So I Have the Death Wobble...

[cm12385]

Background:

1994 XJ
4.0 liter - 5-speed
About 99% stock
1999-2004 WJ intake
Poly bushings in the suspension
185,000 miles
Suspension, steering and ball joints were rebuilt at about 130,000 miles
No lift

So on the highway at about 85 mph, went to changes lanes to the right and went into extreme death wobble, had to stop immediately. A few days later, pulled the front end apart and found a seized u-joint on the front right axle. replaced both front u-joints. This solved a 'pulsing' problem with the steering, but the death wobble still remains.

When replacing the u-joints, I put a pry-bar to all the tie-rod ends, control arms etc and everything seemed tight, ball joints, bearings etc.

I am at a loss, plan to tear the axle out and check everything.

Any ideas?

Replace the y-ling with a Wrangler YJ style steering set-up?

My YJ with 184,000 miles never had a problem like this.

Thanks.

Chris

 

[cm12385]

I meant to say y-link above...

 

[lazyxj]

Make sure the trac bar is torqued to specs and that the axle mount is not wallowed out, common causes of DW.
Have someone sit in the driver' seat and rock the steering wheel back and forth while you feel for movement in every moving part in the front steering and suspension.
Run the engine if necessary to apply more steering force.
It the steering box tight? Control arm bolts tight and bushings in good shape? Any frame cracks?
Something is loose but it is impossible for us to diagnose it for you.

Also try searching, this topic must have thousands of previous questions and solutions.

 

[PSoffe]

If your caster settings are not out of whack and your control arm bushing are in good condition then food for thought, on my 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel 2" leveling kit and slightly larger tire, same basic 4 link design. I had replaced all four ball joints, track bar, drag link, tie rods and steering stabilizer. Still had a problem. Installed new shocks….problem solved.

 

[rockclimber]

go get your tires balanced, make sure they are not cupped.

check your trackbar- frame side bracket, check axle side torque

check for play in the steering box sector shaft

check for play in the drag link tie-rod end at the pitman arm

check unit bearings.

don't swap to inverted T... that would suck.

 

[ParadiseXJ]

85?

 

[Pelican]

^^^ He's from CT, a long way from CA (and TX)...

 

[Alaskan89XJ]

cm12385, Well, going into it piece-meal could be inexpensive IF there is a quick to diagnosis problem spot. If not, what I did at 189k miles for my DW after hitting a deep, deep pothole at 15-20mph, was to discover Kevin's Offroad site where I learned a bit about the issue.

A quick look at his NEW site, does not seem to offer the same detailed information any longer, but he does have a brief description of what is often needed for our rigs, i.e., a complete package. However, he also has compiled DW information in depth, in a pdf book for a price.

Here is a link: http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/cart/death-wobble-causes-and-cures-book-by-kevin-fell-p-1640/

I went with the package concept some 30k miles ago, (DD'ing 50 miles per day), and have hit similar potholes, and have not had the issue come back.., yet.., lol.

 

[lazyxj]

after hitting a deep, deep pothole at 15-20mph, was to discover Kevin's Offroad site where I learned a bit about the issue.
he does have a brief description of what is often needed for our rigs, i.e., a complete package. However, he also has compiled DW information in depth, in a pdf book for a price.
Here is a link: http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/cart/death-wobble-causes-and-cures-book-by-kevin-fell-p-1640/

I have a Kevin's trac bar, with the extra stiff bushings, and like it.
Not sure how I think about a $26 download on death wobble. The same information available is here, if you are willing to search.
Kevin's site used to have a lot of DW information, for free.

 

[cm12385]

I appreciate the suggestions, I have not had a chance to diagnose further, need to make space in the garage. As I mentioned, most of the steering parts are relatively new (less than 50k on them) however, I never checked the trac-bar mount (frame or axle) and the steering gearbox to frame mount. The plan is to completely remove the from axle and all steering gear. Then rebuild/replace/repair as needed as I reinstall.

I saw a brief mention in another post about using V8-ZJ steering gear as 'supposedly' it is a direct swap but beefier/stiffer. Any thoughts? A quick look under a 1998 ZJ languishing in front of my house suggest the set up is similar to a XJ.

Chris

 

[kastein]

I don't think the steering gear is any stronger, but the tie rod (including tie rod ends) from the drag link to the drivers steering knuckle is a significant upgrade. I bent my stock tie rod screwing around in a snowy parking lot on stock tires when I slid into a snowbank... been wheeling hard on 33s for 4 years with a V8 ZJ tie rod, 3 years of which were with a front locker, and never bent or damaged the tie rod, even after ramming it into rocks.

Make sure your tires are balanced, check the track bar bracket at the frame rail (it's bolted on in 4 places, sometimes the bolts loosen up), check your shocks.

 

[cm12385]

kastein,

When I said steering gear, I meant the whole tie-rod set-up, not the power gearbox, didn't realize my error until after I read it.

I think regardless of what my root cause is, I am going with the ZJ-tie-rods, the price is not too bad for all MOOG parts from www.rockauto.com

 

[kastein]

I think I must have spent 1200+ dollars on that site in the last year. Definitely recommended.

 

[DieselPioneer]

I had the DW problem. I checked all suspension and steering components for wear and found nothing except that my steering stabilizer was toast. I replaced it and no more DW. Think about it, the stabilizer has a direct impact on DW. I would definitely check it and replace it if there is any question. It is cheap and easy to replace.

Nelson
85 XJ with the 2.1L Diesel

 

[tkotitan]

Changing the track bar worked on my 94. Thankfully that's all it was so a cheap fix.

 

[kastein]

Steering stabilizers are a bandaid, your suspension shouldn't have any resonance points within the range of frequencies it'll be pumped at while driving at highway speeds in the first place. Lowering the Q factor of the suspension just covers up the problem.

 

[DieselPioneer]

I understand the stabilizer being a band-aid for DW. I have wondered if Jeep didn't install it from the factory as a band-aid, to help prevent DW as it has been so prevalent in their vehicles. When you have DW, you inspect everything in your front end and fix what is either worn or broken. If you find only the stabilizer bad you replace it. If the DW goes away, are you still going to fix your DW at that point? I was all of a sudden done with the problem and was happy about it. I say thoroughly inspect your front end and replace what is worn or broken. If your DW is resolved, great! Move on!

Nelson