First off, welcome to the Forum.

By reading your post I'm guessing your Jeep is all stock (no lift). I'm not sure how many miles you have on the Jeep but I would begin by ensuring the steering components are tightened down to factory specs. A common cause for what you are describing is a loose or worn track bar. I would also have the ball joints inspected.

Not sure if you experienced full blown "death wobble" or not but read about how to fix death wobble and that will probably be your solution to what you experienced.

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f202/d.../f202/diagnosing-death-wobble-and-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-and-wobbles-78034.html

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f202/b...com/f202/balancing-a-tire-and-wheel-with-road-force-and-tire-truing-843970.html

 

IMO Lots of things can cause "death wobble"
The easy things you can check:

• Track bar bolts tight? 125 ft lbs
• control arm bolts tight? Also 125 ft lbs, except front uppers are 75
• Tires balanced?

^So you've got one of those done.

If all those are OK then you need to check the bushings on the track bar and control arms as well as the bolt holes (sometimes they get wallered out) <<I'm sure there's a real word that explains that better than "wallered"

Good luck! :thumb:

 

Yep, you have death wobble. As the others mentioned, it can be caused by a number of things or a combination of things. In addition to what the others mentioned, you could have a worn out front end component like a ball joint or tie rod end. Check the easy stuff first.

 

I'd like to say thank you for all of you for taking the time to reply.

Yes, the vehicle is stock, and has only about 55k miles on it.

You have all given me a lot to look into, and fortunately I will have to take it in due to receiving a recall notice recently for the airbag clock spring (I think that's what the letter said), so while they have it I may ask them to inspect all that and give me a diagnosis.

I will keep this thread updated as I find out more...

Thanks!

 

Also, what are the chances of it just being a tire issue? What if, for some reason, I have a bad tire?

thanks!

 

It can happen.

 

It sounds to me like death wobble. I would follow the posted checklist, especially check the track bar and track bar mount bolt holes.

 

Well, I just had the thing looked over at the local dealership.

They said they checked the front suspension, ball joints, tie rod, etc., and all that looked within spec., and what they believe to be the cause is the steering stabilizer (steering damper). They also recommended an alignment.

Now..I've also read that the SS masks the cause(s) of the Death Wobble, so I'm leery about having that replaced. Is that something that, when it goes bad, it's obvious with signs - or is this just an educated guess? IE, "Well, everything looks good, so it's probably the SS".


Thank you all again,
Mtn

 

When an SS goes "bad" your steering will just feel more loose since the SS isn't providing the resistance it usually does. What you have read is correct... you do not even need a SS. It is only there to make the steering feel tighter and more predictable. I have mine on for looks. At 55k miles it could be a balljoint. The way you check this is jacking up the front so the tires are off the ground and see if there is any movement up or down in the wheel (place a crowbar under the wheel and pull up, not hard, it should not move). If I were you, I'd go through that check list yourself or get a friend if you need help using the tools as you will need a torque wrench to check the tightness of the bolts. Owning a Jeep will make you become very familiar with its steering components lol.

Also, welcome to the forum use the search bar to find threads on "death wobble" as there are plenty of write ups on it with great info.

 

I had the same issue at one point. I have read that SS are not necessary when everything is aligned properly. What I can tell you is my experience only. When it was happening I had the alignment and tire balance checked, it was perfect. The SS definitely blew and leaked out. When I replaced it, no more shaking after bumps. Nothing else under the Jeep was loose or shaky, I can only assume from what was checked and replaced the SS was the issue. Hope that helps

 

I had the same experience, but it was with one of the earlier Grand Cherokees circa 1994. Replaced SS and it was fine. Maybe it was a combination of a few things that were marginalized, but it was all torqued and nothing visibly loose/worn in the suspension.

 

Well... the steering stabilizer IS needed, because what death wobble is, is a harmonic resonance. No, it doesn't fix death wobble if something else is worn, but in the Jeep suspension system you can get _wobble_ even with everything perfect... the right impact at the right speed and you get a resonance that can propagate... this is why the steering stabilizer is there - to mitigate this.

I've driven many next-to-new Wranglers and you described the typical wobble scenario exactly... the steering is usually off-centre... the speeds are usually highway speed... often it is a bump that both tires hit... or a substantial bump on one...

For < $100, replace the steering stabilizer. I'm a little surprised that they didn't find anything else, as if you are able to repeat the DW scenario, it _usually_ points to something else as well...

 

FAMOUS Death Wobble. I installed a dual stabilizer and fixed all wobble.

 

I had problems with death wobble on my 2010 Unlimited several years ago.The Jeep was standard and low mileage.
It turned out that be a loose track bar and a blown steering damper.I have had no problems since .

 

The number one cause of DW is the Track Bar bolts become loose and then the TB mounting Bracket holes become elongated. Also if you have a worn Ball joint, which is very common, then it becomes a contributor when hitting a bump.

 

to check for ball joint is easy .just use a floor jack and lift up at the axle near a front tire , then push /pull hard on the tire if it wiggles its the ball joint. it should not wiggle.

you don't really even need a steering stabilizer, thats not whats causing death wobble it might help mask it, but try to figure out what is wrong. first check tires for balance, then tighten all steering components to spec, check ball joints. Everyone has given great advice. my jk eats 3 things, gas, oil and passenger side ball joints

 

Is it a strong steering wheel vibration? Could it be a bad wheel speed sensor?

 

If the trackbar looks good and properly torqued, then at 55k miles, I would bet that the ball joints are worn and need replaced. Top two causes of death wobble. Steering stabilizer has nothing to do with it



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks again for all the helpful information. I have watched the videos
UPDATE:

So, I had a shop install the SS - which I can say really tightened up the steering, and made me realize just how bad off the previous SS was. So that's good. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to see if/how it has changed the DW.

However, the mechanic pulled me into the garage and showed me some things:

1. There was some up and down play with the ball joints - which he seemed to agree was in spec - as the mechanic at the dealership said. Using a pry bar, he showed me how much play, which to my untrained eye, seemed to be minimal.

2. There was some play with the tie rod ends, which the other (dealership) mechanic had said was fine. Difference being, new mechanic said although at 55k miles it shouldn't have any play, and although it's not an immediate issue, they will need replaced. He said he could go with either the Chrysler parts, or "moogs" (?)...
He also stated that he would put off a proper alignment until it was time to replace those parts.

Thoughts?

 

Sorry to sound simplistic but the death wobbles just “are” .
They come with driving a jeep.
I drive decent speeds in NYC/Jersey city and constantly hitting potholes.
You learn how to minimize them and just deal with them.
Especially on the highway at speeds over 60mph.
Ive had them since Day one of owning my jeep with only 4k miles on it.
Tires were balanced, nothing loose, nothing worn, and nothing broken.
Mostly in a turn when one tire hots and the other doesnt or if both tires hit at same time in straight away.

 

You have truly never experienced a death wobble then. Its not a shake or a shimmy its a violent wobble that can cause a loss of control from the vehicle and can be seen from the outside causing other drivers to get away from you because it looks like your vehicle is about to come apart.

My Jeep has no wobbles whatsoever it drives straight and true, if your jeep wobbles something is not right.

 

Agreed! Death wobble isn't normal or just "part of driving a Jeep".