Oh man, I've got a million questions but I'll pace myself... I'll start with the most important issue, the one that made me poop a little bit. I just picked up an '89 XJ 4.0 4x4 on Sunday. I drove it home with no problems but yesterday, while cruising on the freeway I went over an expansion joint it caused the steering to shake violently, uncontrollably. I had to slow to 25 MPH to make it stop. It literally felt like the wheels were going to rip off the car. Any ideas where I should start? It happened a couple more times before I finally made it home and now I'm not comfortable driving it on the freeway.

 

Do a search for "Death Wobble". There are hundreds of threads on it. But don't worry, you aren't alone, it's actually a fairly common problem with our beloved Cherokees

 

Ahhh! Thanks for that. I guess part of being a new Jeep owner means I'm going to have to learn the jargon. I'm off to search. Thanks again.

 

Since it only happens over bumps, check everything with your track bar before anything else - bushing, loose bolts, the frame end TRE, the frame mount for cracks/looseness.

 

My '98 XJ had serious death wobble. Turned out to be crack in the frame right behind the DS motor mount where the track bar connects.
What size tires & is the XJ lifted? It may also need a front end alignment which is not hard to DIY.

 

The tires are stock (for now) so, . It's not lifted, the suspension is completely stock. It's an '89 with 106K on it. I bought it from a little old lady who drove it to church a couple times a week for the past 20 years. It actually drives very straight, I went almost a mile without touching the steering wheel... between death wobbles, of course.

 

try and allignment. 90% of the people on here that complain about death wobble either need an allignment, or have sucky tires.

 

Just wanted to follow up on this... I jacked it up today and supported it by the frame so the suspension was unloaded. First thing I noticed was that I could rock the steering stabilizer from side to side about +/- 5º, it was basically just rattling there on the bolt so I pulled it off and cleaned/lubed everything and then put it back on and re-torqued. It's no longer floppy and the steering seems much tighter. Not more difficult, just very little if any play. I'm gonna give it a whirl on the freeway this afternoon and see what happens. In the mean time...

I'm planning on ordering a complete front-end bushing kit, new ball-ends, and a new steering stabilizer, does anyone have a recommendation for replacement bushings?

 

Get polyurethane bushings. Energy Suspension makes good stuff. My suspension squeaks when going over bumps and dips and what not so that's what I'll be doing mine with

 

X2 on energy

ive used them on almost every car in my sig lol!

 

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 or when a vibration reaches a certain point and harmonic at a certain speed, it causes the other components to react. It is called the “multiplier effect”, where one component affects one or more other components as the event travels through the system.

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 or have a technician that knows how to perform a comprehensive inspection.

Possible causes of DEATH WOBBLE are listed below. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination and the root cause is not always obvious.

Note: It can oftentimes be due to a combination of things!

Check out this link if you want extensive reading on “death wobble” causes and cures.
From my research, Kevin is among the sharpest with tracking down root cause of death wobble. He does offer some 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 good ideas on what to look at in resolving your wobble.

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/how-to-...-death-wobble/
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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 end
-Bad bushings/joints in control arms
-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

 

i **** my pants when it happened to me the first time ha. i got my tires balanced and it went away.

 

I'm inclined to think it was (is) from something worn or loose rather than an alignment/tire balance issue only because it requires a jolt to get it going. I can cruise along at 85 all day provided the road is glass smooth but I wouldn't do that because if I hit a squirrel or an acorn or something my truck would fall apart... Plus, it's illegal to go that fast

I haven't tested out my newly refreshed and torqued steering stabilizer beyond driving it around the block. I'll report back with the results. Thanks for all the tips on a question that I now know has been beaten to death. I appreciate your patience with the n00b.

 

Yeah bro let us know! It should definitely make it feel nicer. And put in an aftermarket one at some point. They're relatively cheap and will make it even smoother