Hey guys,
I live up in Canada and bought my first jeep last summer. I decided to go with the 2.5l straight 4 cause I worked out a deal for only $1700 Canadian and it came with brand new 33' mudding tires. (tires are worth aprox. 1000 here)
So on the way home, I experienced the death wobble for the first time and had no idea what it was. I looked into it and got some opinions from mechanic friends and they told me it was most likely due to the stock suspension as it was completely worn out. I went online and dropped 800$ on a Rough Country 3.25 in lift kit to replace the suspension and this only made the death wobble worse.
Somehow, the jeep did manage to pass the safety and e-test so I do drive it around country roads and go off roading where I can. After further inspections, I noticed the track bar had play in the bolt when the steering wheel was moved. I went online again and purchased a heavy-duty off road adjustable trackbar that came with new bolts and everything. I installed this, torqued everything up and thought my problem was fixed. I took my jeep out, hit a pothole and BAM, deathwobble WORSE THAN EVER!
(I have noticed that I only get the 'deathwobble' on paved roads. When I'm off-roading I never get it.)
I had a friend of mine come over to inspect the issue and he mentioned that If I weld the trackbar bolt under the passenger side and the bar to the frame at that same location my problem will be fixed. (he assumed this because he thought the bolt wasn't holding the trackbar in place and still had a lot of play in it). My friend, who happens to be a welder, welded this up nice and solid but the problem still exists. After driving it over potholes on purpose and inspecting, the welds cracked, which shows there is a lot of force in the lateral movement of this trackbar.
Now I have decided to take my jeep into a shop that specializes in jeeps. Over the phone, I mentioned the issue and also told him what I have done to fix it on my end. He essentially blasted me on the phone for welding the trackbar, which may have been a bad judgment call on my end, but told me he will look at it and "compile a list" of everything that is wrong. Problem is, he says he will need atleast 3 weeks before I come in because the shop is really busy.
My question is, what should I be looking for in order to correct this rather than going into a shop? I do not want to spend a lot of money to fix this issue. Should I weld this bar more or just leave it as is?
Please let me know what you guys think!
Thanks!
I live up in Canada and bought my first jeep last summer. I decided to go with the 2.5l straight 4 cause I worked out a deal for only $1700 Canadian and it came with brand new 33' mudding tires. (tires are worth aprox. 1000 here)
So on the way home, I experienced the death wobble for the first time and had no idea what it was. I looked into it and got some opinions from mechanic friends and they told me it was most likely due to the stock suspension as it was completely worn out. I went online and dropped 800$ on a Rough Country 3.25 in lift kit to replace the suspension and this only made the death wobble worse.
Somehow, the jeep did manage to pass the safety and e-test so I do drive it around country roads and go off roading where I can. After further inspections, I noticed the track bar had play in the bolt when the steering wheel was moved. I went online again and purchased a heavy-duty off road adjustable trackbar that came with new bolts and everything. I installed this, torqued everything up and thought my problem was fixed. I took my jeep out, hit a pothole and BAM, deathwobble WORSE THAN EVER!
(I have noticed that I only get the 'deathwobble' on paved roads. When I'm off-roading I never get it.)
I had a friend of mine come over to inspect the issue and he mentioned that If I weld the trackbar bolt under the passenger side and the bar to the frame at that same location my problem will be fixed. (he assumed this because he thought the bolt wasn't holding the trackbar in place and still had a lot of play in it). My friend, who happens to be a welder, welded this up nice and solid but the problem still exists. After driving it over potholes on purpose and inspecting, the welds cracked, which shows there is a lot of force in the lateral movement of this trackbar.
Now I have decided to take my jeep into a shop that specializes in jeeps. Over the phone, I mentioned the issue and also told him what I have done to fix it on my end. He essentially blasted me on the phone for welding the trackbar, which may have been a bad judgment call on my end, but told me he will look at it and "compile a list" of everything that is wrong. Problem is, he says he will need atleast 3 weeks before I come in because the shop is really busy.
My question is, what should I be looking for in order to correct this rather than going into a shop? I do not want to spend a lot of money to fix this issue. Should I weld this bar more or just leave it as is?
Please let me know what you guys think!
Thanks!