93XJcountry

Hey, I've been roaming this forum for some time so I thought it would be appropriate to register. Now I have a problem and where else to turn but the Cherokee Forum!

Well, my front end is possessed after 55 mph, especially with bumps or pot holes involved. It'll shake left to right like the wheels are rapidly changing their mind what direction they wanna go. I've got rancho rs5000 shocks with a 3" lift in the front, and add-a-leaf 3" in the back but they're saggin' due to their age. Wrangler rims with toyo open countrys in good shape. It has been balanced and aligned so it has to be mechanical. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

dailycherokee

check your trac bar and mount...my mount just broke so it caused it to shake also check your bushings on the track bar

metaltoburn

I have a 2000 cherokee, had the same death wobble. I replaced the lower control arm bushings with polyurethane. This solved the problem. The oem bushings get really squishy with age, plus oil leaks down on them and they take the brunt of everything you drive thru. You might check them. I also have a 96 that has the same problem , I ordered the bushings , so we will see if this works again.

rweaver138

indulge yourself https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/di...21/#post626608

Cj8722

If u haven't changed ur steering stabilizer to an after market that's the problem

98 brutus

Sway bar bushing? Same prob here its my bushing fix it before it gets worse or maybe it was ur bushings and u kept drivin it and it broke somthing else idk just look and see if ur sway bars loose at all

93XJcountry

Thanks guys, if I can't find the problem with all that info, there's something wrong with me hah. I'll give it a real good look on saturday, it's suppose to be 50ºF and I'll post what I find out. I'm going to check the track bar, track bar bushings, control arm, and pretty much everything else on the list. Thanks.

Thanks rweaver138 for the link, I should have used the search bar. Great article you put together.

98 brutus, yeah a month ago I replaced my non-existent right sway bar link (got sheered off, maybe from the wobble) with a moog provided with the sale of the vehicle. The left one looks like it's also due for replacement. Upon changing it I noticed the oil cooling line was leakin', mo' problems.

metaltoburn

It sounds like you will find what your looking for, but I thought I would post what I found on closer inspection. The center link joint where it connects to the spindle was totally shot. I cant believe it didnt shear off in the midst of the wobble. Also, I found that the tie rod and the steering stabilizer was bent. So geez I hope one of these fixes mine. I have had this 96 xj for 4 days, we are just getting to know each other.

41mb92xj

cherokees also need a little rake to them (a little higher in the back) helped mine hope this helps

TerBeau

i had this issue myself recently. i changed everything. sway links, track bar, tierod ends, steering stabilizer, control arms and after a brief sit back and few thoughts i managed to find my issue. it was my rims after rotating them to the rear death wabble vanashed.so i ended up buying new rims and presto fixed issue and have a lot of new parts

93XJcountry

yup looks like i'm going to get the tie rod and steering stabilizer fixed. also one of my leafs in the right rear broke so i'm going to do a budget lift to the rear only, 3" or the rake idea of 3.25" or 3.5". probably going to need the caster done too. shes going to have to get me to work a little longer before i can get it all done!

ericfx1984

so this is my one size fits all vibe/wobble fix it check list...

raising the truck and putting bigger tires can make issues that are already there seem more serious... it also throws angles out of whack which makes things even worse

the first thing you need to do is this

1.) identify when the wobble is present

2.) identify when, if ever the wobble is gone (expamples, below 30mph, after braking)

3.) identify what action start the wobble (examples, hard turns, speeds of 45-55mph)

4.) try to swap out your tires for your full sized spare, do this one by one, chances are you will find a bad tire

5.) jack the front end up and check for anything loose (ball joints, bolts, etc)

6.) if you have not had your caster adjusted, DO IT YOUSELF AT HOME AND SAVE SOME MONEY
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm

7.) follow this walk thru to do a front end alignment yourself...
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm

8.) have your wheels balanced

93XJcountry

Whoa holy bump! Thanks a lot eric. I took another look at the jeep, control arm bushings are shot, shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, so are the over arched leafs, most bushings, and the front is still at 3" when the back is around stock ride height. The left long leaf on top snapped, so i need to get some HD leafs. I'm going to re-do the whole suspension and brakes. The steering is loose so thanks for the alignment/caster link. I'm sorry to curse but, I would like to get it back to stock ride height for a lower center of gravity and less problems. I'll need $500-$600 if i install it by my calculations.

Maybe later this year I'll buy a rocky road 3" budget lift.

Time for Project 4.0 Cruiser

thebe001

I don't want to hijack but I have a death wobble nightmare, please help. I bought my 99 XJ bone stock one year age come to find out it had death wobble around 55 mph. I installed a 3.5" DPG Off Road OME lift (OME leafs, coils and shocks), new UCA and LCA with all new bushings, and JKS track bar... still had death wobble. I have run 2 different sets of rims/tires on it, had the tires balanced and wheels aligned multiple times... still had death wobble. I have had my local mechanic check out the front end and I have spent several nights looking for play in my front end and every thing looks very tight. Is my next step to replace all my tie rod ends, track bar and hubs even if they appear to be in great shape?
Ideas ?

ZINGGG

Your TREs and ball joints are your next likely suspects if everything is aligned and balanced right

And it's not hijacking if you respond to a thread almost 2 years later haha