is this dreaded death wobbles???

[soulslngr]

I have an 88 Limited and I put a 3" lift on it a few months ago. Recently I noticed a slight tendency to shimmy around highway speed (55-60), but this past friday, I was on the highway for about 30 min and after a few min around 60-65 mph the jeep started to shake violently, I thought I lost a few lugs and was loosing a wheel. It got very hard to control over to the side of the highway, and as I was slowing it didnt stop until I was at a crawl to enter a driveway. I searched the forums, but couldnt really get what I was looking for....if anyone has any help on this one, I'm clueless, but I think it was DW because I am almost messed myself uke:
thanks for anything

 

[imma honky]

The 55-65 shakes 95% of the time are wheel alignment/balance issues. Although there have been a few times of U-joints. Did you crap your pants when it happened? Cause from what I hear, it ain't DW unless it's that bad.....
Try a search, this topic has been done on almost a monthly basis. LOTS of information about it.

 

[soulslngr]

i did search, and found some useful info, just hoping someone had this same or similar thing happen... i did almost crap my pants though (so did my passenger, so that was actually kinda funny to watch) my driver side front tire has a slight sawtooth wear to it, and i cant recall my tire education right now, so i cant remember whats out when it wears like that... just venting because I am sick of diagnosing things already

 

[deke]

ya know those over head cd carriears for sun visors? the first time i had deathwobble it moved the xj so far to the left all the cds stayed in place. then of course there was the ass pinching white knuckle skid to the sholder.

 

[89TrailXJ]

I found out DW kicks in at 30mph with no shocks on your rig... :laugh3:

 

[Eagle]

If the shaking was so violent that you "almost messed yourself," that is death wobble.

If you have a shimmy that kicks in at arounf 55 MPH, your tires are not balanced correctly, and that slight shimmy could easily explain why your tires are scalloped. However, I also note that there was no mention of an alignment after the lift. A lift changes the steering geometry. An alignment is a MUST after a lift.

Get the rig to a good front end shop, have it aligned, and have the tires balanced. Be sure the guy doing the balance understands that you've had a problem, and that "good enough" is NOT good enough, you need them dead-on balanced up to 75 MPH.

 

[mmarriottxj]

This may have nothing to do with your problem, but you never know. My brake lines went bad, became spungy, and couldnt hold the pressure of the fluid, they just expanded. Which overheated the wheel inards, and if I drove the vehicle for 30 minutes or more the wheel would start shaking violently, like I was loosing a wheel. Steel braided lines now, that scared the crap out of me too.

 

[soulslngr]

i didnt have a lift done, but set the toe best i could at home. could shocks have anything to do with DW? all of my ball joints looked good, and tomorrow I am going to put on some slightly longer lower control arms for a 3" lift, and then get it aligned and balance on wed. we'll see how it all goes, but that wobble has to my most frightening experience in a car to date!