I was in the process of moving this last week. I had my Jeep loaded with a grip of gear - including one of those tow-hitch racks. My guess would be no worse than 1000lb load total (you know, like, 4 men in the Jeep and one on the hitch).
At about 45mph on a flat road or going up hill I noticed a faint vibration that was on every 5 seconds for about 2 seconds. and it would do this over and over until I sped up to about 50mph. It wasn't prevalent when I was going downhill or coasting so I have a feeling it isn't my alignment.
@sun: Haha... I dont want the death wobble! I thought that only happened to lifted jeeps! Poop.
@03rubi: When checking the driveshaft U-joint what should I be looking for (I'm a noob, I bought this jeep as my dive into the do-it-yourself auto repair)?
@sun: Haha... I dont want the death wobble! I thought that only happened to lifted jeeps! Poop.
@03rubi: When checking the driveshaft U-joint what should I be looking for (I'm a noob, I bought this jeep as my dive into the do-it-yourself auto repair)?
Death wobble does usually happen only on lifted Jeeps, but when parts get worn, it can happen to stock-height ones as well. I missed the part about it not happening when you're coasting. So yes, I agree - check the u-joints - look for anything that's bent, broken, cracked, out-of-place, worn, stretched, etc, etc. You can find plenty of reference images on the web, and some good tutorials on replacing a u-joint (takes about ten minutes). Props to you on wanting to fix it yourself.
death wobble is felt in the steering wheel, driveshaft vibrations are felt everywhere else.
death wobble is more of a shake in the steering wheel than a vibration.
put your vehicle on flat ground in gear. chock the wheels for extra safety. you need to make it so the vehicle doesnt want to roll so that you can wiggle the driveshaft by hand.
climb under your jeep and wiggle the driveshaft by hand and put your hand on the u joint. and feel for play. what you are describing sounds like there isnt anything major wrong just a little play.
the universal joints are the X shaped joints with caps and bearings on each leg of the X these connect your rear axle pinion yoke to your driveshaft and the transfer case yoke to your driveshaft, check both this way.
The U stands for universal.
For a while i had no idea what these were called and why they were called a U joint after i found out so im letting you know if you already didnt.
death wobble is felt in the steering wheel, driveshaft vibrations are felt everywhere else.
death wobble is more of a shake in the steering wheel than a vibration.
put your vehicle on flat ground in gear. chock the wheels for extra safety. you need to make it so the vehicle doesnt want to roll so that you can wiggle the driveshaft by hand.
climb under your jeep and wiggle the driveshaft by hand and put your hand on the u joint. and feel for play. what you are describing sounds like there isnt anything major wrong just a little play.
the universal joints are the X shaped joints with caps and bearings on each leg of the X these connect your rear axle pinion yoke to your driveshaft and the transfer case yoke to your driveshaft, check both this way.
The U stands for universal.
For a while i had no idea what these were called and why they were called a U joint after i found out so im letting you know if you already didnt.
There is a TON of misinformation in here. Why is DW even being mentioned in a thread where the problem is clearly a driveline vibe? There's not an ounce of relativity between the two. With all the weight, the pinion angle is high relative to the output, which is likely causing the minor vibration. Remove weight and retest. If nothing changes, install new u joints and you'll be good to go. There aren't many variables since you are at stock height with the factory single joint drive shaft.
I got under the rig and the U-joint checked out fine. I gave it a few tugs and there wasn't any give. I checked all just to be certain. The back and front. I brought over the mechanic in the family and had him take a peek and he ran through the same things mentioned above (Thanks guys) and said it was probably something to do with the weight also.
Once the Jeep was back to a normal weight, drove it around and everything checked out fine.
Maybe I'll just have to run it under a lighter load for my next trip... Because that one is a 3000 mile journey cross country. Yikes!
Yeah, 4.0. Thank God. And the trailer was the original plan but since I'm moving 3k miles I was hoping to save a bit on gas by going with the hitch-platform-thing-a-ma-jig. The problem stated above happened while driving a short distance from my friends house to the parents house. I start my long voyage tomorrow...
I'll have to lighten the load for the long haul.
A Post Script to this if there is anyone around the Syracuse, NY area that wants to help a noob change his brakes... I'd pay you in a 6-pack of your choice! And a high-five!
Anyone actually solve the issue here? I just opened a post up about the same problem. 2004 Rubicon with 6in lift and 35in tires and I am getting a nasty vibration, like a rotational vibration that is only heard when hitting the gas. If I take my foot off the pedal, it goes away, so I knew it wasnt tires, etc.
Its loud at 45-60mph. Think of it like a record player, everytime the needle hits the same spot when it goes around it will "thump and vibrate" thats kind of what it feels like... "vruuum, vruuum, vruuum" It is coming from the rear end...
…I had my Jeep loaded with a grip of gear - including one of those tow-hitch racks. My guess would be no worse than 1000lb load total (you know, like, 4 men in the Jeep and one on the hitch…
At about 45mph on a flat road or going up hill I noticed a faint vibration that was on every 5 seconds for about 2 seconds. and it would do this over and over until I sped up to about 50mph. It wasn't prevalent when I was going downhill or coasting …
… 6in lift and 35in tires and I am getting a nasty vibration, like a rotational vibration that is only heard when hitting the gas. If I take my foot off the pedal, it goes away...
Rear drive shaft u-joint angles. I sure hope you have a SYE/CV shaft to go along with that 6" lift. If you don't, get them. If you do, your pinion isn't at the right angle.
Not sure, it was previously done... I am not even sure if it's a 6in, but I used to have a 1995 Wrangler with a 4inch and this is a lot higher. It doesnt have side steps and it a b*tch to get into and I am 6 feet tall.
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