Speed Wobbling

[muddypunk]

Well not the OP but I guess Im going to swap back to snow tires and see if its my new wheels and tires thats making it shake

 

[Nolaws]

Wow that is a lot of responses from the time I posted this morning! Thanx for all the great information! I am not a regular to the site here but I now know where I'm coming for any further information on my XJ LOL. I am going to rotate my tires and have the balance checked on them first and then go from there. I will post what difference it makes if any.

Robert

 

[Goatman]

I agree, never seen a u-joint or drive shaft cause death wobble. I agree with every thing else in that post.

You're saying that a steering stabilizer is a proper way to fix DW?

Certainly it is. That's the only reason the stabilizer is there, to eliminate DW. The factory engineers put it there. Since there are so many elements that can contribute to DW, the stabilizer resists the small ones so they aren't a problem. Many times when nothing else is obvious, and the stabilizer is weak, a new stabilizer will fix the problem. Seen and done it many times.

Now, is the stabilizer necessary on a well designed system? No, as long as everything is in good working condition. But the stabilizer helps as parts start to wear before they actually need to be replaced, or the tires get slightly out of balance due to normal wear.

 

[Goatman]

I have replaced every bushing involved with the front end including swaybar uca and installed new lca's with rubber lower bushing and Jonny on body end.It is the whole Tierod assembly that moves forward and back but when someone turns my wheel back and forth everything looks to be tight.Im going out to give it a alignment now so maybe its wonky I do have some play in my steering box in has a slight clunk when shaking back and forth on the steering wheel.

There you go.

Also, what tires do you have? If the tires flat spot overnight that can be the same thing as them being out of balance, which can contribute to DW. if the steering gear is worn and has play, and the tires flat spot in the morning, you sure can have DW. Sort of wondering why you haven't dealt with the steering gear before, and save some of that other work.

 

[Voteban]

Is the play in the steering the type where you grab the bar and can twist towards / away from the axle? I'm pretty sure that's normal, when that gets excessive it creates a dead spot in the steering where the rod is just pivoting instead of moving side to side. I don't think that will cause DW though.. I think what I described is called TRE roll? Either way, both my XJ and my dad's JK do that and we don't have DW.

DW can be a real pain in the butt to diagnose, sometimes it's the weird things that you don't think to check. When I had my sway bar on one of my Discos was adjusted wrong, one was shorter than the other, and that would cause a little bit of shake when I'd hit a pot hole at 70-80, but it wasn't Death Wobble.

Maybe you can post up some pictures of your front end, if your steering / track-bar angles are goofy that can create some wobble as well.

 

[Lowrange2]

Certainly it is. That's the only reason the stabilizer is there, to eliminate DW. The factory engineers put it there. Since there are so many elements that can contribute to DW, the stabilizer resists the small ones so they aren't a problem. Many times when nothing else is obvious, and the stabilizer is weak, a new stabilizer will fix the problem. Seen and done it many times.

Now, is the stabilizer necessary on a well designed system? No, as long as everything is in good working condition. But the stabilizer helps as parts start to wear before they actually need to be replaced, or the tires get slightly out of balance due to normal wear.

The second part here is what I was looking for.

I haven't had a steering stabilizer on my XJ in 5 years. When I first lifted it I had a good many issues with DW. After redesigning my steering and setting up the front of my Jeep correctly I haven't had the first problem.

I feel like if it's possible to drive a Jeep Cherokee with zero DW and no stabilizer then a stabilizer shouldn't be a 'fix'. The stabilizer is just there to cover up some other issue.

 

[Goatman]

If you have a stabilizer, and you have DW, and you replace the stabilizer, and the DW goes away, you have just fixed the DW. Happens all the time.

My XJ with a D44 and high steer arms and inverted T with heim joints didn't have a stabilizer either, and didn't have DW, but that doesn't mean that a stabilizer won't fix DW. XJ's, and pretty much all other straight axle trucks, come with stabilizers specifically because of the potential for DW. There is no other reason for the stabilizer.

 

[Lowrange2]

Right, but you agree that a steering stabilizer is not neccesary for a Jeep to have good road manners, correct?

I agree that it will make the DW go away but there's something else causing it.

 

[muddypunk]

Im running 285/75/16 Bighorn and I swapped my old buck shot mudder nr 78's back on they are like a 31.5 9.50 Im goin to take off the new LCA today and ut my old LCA's back on and if that fixes it then Im never putting Jonny joints on my rig again .I can post up a pic sure.

Thats the best I can do untill the rain stops

 

[muddypunk]

I run 285/75/16 Bighors and they have just about 300 miles on them.the tires in the pic are my NR 78 buck shot mudders like a 31.5 -9.50-15.The slight clunk is only around when dry steering when the rig is on and the pump is running its not there and I have a parts rig waiting to donate its box to me .On to a couple pic's

head on its still a little dark here

 

[Lowrange2]

That's quite possibly the most colorful suspension I have ever seen.

 

[muddypunk]

Sure My old man is a old time hot rodder so I dig strange stuff like painting the underside of my rig

 

[muddypunk]

Well I put my old LCA's back in and no more DW

 

[Lowrange2]

What's the difference in the lengths?

 

[98stocker]

What's the difference in the lengths?

This...

Sounds like your castor was off.

 

[Lowrange2]

That's what I was getting at, yes.

 

[muddypunk]

Nothing 16 5/8 on my fixed LCA's that are on my rig again and the Rustys Adjustable arms with Jonny joints I belive I just dont know how to adjust the joint properly or my Jeep just doesnt like them.I had them from 16 1/4 to 16 7/8 and everything in between set right at 16 5/8 and no good .It could be the bushings are soft but not worn out they are 3 years old and were ran for a year on my Buddies rig untill he went JKS.The bushings look nice and tight I cant wiggle them by hand with a bolt in them Ill post a pic see what you think.

 

[muddypunk]

Do you see anything wrong with these beside the fact they are rustys ?

 

[Voteban]

Did you mount the flex joint on the axle end or the frame end? My REs have the flex joint at the axle on the LCAs and the flex joint at frame end on the UCAs.