So in my war with death wobble, i'm trying to replace the factory tie rod.

Supposedly the 97' GC V8 tie rod is a drop replacement for ours.

I just got the new tie rod from the GC, but it is rather different. This is what i now have:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...3448&ppt=C0203

Am i supposed to use a new GC tie rod end and adjustment sleeve???

The GC bar also has a funky curve in it. Is this a problem?
The GC rod has a built in end/ball joint on one side, then there is male threads on the other. I guess this is where you put a new GC sleeve on with a new GC tie rod end??? It looks like the GC bar is significantly thicker than the factory Cherokee bar. True?
I have a new factory Cherokee tie rod end - the shaft of the tie rod is waay more skinny than the GC bar. Does the GC sleeve adapt from the thick bar to the thin tie rod end? The part numbers for both the GC end and the Cherokee end are the same!

The factory Cherokee bar is essentially a hollow tube with female threads on both ends. The Cherokee tie rod ends have male threads which go into these threads.
Any ideas??

 

Search.....https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/wj-...ends-xj-64282/

 

The ZJ tie rod is an upgrade (beefier), the drag link is the same.

Here are the parts I used on my '99 (from NAPA but can find elsewhere), less the draglink:

TR - DS1312
TRE - ES3096
Adj Sleeve - 269-1134


On the subject of DW, have you done a dry steering test to diagnose what is the root cause? Many worn/loose components are capable of being the issue.

 

So far i found a slightly loose tie rod end at the drag link/pitman arm intersection. It wasn't super blown but it helped reduce the frequency of death wobble significantly.
I haven't test driven it much, but i think the death wobble only comes on when i weight up the front suspension and hit bumps. It used to come on anytime past 50mph.

The tie rod end on the actual tie rod for the driver's side wheel is kinda loose. It has a tiny bit of play in it. I'm thinking that if the small amount of play in the draglink/pitman arm tie rod end was enough to get me into DW, this might be contributory.

Aside from that, i've checked dang near every component of the front suspension by pushing/prying/pulling and stressing things to the limit using a crow bar. Couldn't find much looseness anywhere.

 

I went through the same situation. Ended up being the upper control arm bushings at the axle. Good luck

 

Well, i go the tie rod in.

To do the GC tie rod, you need the GC tie rod, GC adjusting sleeve, and the GC tie rod end.