DEATH WOBBLE!

[JackstandJohnny]

scariest words in the Jeepers vocabulary eh?  so my neighbours jeep has a case of the DW.  its slight only over 100km, and when he hits a bump with the steering wheel turned slightly. (think the calf rope bridge coming north on Deerfoot. thats where we witnessed it) 

thing is the jeeps completely stock.  so i'm trying to trouble shoot it.   so far; unit bearings brand new, tires are balanced.  steering looks tight and track bar is tight. i try to wiggle it and there is no play in it, at least that i can feel.  tie rods look ok as well. 

what else to look for. i've always believed the that DW is from steering and track bar being out of parallel, but it looks pretty good. and its stock.  someone want to point me in the right direction

[Pookapotamus]

i had a death wobble on my stock 92 xj. basically the same conditions as you have described, what finally fixed mine was new balljoints and wheel bearings and of course those were the last things i replaced after replacing everything else in the front end. by far the biggest improvement was the steering dampner.

good luck and hopefully you dont spend as much as i did

[Bnine]

How many miles on it John?

You can bring it by sometime if you want and I can have look at it.

[JackstandJohnny]

that might be the best bet for sure!  i'm heading out camping tomorrow (no wheelin, quality time with GF)  are you around tonight bill?  we were going to hit up PNP cause i still think its tracbar related. (maybe the frame end bolt is loose somehow?)

will put on new stabilzier tonight as well cause i damaged old one getting it off. (needs to be replaced anyways)

oh, and jeep has 245k

[Whiskeymetal]

I too have just experienced my own DW... I was merging onto Deerfoot the other day and my steering wheel was swaying more than a paid Hawaiian dancer's hips. I have a stock '99 TJ with 31's and that's about it...looks like I have to do some investigating myself**


**_{not impressed}

[Grease Nipple]

Hey Bnine, That’s awesome! Thanks! Me and Johnny can swing by tonight if that’s cool? As Johnny said we will be at PNP.

I am trying to sell the jeep and I got the DW last Friday going to the airport (only happened once, but that’s once too many times). Definitely don’t want to sell the jeep to someone with anything wrong with it.

I am also going to take it and get the wheels balanced and maybe a alignment. As john mentioned the front end seems tight.

Could a steering box cause DW?

Hey Johnny, thought you said you didn’t break it! LOL

[JackstandJohnny]

Hey Johnny, thought you said you didn’t break it! LOL

me?  
maybe, i don't reuse stock parts after i take them off lol

[Bnine]

Im around tonight, feel free to stop by. Im only 2 minutes from PnP.

Dont balance the wheels or align it until I take a look. Most likely its not related to either.

John I'll send you my number and directions.

Oh, and steering box on its own is unlikely as well.

[dac]

I had the same problem when our 02 was still stock (maybe had 50k on it), replaced the steering dampener and all was ok.  Everything else was tight like a tiger.

[RckyMtnTJ]

You said you tried to wiggle the track bar.  Was that by hand?  You need to have someone under the vehicle while another turns the steering wheel back and forth.  I have had issues with the death wobble twice and both times were bad bushings at the axle end of the trackbar.  Seemed tight until a buddy sawed the steering wheel back and forth, then it was very evident.

[Grease Nipple]

I want to thank Bill. He found that my track bar is toast... Very awesome guy!! Thanks again Bill!!

we called around and found that Candian tire had a sale on, it was $80 cheaper then anywhere else.

however the rest of the night did not go so well...

Johnny and I tried for 5 hours Last night to get the trackbar out. The frame end was easy, however the axle end was a PITA!

The metal bolt insert on the bushing, and the bolt seemed to have fused together.  As we were undoing the bolt we were turning the entire rubber bushing. We managed to get the nut off no problem, however the bolt wont come out. we tried heating it, PB buster. hammering, pulling.. notthing! we grabbed the sawsall and a (many) metal blades, we cut the head off, but having a real tough time with the back end of the bolt. it's very tight.

we decided to leave it last night and I will try it again tonight.

[JackstandJohnny]

unimpressed with that track. bar.  i've had this happen once before on a rear track bar. never the front. had to cut teh Damn bolt out.  taking the grinder to it tonight..............

note to self. ANTI SIEZE on the bolt this time.........

[dubbleJs]

I just battled putting in an adj track bar too! The frame end gave me trouble this time though. Like you said forget the bolt head and just cut right through the bushing/bolt and pry er out.

GL

[Grease Nipple]

I just battled putting in an adj track bar too! The frame end gave me trouble this time though. Like you said forget the bolt head and just cut right through the bushing/bolt and pry er out.

GL

Did you use a sawsall or a grinder to get the back side of the bolt? I was burning through blades like crazy trying to get to it.

[dubbleJs]

I'd try either a die grinder or just a grinder on it,depending what size cutting wheels you got. Should be able to just cut the bolt right and the front and back of the bushing,pry the bar down and out then try punching the bolt head and nut end out of the axle housing.