushings?
What is the condition of the wheel bearings?
Is there excessive steering whell play? Steering box?

bjm3.8

My lift is a 3in lift with full spring packs from Rusty's, shock are brand new, all the worn out ball joints have been replaced, tires are balanced, there is steering wheel play, and i know the front end will move some when you slightly move the steering wheel but this movement is more than it should be.

93gc40

Steering play is from something being loose. Something being loose causes DW. So, what is loose? DW ruins and breaks NEW parts. This is why it is important to completely diagnose and understand wobbles BEFORE you start replacing things. If you replace a part and it wasn't the cause of the DW the DW can and will break that new part. Now you have 2 things causing the DW. DW can drive you crazy, because it can damage parts before you can find the real cause.

ol"blue

Check the control arm bushings and the camber as stated earlier.

pIcHoS

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY ZJ, I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE TRACKBAR ,BERINGS,U JOINTS, UPPER AND LOWER BALLJOINTS, STEERING STABILIZER SHOCK, AND STILL NO LUCK.