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

 

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.

 

How do you line the drag link and the track bar together? They're right next to each other but there didn't seem to be any adjustments. And how do you find road force readings on tires? The upper passenger control arm bushing on the axle side looks mushroomed and a little crack but it has no play when I violently shake the tires. I've knocked everything out but the bushings and the control arms. My gear box has a little side to side play when I turn my steering wheel I just didn't figure that could be it. Everything that I've done hasn't made anything better

 

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.

 

yeah, I'm going to do the control arm tonight. I did the alignment myself after I replaced the tie rods drag link and track bar. I was told it would be a waste of money to get the alignment done at a shop but I'm thinking other wise now. The best part of all of this is my fiances 97 wrangler is doing the same thing now but it's way more hit and miss. Mine happens whether I like it or not. Now it's starting to wobble at 27mph and it slightly pulling to the right. I haven't let the death wobble demon to come out because I slow down before the crap hits the fan

 

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

 

Sounds like a caster problem. I have seen this many times on lifted cherokee's. are the lower control arms stock? or were they upgraded when the lift was installed?

 

Its a really simple fix. Change out your ball joints and make sure your upper control arms aren't OEM so you can have positive caster. Then take it to get an alignment. Mine worked out so well after I did all this, that I took off my sway bar and tossed it. I have a 4" lift with 33's and have NO issues!

 

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?

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

So you basically have 34's on the xj w/o any fender cuttings? You should have a lifted jeep all around w/ either drop shackles and/or new springs in the rear and upgraded coil overs and shocks.
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.