vmjeep

The only thing that causes the death wobble on my 92 cherokee was the steering stabilizer, once that was replaced it resolved that problem hope it helps

matsonian

Okay, here's the update....

Per my previous update, after Les Schwab messed with it the front end was very loose and the DW started happening all the time (rather than maybe once a day).

I returned the vehicle to LS and had them reinspect the front end and determine why it was driving so bad now.

Here are some specs:
Current tire size: 31x10.50R15LT
Caster before Les Schwab: L 6.2 R 5.9
Caster after Les Schwab: L 6.8 R 6.7
Toe before Les Schwab: L -0.03 R 0.00
Toe after Les Schwab: L 0.11 R 0.10

The tech reinspected and called their training HQ in Prineville for advice. He learned that the caster with my tire package needs to be much lower (around 4.0), that my tires (31x10.50R15LT) were too big for the current caster and therefore for the current ball joints.

He said the ball joint would need to be replaced to allow for the lower caster.

My other option is to return to the original tire and wheel package.

Their recommendation is that the DW could be eliminated by either option.

I had the tech return the front end specs back to the way it was when I originally brought it in.

Current specs:
Caster: L 6.1 R 5.8
Toe: L 0.00 R -0.03

Now it is back to driving normally - a bit rough, but with the DW only happening maybe once a day when a significant bump is hit.

My current question is this: Since the cost of replacing the ball joints is similar to getting a used set of stock wheels & new tires, which is better for the long term use of this Jeep? And can it really be the Caster that is the cause of the DW in this case?

xtreme velocity

What if you just went down a size or 2 in tire? instead of stock. Glad to hear that you found the problem though.

JBigDawg

I had the same problem i changed the steering dampener also called the steering stabilizer and i never had the problem again.

matsonian

Thanks guys... yeah, the Stabilizer was the problem. After all that back and forth with Schwab, I bought a replacement SkyJacker stabilizer back in January from 4WD Parts and that solved the problem!!!

boardutah

I just came across this exact problem with my 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has a very small lift on it and larger tires. I took it to a shop in which they eventually replaced both upper control arms, both lower control arms, and a few other things I forget what they called them. None of those "fixes" fixed my Jeep, it still had a violent death wobble hitting random bumps in the road. So after all that I myself replaced the track bar, tie rod, and sway bar link and poof... problem solved! So if you are experiencing the same problems, I would try replacing the track bar, tie rod, and sway bars first. Good luck.