I own a 2006 TJ x model with 65,000 miles and everything pretty much stock. I run 235/75 r 15 tires. Ok so the problem started last fall I would say. The vehicle began having a fluttering vibration that started at 50 mph and grew more noticeable up to 70 mph. I brought it in to a JEEp dealership to get serviced about a month ago. The changed the drive shaft cause the front UV joint was shot. And road force balanced the tires. After picking it up and driving it it continued to shake so I brought it back. They said the drive shaft needed to be aligned. It drove smoother after they did that but it still would have the vibrating flutter starting at 50 mph so I brought it back a third time. They rebalanced the tires which proved to be fine. They told me there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and it's just a "JEEP". It never did it before but now it does it. And no one can figure it out. It's driving me nuts. I love my JEEP it's the second one I've owned and don't want to give up on it. But it's just so frustrating! My question is what could possibly be causing this vibration/shaking and why would a universal joint go bad at 65,000 miles? Did they just fix the symptom by replacing the drive shaft and not the cause of the problem? Any and all help will be greatly appreciated as this has been frustrating to no end. Please help. Thanks in advance.

is it a constant shake, like non stop? or just every now and then at 50 the front end might start violently shaking back and forth like a broken roller coaster?

No it's not constant. And it gets more violent as speed increases after 50. Then it sometimes finds a sweet spot between 50 and 70 and won't do it at all. It really driving me nuts.

Yes it's like an every now and then.

sounds to me like the infamous death wobble...

but its wierd ive never really heard of it over 50 mph...

in order for the shaking to stop, do u have to come to almost a complete stop?

No it subsides when the speedo drops below 50

Steez-

Have you recently added air to your tires
Before this problem started? The reason
I ask is because last week befor I hit the
Highway I filled my tires up to the recommended
44 psi for a 225 tire. When I did this my car
Began violently shaking as well. I solved it
By taking the psi down to around 25. I
Assume by doing that it made my tires a
Little wider. The problem stopped right there.
This week I bought 31x10.5's so I hope the wider
Wheel base solves it. You don't think this is
A death wobble question? Try decreasing your
Psi. I'm curious if this works. Shoot me an email
If you do zevbishop@gmail.com

I run the tires at 32 psi both front and rear already.
The tires are new since last august 2008. I bumped em up from 215/75r15 to 235/75r15. Zev I will shoot you an email over the weekend. And let you know what Happens after dropping the pressure lower. Much Thanks.

def sounds like death wobble but it doesnt sound like its even that bad yet..

unless someone else on here has some experience w something else.

there are so many theories and discussions and relative answers to the death wobble so i wont try and tell u what is wrong with urs, rather i will tell u what i did to cure mine ( which was extremely bad)

ultimately i replaced the lower ball joints, and lower control arms.

other than that the possibillities are;

track bar
tie rod ends
upper and lower control arms
ball joints
pitman arm tie rod end.
ive even heard warped rotors.

and things that could mask the problem(not take it away, but seem like it does)

new tires.
new stabilizer shock.

i would start by getting underneath the jeep and grabbing a hold of those parts and lifting up and down back forth next to the rod ends and bushings to see if there is any play in them.

i found used lower control arms on craigslist for 20 bucks and ball joints at checkers for i think 30 each?? dont remember.

i did it all on my garage.. it was a pain in the ass but i saved all that money from goin to a shop.

also check ur allignment.

i think one of the most common culprets (spelling) is the track bar... tie rod side and bushing side.

I had a similar situation in my 00 TJ when i first got it. Turned out to be the sway bar links. I'm sure this has been checked by yrself and the stealership, but just thought i'd share. My problem was VERY similar from what it sounds like.

Check out the Yuccaman info in the Death Wobble sticky. Tire balance, alignment, tire wear, trackbar connections, worn bushings on control bars or steering components seem to be the main culprits. A new steering stabilizer my help mask the main problem. You'll figure it out, don't give up on the jeep.

New lower control arms fixed my issue, but I have a lifted Jeep.

I had the same problem as steez. I had all the above mentione culprits looked at
By my mechanic and everything checked out. Started violently shaking at 55
Mph until I reduced the air pressure. I wouldn't say it was death wobble because
That usually happens after I hit a large pothole or uneven road and have to slow
Down to stop it. I'm very curious about this problem. Maybe a high spot in one of your
Tires?

the death wobble is not always just caused by bumps in the road it because of a problem in ur suspension or steering in the front end that will not only start to shimmy after hitting a bump but also if its caught at the rite speed rite angle etc.

one thing i forgot to mention is tires... old sunbeaten warped tires can be a major player.

not too sure if the dealership checked those. Thanks for the insight I'll look into them.

Oddly enough when I had the new tires put on in august the shaking subsided for a little bit but then soon returned.

On another note any ideas on why a universal joint would go bad after only 65,000 miles?

Ok so the tires are new since August 08 and at that time the alignment was checked and the read out said everything was within limits but one side can't remember was on the far far limit. The rotors were changed at that time too. The tires were recently road force balanced about a month ago.
I want to thank everyone for their help. Now I have a starting point and am not going nuts thinking I'm imagining things when the techs tell me there is nothing wrong with my car but I know dam well there is. It's unnerving to know that an actual JEEP techs at a dealership can't figure the problem out.

Also on another note what manual would anyone suggest? The Haynes or the Chilton? And where would be the best place to buy one?

steezjeep postup when you find cure. same propblem here. 2005 with only approx. 23k, stock with 235 75 15 tires. Can't be worn parts. 50 mph is the point where it starts. I either have to slow down or speed up.

I've got a 2003 and need new tires. But my shake hits about 60 mph and occasionally finds that "sweet spot" as mentioned above.

Hopefully an alighment will take care of it.

But... does the DW ever go away??

If it started shortly after new tires, you should check the torque on the lugs. Loosen and re torque them to specs in a star pattern. If they aren't properly torqued the vehicle will shake like crazy at a given speed range.



How do I know this?

You said they "changed the driveshaft." They put in a new one, or just installed a new U-joint?

You need to isolate where it's coming from. Try to tell if it's coming from the front or back of the vehicle. Maybe get someone to ride along and get their opinion too.

Try removing the front driveshaft, take it for a ride, see if it still gets the vibration.

Take a hard look at the u-joints in the front axle shafts. Sometimes a u-joint is going bad and causes vibration. Look to see if the bearing caps are all pressed in evenly all the way around. They do have a tendancy to pull out.
Look for excessive grease oozing out - symptoms of joint failure.
Look for signs of the bearing running hot.
Look closely at the bracket that holds the track bar - left side. The forging tends to get cracks. Look at the frame where it's welded to - it too cracks.

Remove the bolt through the track bar at the axle end - pull the trackbar down out of the way. Check the bolt and hole in the bracket - the bolt has to fit in the hole snugly with no slop. If the bolt is worn, replace it, if the hole has worn egg shape, you need to weld a plate or very tight filling washer over the hole.

Just making that bolt gorilla tight doesn't stop DW except maybe temporarily.
The axle can still push the TB back and forth if the hole isn't tight.

Let us know what you find.

Yes they changed the whole driveshaft any idea why a u joint would go bad at 60,000mi ? I don't know why they just didn't change the u joint. But I recently moved and i needed my vehicle so I had them do it. It was a JEEP dealership too. I did keep the old drive shaft and replaced both u joints on it so now i have a spare. I am pressed for time these days as I am working full time and purseuing my masters. Although I may not reply to posts all to quickly I do appreciate everyones help and advice. A little time may pass before I can really get under there and start tinkering myself or get a well paying job and find a worthy tech but now I have a starting point!!! Thanks!

I bought my '05 with 36k on it earlier this summer. Mine had a similar issue when I bought it. Anything over 60 and the Jeep would shake and become very unstable until slowing to less than 40. This Jeep had spent alot of time in storage somewhere. The tires were a bit dryrotted and so forth.

Installed a poly bushing kit from Energy Suspension, had an alingnment at a trusted shop, and put new rubber on it (Goodyear Duratrac 235/75r15). All of which I wanted to do regardless of any deathwobble.

The DW was virtually gone after the bushings and alignment (which the shop said was off very little). The tires were icing on the cake. The Duratracs are surprisingly quiet despite the aggresive tread. Rides smooth as glass now and will be more than adequate for the mild off-roading I do which includes farming fields, sand, two-track roads and a shit-ton of snow in the winter.

So I took a long ride extensive ride today with a buddy and we narrowed the vibration down to coming from the center of the vehicle. I don't feel anything in the steering wheel. Just the center of the JEEP. Got under it too and pushed, pulled, and tugged on everything in the front end and nothing budged at all. What could the shaking from the center of the JEEP be from?

bad tranny mount? maybe the skid plate is loose.

sounds like something is unbalanced in the drive train, death wobble seems to be isolated with the steering components. if it got better with the change of the driveshaft and "roadforce" balanced tires then i would look at the other driveshaft they didn't change or the transfercase. more specifically i would look at the play of the driveshaft, input to the diff's and where the driveshafts are bolted to the tcase. they don't replace the u-joint at a dealership because it's "more" labor than to just replace it, keep in mind they are getting paid by how fast the do the job. hope that might be of use

do you have a Motor Mount Lift?