CustomJeepTJ

Just noticed. I was going about 55, hit a bump and the steering just wobbled very bad until i slowed down then went away.

Steering stabalizer?

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1997 Jeep Wrangler
2.5 Inch Skyjacker Lift
1 inch body lift
33x12.50 BFGoodrich Mud terrain Tires
Flowmaster Exhaust
Rubicon Seats
Hella Fog Lights
Flowmaster Exhaust
More to come!
WANTED Daystar Rock rails!

Sparky-Watts

It's commonly known as Death Wobble. It could be anything from bad tires to bad ball joints. Jack the front end off the ground, have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth from full lock to full lock and watch the tie rod ends to see if there's any play in them. If those are solid, have your tires balanced and rotated. An out of balance tire or a tire with a broken belt can cause it also. More times than not, it's the tie rods. A steering stabilizer will only mask the symptoms until they get much worse and do much more damage.

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CustomJeepTJ

I'll get my tire balanced and we'll see if that works.

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1997 Jeep Wrangler
2.5 Inch Skyjacker Lift
1 inch body lift
33x12.50 BFGoodrich Mud terrain Tires
Flowmaster Exhaust
Rubicon Seats
Hella Fog Lights
Flowmaster Exhaust
More to come!
WANTED Daystar Rock rails!

davet1960

Mine required an alaignment

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retirement rocks

Sparky-Watts

When you get it fixed, be sure to post up to let us know what it was. Good luck!

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sureshot40sw

check your tracbar bushings...

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EndlessMtnFab

Below is a long azz post (modified to pertain to this forum) that I posted elsewhere on the net ....


Before you do ANYTHING else .... remove the skid to make it easier to see WTH is going on (assuming you have one)



The first area I would start with is the heim joint at the frame end of the track bar. Ensure the jam nut is tight. Then have someone move the wheel back/forth (key on, but engine off) and look for movement in the joint itself (at the ball). Double check the bolt going thru the track bar bracket as well. And take the time to check the bracket-to-frame bolts.


If all is tight there, then check the bushing at the axle end. Often, the hard polyurethane will get "wallowed" out by the steel sleeve that the bolt passes thru. Make sure the bolt here is tight too. If these 3 things check out good .... you have eliminated the track bar.


After that .... have your assistant (hopefully a good looking girl/woman) continue to cycle the steering wheel left to right. Check your tie rod end on the pitman arm to see if it's moving/popping around. Then check the other end of the drag link at the knuckle. A good lever will help you here as well. You should be able to pry (gently) and not see the TRE body attempting to pop off the stud. Check the tie rod ends on both sides of the tie rod (draglink & driver side knuckle).


If those continue to check out good ... the next area of inspection should be your balljoints & unit bearings. The vehicle will need to be up in the air or on jackstands for this. Grab the wheel at 12 & 6 o'clock position and pull/push respectively in an attempt to force movement. Meaning push at 12 and pull at 6 (or vice versa). Any movement at all means something is worn. Have your assistant look at the balljoints while you attempt create movement. If you can see movement on either the upper or lower balljoint ... you've got it covered. If you are unable to see any kind of movement ... the unit bearing may be suspect.



Once you have done and checked all these things .... THEN it's time to get an alignment. I like to see 1/8" (or less) of toe in. Your caster should be between 5 & 7 degrees. Do not let the monkey at the alignment shop tell you that caster is not adjustable. Show him the LCA bracket at the frame and point out the 2 bolts that have shims wedged in there. That's your caster adjustment. The LCA bracket is slotted where the bolt is -- to allow for adjustment. If you have adjustable control arms --- Even better! Camber will only be adjustable thru specialty replacement balljoints (and would not create the issue you are having here anyways).



By this point ... you should have greatly reduced or eliminated any major steering imperfections.


There is 1 last possibility to consider ... however, it does not fall under "death wobble." And that would be bump-steer. Bump steer is road induced steering input. Meaning a bump will force the wheel to jerk in your hands. It won't produce a wobble ... but will give you more of a slalom effect in your steering. A simple way to tell how much you have ... is to turn the ignition on (no starting) and get the heaviest person you can find to jump on the bumper. Do not ask your mother-in-law to do this .... she may hit you with her broom. I suggest finding someone of Shotty's build/stature. At any rate, see how much your steering wheel moves back and forth as the body goes up or down. It really should be an imperceptbile movement. I've had vehicles here that moved almost 1/2 turn each way when the suspension loads or unloads. If you suspect you may have this issue ... you need to verify your steering vs. track bar angle. One simple way is to take a picture of the front end and put it on the computer. Then open the picture in MS Paint and draw a straight line from end to end (or joint to joint) or whatever. Both lines should be parallel to each other or dang near close. Another way is to get a yard stick and an angle finder. Run it at a straight line and check your numbers. You want to see the same degree of angle each time. Do not concern yourself with the bends in either your draglink or track bar. It's the point-to-point angle that matters. If they are off, the simplest correction is a different pitman arm. More or less drop will change your draglink angle so that it's matching your track bar.



Other steering considerations that do not fall into "wobble" or bumpsteer catagories include: Worn out steering box, loose steering box bolts, worn out steering shaft ujoints, and worn front axle shaft ujoints. None of these will produce a wobble or bumpsteer problem -- however, they should be checked in order to have a properly responding steering system. All will contribute to a vague response or extra steering input (proportionate to how much the tires/wheels actually move. I am purposefully not including crossover steering quirks (dead spots) as that is more of an advanced issue that many beginner Jeepers may not see.


After all this is done ... THEN you may consider replacing your steering stabilizer. In a very loose sense .. the stabilizer is there to help smooth out steering issues as parts slowly wear out. They are not meant to correct any issues due to outright malfunction. I have said this here ... a properly designed & functioning steering system does not need a stabilizer.


As a 2nd note .... some people feel that the steering box can lead to DW if the worm gears (for the recirculating balls) are worn. My personal feelings & experience indicate this not to be true. However, to be objective .... feel free to do a *minor* adjustment to the box to take up some of the slop and see if it assists your situation.


Joe

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EndlessMtnFab

Sparky-Watts

Good post, Joe, very thorough. I might add that bad tires can cause DW, as well. Had that issue with my '76 Datsun PU. Ended up being a broken belt on the left front tire causing a massive shakedown if I hit so much as a painted line on the road above 45 mph. The bad tire actually caused the tie rods to go south. I know this because I had the tie rods replaced and the wobble remained. I didn't have the money to fix it again and drove it that way another 3 or 4 months. By the time I got the money to fix it, the tie rods were shot again. Replaced them again, still had the wobble, and took it to another alignment shop, where they discovered the bad tire.

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davet1960

it can be any component going/gone bad thats causes the shakes, including the design itself, ford were notorious for the DW. sometimes it's an easy cheap fix, sometimes its a biatch to find. my 97 XJ had a cracked unibody in front of and behind the steering gear box which didn't help the situation, once the frame was welded and alignment was completed, i have had no further problems with death wobble, death driver yes, saga continues with daughter #3, but that would require another episode.

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retirement rocks

jeep99xj

getting a tire rebalanced is not going to fix that problem. it wont make your jeep vibrate that much from what you described.

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2000 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT 4 DOOR - inline 6, 4.0L, 190hp, 225 ft-lbs. of torque, COMPLETELY STOCK except for a custom built bumper with hella 500 lights...soon to be lifted 3" with bushwackers flairs and 33's

EndlessMtnFab

Isn't it amazing that even when you spoon feed people the answer .... they still flop around trying to solve their issue?


Maybe if I changed my name to " Jesus Christ on the Cross " people would start to read & follow what I'm typing.



Joe

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Pricing sells.
So does Customer Service!

Contact me for your Jeep needs & experience the difference.

EndlessMtnFab

sureshot40sw

I dout it ...

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EndlessMtnFab

Did someone say something?







Joe

__________________
Pricing sells.
So does Customer Service!

Contact me for your Jeep needs & experience the difference.

EndlessMtnFab

Sparky-Watts

Maybe Jesus H. Christ. My grandfather used to talk to him all the time, guess he was some kind of whiz at fixing cars back in the 50's and 60's.

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401cj7jeep

I prefur HeZus Christ on a cracker

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