[ditchpig]

I've got a really bad shake in the front end of my 88 XJ. It happens at about 45 MPH and is so bad i can't control the vehicle once it starts. It started shortly after i installed a 3" lift and 31's. I dont think it's a hardware malfunction and im certain that its not from improper installation.
the first thing i did was to install an adjustable trac arm, rotate and balance the tires and align the front end. checked the front end and steering components and nothing is loose. The only strange thing is that there is excessive camber on the right side. after doing that it went away for about a week. then it started again and i replaced both front wheel bearings, again it went away for about a week then came back. U-joints seem to be ok. it seems like every time i put it on the lift, it goes away then comes backa few days later. My next step is going to be a trasfer case drop and im going to pull the front and rear diff covers and check everything there.
Please let me know if anyone has experienced and fixed this themselves because its driving me crazy. thanks.

[That1guy]

I'm pretty sure you cant adjust the camber on a solid axel, just the toe. If the camber is off something is bent. I would lift the front tires off the ground and lock the sterring wheel and see if their is any play in anything. If the tires are balanced and the alignment is good then I dont know what else to tell you.

Welcome to the forum.

[firefighter1c57]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Death Wobble. Do you mean the caster angle is off, or the camber angle. Like said, camber is only adjustable with offset ball joints. However, it should not need adjusted unless your axle is bent.

[ditchpig]

thanks for the welcome. the camber angle is off and it's not adjustable without excentric ball joints. i would think that the axle could be bent, but it drove great all around before installing the lift. i tried to raise it and put it in drive, but the rear driveshaft started binding since it was lifted and in the air. i'm going to lowes to "make" a transfer case drop tonight. "Death wobble" is the perfect term to describe it. I'm thinking i can put it about halfway up on the lift and support both axles with jacks to prevent the driveshaft bind.
Thanks for the info, it's all greatly appreciated.

[xjokee]

You'll get that pesky 'death wobble' under control. I've got a buddy that developed a bad one. He put a new steering damper on it and it went away.
Do you have any pics of your lifted rig?
Mike

[dopod]

Get someone to turn the steering wheel while you are under there looking for play in any parts.

Drive shaft vibes/t-case drop has nothing to do with death wobble.

[ditchpig]

mine is the black 4 door. the other one belongs to my friend that helped me do the install.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piP0uGvm7a4&feature=user

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g2M4UkxZWs

[dotcom]

common issues are loose bolts in the track bar, control arm mounts, tie rod, or drag link. i sometimes get this and i can always find one of the bolts on these items has come loose, once i tighten it down the DW goes away. a steering stabilizer is a necessary component but it will just mask the problem until you break something or have an accident because the DW got to be too much for the stabilizer to handle. so while i agree that you need one don't use it as a fix find the problem first!

[ditchpig]

yah, i agree. im going to recheck everything in the steering system and i want to change it all out with some HD stuff anyway. ive been out of town so i havent been able to work on it. i did get a rancho stabilizer from advance but they gave me the wrong one and i only had half a tuen of steering to the right! ill check into it further when i get back home and probably going to go throught all the u joints even though they seemed ok.
thanks again for the input. oh by the way, i've been hearing a popping noise in the front end when steering to the lock on the right side occcasionally, goin to check that out, maybe related or something.

[cobra]

What is the condition of your tires?? it could be a bad belt in your tire.a SMALL buldge in your tire could cause that.

[xjman4life]

I think I might have this, I change out a bad uca mount and it firmed up the steering and lessened the dw. I still get a little bumpy but nothings lose, I think its due to bad ball joints that do not show any wear when I am testing them on the lift, only hear clunking over bumps..not sway bar or anything else since I torques everything down.

[ditchpig]

i would think if it were tires, it wouldnt go away at all. whats a uca? i put a new stabilizer on and i drove it up to 55-60. no wobble just real squeaky... its possible that i got so freaked out by the wobble, i was juast afraid to go over 45. either way, im going to replace the steering parts with a/m hd stuff asap. also going to look into installing a/m upper control arms to go with my lowers. still back and forth between training and home and havent had time to look at it recently, but ill keep posting as progress happens.

[XJRookie]

whats a uca?

Upper Control Arms. I would also check your track bar. How high is your lift? Did you put an adjustable tracbar on there? Make sure it is not loose. It may also be related to slop in the steering box. Inother words your steering box/gears could all be worn out. I think it was mentioned above have someone move the steering wheel back and forth with the Jeep off while you are under the front. Check for excessive movement. Then do the same thing with the Jeep running only this time with your buddy moving the steering wheel farther from side to side. You should hopefully see what is going on under there. DW is unfortunately all too common on lifted XJ's you can overcome it though! Good Luck!

[ditchpig]

been traveling back and forth from central va to maryland every other week so i havent had a chance to go wheeling, but the dw seems to be inhibited by the stabilizer... as i said earlier, its very possible that it was taken care of a while ago, i was just too gun shy to get it over 50 with the noises and vibes. the tires arent the best condition, but no bumps/humps, i balanced them and they were actually pretty well round. i installed an adjustable trac arm a while ago... i only have 3.5" of lift, getting ready to go up to 4.5... think i'll be installing some more heavy duty steering parts first though. i'll keep updates on how the DW fairs in the next few weeks or so as the stabilizer wears in/out. the steerign box idea is very probable due to the fact that the jeep is an 88 and has been owned by 2 senior citizens since it was new! my last week of training is next week then i can really dig into this thing! cant wait, thanks for all the advice. keep on posting.