Extreme Death Wobble. Please help!
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Extreme Death Wobble. Please help!
I have a 1988 jeep cherokee. With a 3 inch lift and 315/75r16's. The death wobble used to be so bad just driving 35 would send it into a violent shake. No bumps needed. So I drove slowly to a 4x4 mechanic and he gave me a list of stuff to replace. All the tie rods, the drag link, and the track bar. I replaced all of them yesterday. Did the alignment. And it's not As bad but the steering wheel still shakes pretty bad. It doesn't happen when I drive slow and it almost goes away when I drive faster. I only went faster once because of the fear of not being able to slow down. I'm going to take the front driveshaft off and see if that fixes my problem. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Oh and I balanced the tires twice and I'm running 30 lbs. Used to be 35 but I was told it would help if I took some air out. Thank you
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ball joints, hubs, steering box all good? Drag link and track bar lined up with each other? What about the road force readings on your tires (if the RF is bad balancing them won't do jack squat)? How do your control arm bushing look?
LOTS of things can cause DW. Just gotta be sure to knock it all out at once otherwise it just keeps coming back.
LOTS of things can cause DW. Just gotta be sure to knock it all out at once otherwise it just keeps coming back.
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ball joints, hubs, steering box all good? Drag link and track bar lined up with each other? What about the road force readings on your tires (if the RF is bad balancing them won't do jack squat)? How do your control arm bushing look?
LOTS of things can cause DW. Just gotta be sure to knock it all out at once otherwise it just keeps coming back.
LOTS of things can cause DW. Just gotta be sure to knock it all out at once otherwise it just keeps coming back.
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Year: 1997
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Engine: 4.0
Control arm bushings can definitely be a culprit. Like said do it all or youre going to likely be chasing it for a while and the combination of worn parts will create your situation.
Your drag link and track bar should be parallel when looking at them head on. When you lift and dont compensate for the difference your steering geometry will be off but this is more likely to cause bump steer. It could contribute to DW from bumps but you stated it does it with just speed.
Caster being off will contribute to this effect a lot as well.
Your drag link and track bar should be parallel when looking at them head on. When you lift and dont compensate for the difference your steering geometry will be off but this is more likely to cause bump steer. It could contribute to DW from bumps but you stated it does it with just speed.
Caster being off will contribute to this effect a lot as well.
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Control arm bushings can definitely be a culprit. Like said do it all or youre going to likely be chasing it for a while and the combination of worn parts will create your situation.
Your drag link and track bar should be parallel when looking at them head on. When you lift and dont compensate for the difference your steering geometry will be off but this is more likely to cause bump steer. It could contribute to DW from bumps but you stated it does it with just speed.
Caster being off will contribute to this effect a lot as well.
Your drag link and track bar should be parallel when looking at them head on. When you lift and dont compensate for the difference your steering geometry will be off but this is more likely to cause bump steer. It could contribute to DW from bumps but you stated it does it with just speed.
Caster being off will contribute to this effect a lot as well.
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I bought the jeep about a month ago and it have sway bar links either. Could someone help with letting me know how much lift I have? The fenders are cut and the rear has 3inch blocks. I also don't know how to add pics
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#8
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I have a 1988 jeep cherokee. With a 3 inch lift and 315/75r16's. The death wobble used to be so bad just driving 35 would send it into a violent shake. No bumps needed. So I drove slowly to a 4x4 mechanic and he gave me a list of stuff to replace. All the tie rods, the drag link, and the track bar. I replaced all of them yesterday. Did the alignment. And it's not As bad but the steering wheel still shakes pretty bad. It doesn't happen when I drive slow and it almost goes away when I drive faster. I only went faster once because of the fear of not being able to slow down. I'm going to take the front driveshaft off and see if that fixes my problem. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Oh and I balanced the tires twice and I'm running 30 lbs. Used to be 35 but I was told it would help if I took some air out. Thank you
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My control arms are stock. The front is lifted more than the rear. And the shocks and struts don't look stock. And the 315/75r16s fit nicely do you recommend any control arms?
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Year: 2001
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Balanced tires will help also. Like one of the guys said make sure to knock it all out at once. Tighten the steering box up man
#11
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So I have been battling the same problem and this is what I have and done.
97 with a 4.5" lift on 33"s
I have the adjustable track bar from rough country. What I first noticed was the mount that connects the track bar to frame was loose. I tightened that down which helped a lot. I dont go into a complete death wobble now but there is still a wobble. I have heard that if you remove the 3/8" bolt at the bottom end of the track bar and drill it out to a 1/2" it greatly helps. The reason is the 3/8 leaves too much room for movement.
I am going to switch out that bolt today and I will let you know how that worked.
97 with a 4.5" lift on 33"s
I have the adjustable track bar from rough country. What I first noticed was the mount that connects the track bar to frame was loose. I tightened that down which helped a lot. I dont go into a complete death wobble now but there is still a wobble. I have heard that if you remove the 3/8" bolt at the bottom end of the track bar and drill it out to a 1/2" it greatly helps. The reason is the 3/8 leaves too much room for movement.
I am going to switch out that bolt today and I will let you know how that worked.
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Like I said earlier there can be LOTS of factors that contribute to DW. just changing the ball joints may not be the answer. Castor angle, control arms bushings, ball joints, TRE's, bent shocks, tire balance and road force readings, alignment, hubs, steering box issues, and steering component geometry, and track bar alignment can all factor in.
Taking it to a shop is not a bad thing, provided that shop is reputable and can properly work on lifted vehicles. Right now, I would recommend you make sure everything is tightened down and then go for a drive. If it still does it, you know it's something worn out, steering geometry, or the tires. Now, rotate your tires. If it's still happening you're down to worn parts or geometry. Take a look at your track bar and drag link, they should be parallel. If not, you need to make some adjustments to make sure your axle is centered. if you're still running stock arms (upper and lower) I would replace them if you're over 2" of lift. This will fix any bushing issues and caster issues. ball joints and hubs are easy to check for play just by jacking up the front end and trying to wiggle the tires around. Let us know what you find.
Taking it to a shop is not a bad thing, provided that shop is reputable and can properly work on lifted vehicles. Right now, I would recommend you make sure everything is tightened down and then go for a drive. If it still does it, you know it's something worn out, steering geometry, or the tires. Now, rotate your tires. If it's still happening you're down to worn parts or geometry. Take a look at your track bar and drag link, they should be parallel. If not, you need to make some adjustments to make sure your axle is centered. if you're still running stock arms (upper and lower) I would replace them if you're over 2" of lift. This will fix any bushing issues and caster issues. ball joints and hubs are easy to check for play just by jacking up the front end and trying to wiggle the tires around. Let us know what you find.
#13
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My original lift had the OEM upper control arms, but since have changed to after market ones. Since I have changed them to these, changing out my ball joints, having an alignment done and making sure everything is nice and tight, my DW is gone.
If you are in the market to buy a lift or want to add to your current lift, then go get a long arm kit. Rough country has an excellent one and for a reasonable price, here's the link http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep-sus...-kit-689u.html.
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