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Death Wobble??

2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  Wheelin98TJ 
#1 ·
Hello everybody! I am a newb here! Last week I started experiencing a pretty significant wobble in my 01 TJ. Is there a "checklist" of things I should look at to resolve the issue?

Thanks! :thumbsup:

T
 
#2 ·
Search for "Death Wobble".....you will find a definative DW thread.
Or my thread below lists the sequences I went through.

#1 Check trackbar for horizontal play....NO play should exist in either joint.
#2 Do dry steering test....look at everything, Tbar, TRE's......everything.
#3 Tires? Are they damaged? out of round? out of balance alot? (can cause shimmy which can contrib to DW)
#4 alignment?
#5 - Control arm bushings....huge. That was my problem,....they must be removed to be inspected! Looking at them while attached will not tell you too much.

And finally,...is it REALLY DW? Does the steering wheel leap from your hands while the front end jumps left to right and you crap yourself while stopping as quickly as possible?
If not...then you do not have DW.
 
#6 ·
I think it comes up because even though the diagnosis is similar,......know what you are looking for aids the diagnosis.
Example: If I have a light shimmy at 45mph....and the tires are way out of balance,....I can be pretty confident that is the cause,....(might end up not being the cause)...but I can attribute that pretty easily.

If I have full on DW and the tires are out of balance,....I can safely know that something else is also wrong. That oOB tires alone, will not cause full on DW in an otherwise healthy jeep.

Thats my guess.....
 
#9 ·
Dr_Jim said:
And finally,...is it REALLY DW? Does the steering wheel leap from your hands while the front end jumps left to right and you crap yourself while stopping as quickly as possible?
If not...then you do not have DW.
Wheelin98TJ said:
I don't understand why this always comes up in death wobble threads.

As far as we are concerned trying to dagnose this over the internet, it doesn't matter if its death wobble, near death wobble, a standard wobble, or a shimmy. The diagnosis process is the same.
Amen. :cheers2:

Glad you got it fixed. What SS did you upgrade too? I had the decent Skyjacker and it still made a hella difference.
 
#10 ·
Interesting.
And good point - From an "internet diagnosis" standpoint it really doesnt matter if its DW or not, if it a front end issue the series of checks should be the same.

I could use some further education though as far as what constitutes something "causing" DW.

From what I have read (and in my recent case, experienced).....
DW is "caused" by the axle being overtaken by an oscillation that begins a cyclic rhythm of horizontal motion.
This axle movement is "allowed" because a something in the chain of parts fixing the axle in place is worn.
If the axle is locked into position, unable to move then DW would not occur. Period.

So that brings in the question,....what is "the cause"? Tire issues can cause periods of long term stress to components that will cause them to wear and allow DW. This could include alignment issues as well.
Did the tires cause DW,...no. The tires caused wear on the system which then allowed DW.
Will replacing the tires cure DW? Possibly,....but at this point the damage to the other axle related components has already been done and the system is compromised and vulnerable to the next time a situation of added stress occurs.

If the axle components are 100% secure then tires, no matter how messed up should not cause DW instantly. Again, they can wear the other components to the point that DW can occur.....but in and of themselves the tires are not responsible.

This interpretation is alluding to the fact that a "healthy" Jeep will not DW due to tires,....this is ALSO true of a steering stab. This device will mask the symptions of DW by not transmitting the energy though to the steering wheel,....but the Jeep will technically still have DW.....even if to a slight degree.

For my education (which is one of the reasons I am on this board).....I would really like to get some specific clarification on what are actual "causes" of DW (worn axle support hardware) VS things that can contribute to the wearing of the aforementioned parts that will "then" result in DW.
There is definately a difference between the two situations. And fixing something that may have initially contributed to DW (like tires, alignment or Tbar) may still leave the vehicle compromised as other components (bushings, TRE's..etc) might NOW be damaged due to the wear caused by the initial situation.

Please note: My personal above opinion is a conclusion I have drawn from not much more than reading a helluva lot about DW on the web, including JF...some interactions with Mr.B and others on and related to my personal, singular incident of DW).....so I am in no way implying I am right. Hence the reason I am posting this: education.

thx!
 
#11 ·
I had a set of 35" MTRs on steel wheels that would cause death wobble.

The reasons that tires/wheels can cause death wobble are the same reasons that ball joints and wheel bearings can cause it.

Because those parts are involved when transmitting feedback from the road to the steering wheel.
 
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