- Location
- In the islands
The way I fixed my death wobble on my old Jeep was with hydro assist....because the hydraulic ram was an oversized steering stabilizer/dampener. That being said the real issue with my death wobble was a single sheer frame side panhard mount. The bolt had maybe 1/16-3/32" side to side play...It was the wrong way to fix the problem, because all I did was mask it. This thread is annoying...
I agree. I have been following this thread from its inception and chuckle a lot from certain posts. There are some on here who now what they are saying. Some make authoritative statements that are all wrong and there are others that are plane argumentative.
I started working as a mechanic in the early 1970's in the British Caribbean. Since then every vehicle I have come across that have a solid front axle including those with leaf springs have some sort of steering dampener. Most of them back then had am idler arm bolted to the chassis and connected in some way to the steering arms. Early VW beetle buses and others had a dampener similar to the XJ. The one thing they all had in common was a steering box not a steering rack and pinion.
Fast forward today. My DD is a 1994 Toyota pickup, independent front suspension, a steering box, and yes,...a steering dampener similar to the one on the XJ.
Does a bad dampener cause death wobble? I doubt it. Would a good dampener prevent death wobble? It will not. Would a vehicle perform negatively without one? I do not think so. As a matter of fact, there are many here who can/proves that it is not necessary.
My XJ have a perfect steering dampener and a bad case of death wobble,...so much so that I now where every road imperfection is in and around Jacksonville that allow speeds of 50 MPH and higher. I do realize the old lady is due for new ball joints, new TRE's (all four) new bushings in the LCS's new tires and an alignment.
Please note,...The dampener is a larger after market unit that is in perfect or near perfect condition. I know that because I pulled it off earlier today and tested it.
There are plenty of really good posts on this forum. The OP just need to separate the "I KNOW IT ALL" posts from those that are actually helpful.