I just installed a 3" lift on my 2001 Jeep Cherokee. The front end has developed a death wobble. Especially if I hit a pothole or something on the passenger side. It also sometimes feels tight and then loose. I installed Rough Country steering stabilizer and Rusty's track bar stabilizer but still have the same problem. Any ideas?

 

In most cases a 3 inch lift requires extended upper and lower control arms...extended / adjustable trak bar...and extended sway bar links or a drop down bracket approx equal to your lift height. I have had a 3 inch lift on my 01 with these parts installed and have never had a death wobble in over 10 years

 

Thank you... I'll have to try this

 

THis is due to your track bar and tie rod now being at different angles than they were before the lift. The geometry is now compromised. The only sure way to solve this is to change the steering to an "Over the Knuckle" setup. Do the research and get it done before you end up in the on coming lane and get people hurt!

 

Are you trolling him or something? Saying a 3" lift invites the Need for an OTK setup is absurd. Saying they are wrong without actually seeing his setup also invites misdirected repair/modification as well.

The original poster likely has worn out track bar mount on the axle end or wasted tie rods. What your describing is bump steer with unmatched track bar and steering angles. As you were eluding to though those Need to be as close to the same angle as you can get it. Same length from mounting joint to mounting joint as well.

Sway bar links and steering stabilizers are NOT going to fix the death wobble either fwiw.

 

Before loading the parts shotgun I would look into the condition of the ball joints, tie rods, and axle support bushings. I would also look into the track bar as mentioned above. Non lifted XJ can have death wobble if the front suspension or steering are loose.

Think of death wobble like a grocery cart wheel that wobbles. It's an oscillation in your front end that causes one or both wheels to wobble. Lifted XJs are more prone to wobble because it creates new angles for almost all front end and steering components that were not originally intended by the engineers who designed the XJ. The other contributing factor is that all XJs are very old now and the rubber bushings, tie rod ends and ball joints are probably worn out. Upgrading to a "solution part" is overkill at 3" of lift. More than likely the upgrade "solution part" is just replacing some worn out stock part that was no longer up to the task.

I installed a 3" lift this spring in my 2001 XJ. I researched as much as possible and came to the conclusion that a 3" lift is the max you can do without having to make other major modifications. I replaced all of the axle support bushings during the process and used the stock upper and lower arms. I am using the stock sway bar links. I had previously replaced the track bar as it had a noticeable knock when steering at slow speeds and wandered at higher speeds. My ball joints are original and a little loose, all of the tie rod ends are tight as when I bought the vehicle. I'm running 30" tires on 15" stock wheels. No wobble at all.

The tight and loose you are referring to is when steering, I assume. This could be that someone tightened the steering box adjuster too tight to remove some slop in the steering.

 

I had a death wobble on my 1999 Cherokee when I bought it in 2001. After years of trying to solve it, I found this guy's products and was able to fix it. Looks like he just quit the business earlier this year but this link might still be helpful. https://kevinsoffroad.com/collections/death-wobble

 

Good information on this website!

 

While worn out stuff causes DW's..they don't usually wear out the next day after a lift, if you didn't have them before. At 3 inches lift , a stock length track bar shifts the axle to the drivers side enough to pull the axle off center...thats why you need a longer track bar. The distance from the frame mount to the axle mount is physically longer due to the lift. The axle is also rotated due to the lift because its longer from the frame to the axle mount. The axle was not designed to keep the wheels true in any position ( rotational angle) other than stock. Thats why you need longer lower control arms mainly...uppers also help.Brings the rotational geometry back to where it was at stock height. Your sway bar end links hit because of the lift and sway bar angle...its made to mount at right angles to the end link ..give or take. You either need to get longer end links or get drop down brackets . If you do the lift right, there is no difference from stock ride...BUT its expensive. Ive got a 3 inch lift for over 20 years between both Jeeps and never had an issue to where i feel safe handing my wife the keys.