Severe DEATH WOBBLE

[01XJ]

I have a 96 XJ i bought about 2 weeks ago it has a budget boost on it and has drove fine with 0 problems. Well it came with a big offroad bumper and a winch but in order to put it on i had to put taller springs in the front so when i put the bumper and winch on and it sagged it that it would sit level. Well we headed to St george on Wed and spent the week down there and it drove great on the way down we did 80 the whole way and never had a hint of shaking and when in town it was great. Well we went to leave for home today and got about 5 miles out of George and hit a bump and it sent the jeep in to a serious death wobble im not talking a little shake im talking violent shaking. Every bump i hit that was decent it would go into the wobble so i couldnt go above 50 the whole way home so when it happened i could control the jeep. I have never had a car that has done this i dont have any idea what causes it and what i can do to fix it and most of all why it just started out of the blue? As long as i stay under 45 i can hit all the bumps i want and get nothing you get to about 48 and you feel a slight shake but get to 50 the slight shake goes away and is smooth but hit a decent bump at 50+ and it is all over from there??.Any help would be great, where to look what to do etc.

Thanks in advance,

 

[gijohn40]

if you do a simple search on here you will find too many threads telling what to look for and what the most common causes are... a thread like this comes about once a month...

 

[74highboy]

shake down the front end something has to be loose

 

[STAG]

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/techarticles/deathwobble.html
http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/dw.html

 

[rollover]

Did you re-tighten everything after the first 50 miles?

 

[Col Mustard]

Plenty of write-ups on this. Most likely, there is something loose or with too much play in your front end. A little bit here, a little bit there, It doesn't take much at all. Check all the rod ends. See what has play. Since you have an XJ, Check the axle end of the track bar. The bushing and sleeve can be good and the bolt tight but the bolt holes on the axle tabs can become slightly elongated or egg shaped and allow shaking.
Good luck!

 

[mbryson]

Like was mentioned, search is your friend.


Here's a spoon fed version:

1) loose suspension components from simple loose bolts or worn out parts

2) alignment--check the toe

3) geometry or design issues (probably not likely as you were able to drive it down there as well as you did)

 

[DOSS]

to add to the spoon fed.. go get your tires balanced first.. start cheap.. while you are there have the shop put it on their rack and give you one of their "Free" alignment checks HEHE.. Les Schuab does them at least

 

[RockMonkey]

So... Why is it that XJs seem to be by far the most common vehicles to have death wobble? It seems like 9 out of 10 death wobble threads involve an XJ. TJs have the same front suspension geometry and the same axles. Why don't we hear about death wobble on TJs nearly as often?

 

[Greg]

So... Why is it that XJs seem to be by far the most common vehicles to have death wobble? It seems like 9 out of 10 death wobble threads involve an XJ. TJs have the same front suspension geometry and the same axles. Why don't we hear about death wobble on TJs nearly as often?

TJ's have a frame?

 

[I Lean]

So... Why is it that XJs seem to be by far the most common vehicles to have death wobble? It seems like 9 out of 10 death wobble threads involve an XJ. TJs have the same front suspension geometry and the same axles. Why don't we hear about death wobble on TJs nearly as often?

They do it plenty.

 

[rholbrook]

Bad tire on my TJ, it had a broken belt and then it was magnified with some worn ball joints.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Please tell me you have an adjustable front track bar that is adjusted properly?

 

[STAG]

So... Why is it that XJs seem to be by far the most common vehicles to have death wobble? It seems like 9 out of 10 death wobble threads involve an XJ. TJs have the same front suspension geometry and the same axles. Why don't we hear about death wobble on TJs nearly as often?

They do it plenty.

TJ's do have this problem majorly... ask Going Up...

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=53071

http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=54420

or SuperGper
http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/showthread.php?t=37869

 

[XJjunker]

I had an 89 XJ for a long time. It had serious death wobble problems at first. I added aftermarket lower control arms and a track bar, and it almost completely solved the problem. Every once and a while I would still get it though. I think uppers may have solved that. I actually still have the track bar if you are interested in it. I pulled it all off when I put a different kit on. I sold the lowers to a buddy though so I can't help you there. I think I also still have a track bar relocation bracket that I used. Matt from Rocky mountain high 4x4 is the one who told me what to do, but he sold his biz I believe. Good luck if you want any more specifics let me know.

 

[01XJ]

Well the front end is going in for a overhaul i need a new tie rod as mine has a little smile (Bend) in it going to do a alignment,rotate balance the tires and im in need of a new sway bar bushing kit (Mine are beyond shot) and doing a new stabilizer shock. So i have my fingers crossed that one of these options is going to cure it. All the ball joints and stuff look ok? Im hoping for the best:-\

 

[mbryson]

Well the front end is going in for a overhaul i need a new tie rod as mine has a little smile (Bend) in it going to do a alignment,rotate balance the tires and im in need of a new sway bar bushing kit (Mine are beyond shot) and doing a new stabilizer shock. So i have my fingers crossed that one of these options is going to cure it. All the ball joints and stuff look ok? Im hoping for the best:-\

Well, my vote is on the tie rod. You've got too much toe. Could be the tires out of balance but I'm still betting on the tie rod. The combination of which could be pretty nasty.

Take a tape measure with you so you can set the toe for a long trip home next time. Those stock tie rods are pretty wimpy (oh, and you'll chew up a few sets of tires pretty quick if you run a while with the toe screwed up).

 

[soda blaster]

My off road TJ get serious death wobble. Before I went strickley off road with it I would have to tighten my lower links about once a month to stop the wobble.

 

[Jay5.9L]

Had a good case of DW on my ZJ. After a lot of searching including a new track bar it came down to crappy tires.

 

[01XJ]

Ok the death wobble seems to be pretty much gone. It still feels like it wants to do it at speeds of 60+ but corrects is self fast. I have put on a brand new tie rod and ends brand new drag link and ends and new steering shock.I went and had it aligned and tires balanced and rotated. The guy at the alignment shop said ball joints looked fine said the trac bar had a "Tiny" bit of play in it but nothing to bad. So why would i still have a hint of this death wobble? It doesnt get out of control where you have to stop or where it gets scary you can just feel a tiny shake then it quickly goes away. What else could be causing this? The tires are fine and have lots of tread only thing left to replace is trac bar but he said it had very little play in it? im at a loss i want it gone 100% like it use to be before we went to St George a week ago...Any help or suggestions