chizler1

why does my steering wheel shimmy when im accelerating and turning only???99xj

lfhoward

I would like to know about the same thing. I got off the interstate today and now I have a shimmy in the steering wheel when turning from a stop and accelerating (does it when turning sharply in either direction). No problems going straight and no wobble at speed. But I did hit some pretty serious potholes and bumps tonight - the snow plows have really torn up I-84 this winter. Can anyone point us in the right direction? Is this an alignment thing?

93gc40

Axel U-Joints are frozen (bad),

lfhoward

Hmmm. The front axle u-joints were replaced a only year or two ago. I would be surprised if they are bad already.

93gc40

Have you driven in any dirt, snow (salted or sanded) roads, deep puddles, since they were changed. Any of those can cause premature wear. Also some times the parts themsselves can just be crappy or even defective or been installed wrong.

Jmb94

The shimmy could just be a Jeep thing too, all the pre-2000's at our house have done it as long as we've owned them, since new on one of them. It's never become a major issue, just annoying and a little discomforting.

gthbryce

When I turn my steering wheel as far as it can go when turning around or what not My whole vehicle shakes and sounds like it has a massive subwoofer rattling it. I have a 6 or 6.5 inch rustys off road lift. Is this what your thread is relating to?

Aaron N.S.

mine does it when i hold a slow turn, like getting on or off the hiway onramp, but only after installing the lockright in the front. I assume that is normal considering

lfhoward

Well, yes, yes, yes, and yes. :-) That's what Jeeps do in PA! I wonder if lubing up the u-joints would do the trick. I will take a look at them to see what condition they're in.

To the others that had this issue with a lift or locker, I should mention my XJ is completely stock and the problem started last night, never having done this before.

Thanks, all. Any other ideas still appreciated...

huntingman2706217

Check wheel bearings... when turnings it shifts more weight to that one side and more weight on that hub

mdcmn7

When my ball joints were going bad I would get a little something at slow speeds

gthbryce

I'm unsure whether it has a locker in the front since i purchased it a few weeks ago but it was not mentioned.

lfhoward

I found out what was causing my wheel shimmy. The steering stabilizer was blown and the sway bar bushings were bad. This must have been ready to happen, but the holes in I-84 last Saturday were the last straw. It sounds like these symptoms can be caused by many things, but this is what was wrong in my case. Thanks to everyone who provided ideas. -LFH

93gc40

Keep looking cause neither of those would CAUSE the problem. But changing them will make it go away or be less noticeable temporarily. In fact I recommend REMOVING the Stabilizer till you find the real cause.

lfhoward

Hmmm. Ok, I'll have my mechanic take a closer look. Thanks.