[happycamper]

Hey everyone I no its been asked a thousand times over and over again, but I need some help on this one. Me and a Friend put on a full traction 3" lift today
and I cant get rid of the death wobble. The track bar is tight, everything is tight for that matter. i can drive it down the street and its fine, but as soon as i hit a little bump in the road the steering goes crazy, could this be the steering stabilizer? This is the same lift I put on my jeep, and I had no problems at all like this. So any ideas would be appreciated Thanks

[Jeeper4ever]

Have you done an alignment yet? New tires? Are they properly balanced?

[jmreagan]

Originally Posted by happycamper

Hey everyone I no its been asked a thousand times over and over again, but I need some help on this one. Me and a Friend put on a full traction 3" lift today
and I cant get rid of the death wobble. The track bar is tight, everything is tight for that matter. i can drive it down the street and its fine, but as soon as i hit a little bump in the road the steering goes crazy, could this be the steering stabilizer? This is the same lift I put on my jeep, and I had no problems at all like this. So any ideas would be appreciated Thanks

Pretty sure it is because of an out of balance tire. Had the same problem, everything was torqued to spec and alligned correctly. I thought the tires were fine because I didn't have death wobble before the lift. I was wrong, lifting the suspension changes the geometry and a wheel that is not 0 to 0 or perfectly balanced will cause death wobble. Get the tires balanced 0 to 0, almost perfect will not fix it. Be persistant about it at the tire shop.

[happycamper]

no on the alignment and the balance, but it seems like this wobble is really bad
to the point where I cant even hold the steering wheel, and when i try to slow down it gets even worse for a few seconds, until i get below 35mph

[TXjeepTJ]

grab one of the front tires at the top, move it back and forth(push it in and out) and look under the car and you will be able to see what is loose

[Jerky bump]

What the heck is "death wobble?"

[ltcdwb]

Originally Posted by happycamper

no on the alignment and the balance, but it seems like this wobble is really bad
to the point where I cant even hold the steering wheel, and when i try to slow down it gets even worse for a few seconds, until i get below 35mph

This sounds like the classic symptoms of a worn out sterring dampner. did you install a new dampner with the lift kit?

[Rocky529]

Originally Posted by Jerky bump

What the heck is "death wobble?"

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/search.php?searchid=918705

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally Posted by ltcdwb

This sounds like the classic symptoms of a worn out sterring dampner. did you install a new dampner with the lift kit?

Death Wobble is NEVER caused by the steering stabilizer (steering dampener). It could be missing entirely and not cause Death Wobble. If installing a new steering stabilizer ever stops the symptoms of Death Wobble, all it did was mask the symtoms but it didn't cure what was really causing the problem. Kind of like placing a bandage to cover up a skin cancer. You can't see it anymore but it's still there.

First, as suggested above, get the tires PERFECTLY (!) balanced. Sometimes shops only get them "close enough" which isn't good enough. You say the trackbar is "tight", how do you know that? DId you tighten the bolts with a torque wrench? Grabbing the trackbar with your hands to test its tightness doesn't work as it can FEEL tight but it can still be loose enough to allow Death Wobble to develop. It's normally the lower mounting bolt that is loose, or its lower mounting hole is wallowed out. For 2003 and newer the lower trackbar mounting bolt must be tightened to 45 ft-lbs, 2002 and older 55 ft-lbs.

If all that is ok, then sit down in front of your TJ while someone turns the steering wheel back and forth so you can look for something moving that shouldn't be moving. Especially look for movement at the trackbar's lower passenger-side mount.

DW is commonly triggered by either a bump in the road or out of balance tires, but something else (trackbar, ball joints, bushings, etc.) must also be loose for the DW to actually fully develop.

[Trailguide]

X2 Is is NOT the steering shock. Can't add more than guru Jerry mentioned.

[jecaper]

I had the same problem when I lifted mine.

The new track bar had a hole sized for a 5/8" bolt and the OE track bar had a 1/2" bolt. Somebody left that out of the instructions. Even tightened, it shook like an earthquake.

When you are parked with the motor running can you turn the steering wheel and see any movement up front? That would be the second place I would look. The first has already been mentioned (tire balance and alignment).

[[ITA]Tsunami]

to check the track bar ( i had a problem with it, that's why i'm telling you to do so) have a friend moving the steering wheel while you check it out. If you notice a side to side movement on the lower trackbar mounting location (on your axle) than that's is the culprit

[Jerky bump]

Originally Posted by Rocky529

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/search.php?searchid=918705

Sorry, string not found, but I'm starting to get the picture.

[Jerky bump]

Originally Posted by Rocky529

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/search.php?searchid=918705

Sorry, string not found, but I'm starting to get the picture

[Pick01]

If it is on the 2000 Sahara, you might also, start checking suspension parts, as in ball joints, and wheel bearings, tie rod ends etc............. as you should have enough miles, they could be worn..............

Pick