Scarry front end wobble

[Captain Skippy]

I was driving along the interstate today and hit a group of pot holes (gotta love those South Carolina roads). I was doing about 70 in my 2000 TJ, manual everything 4 banger. The front end went crazy, wobbling so badly I thought I blew both tires. It put a pretty good scare in me. I pulled to the shoulder and got out but everything was okay. When I pulled back off everything seemed fine. I put rancho shocks all around about three months ago so they are fine. Could it have been the steering stabalizer shock? That is next on my list after the bumpers I am going to install this weekend. The jeep has 114,000 miles.

Thanks in advance

[Gritz]

It's called death wobble. It usually come from worn/or an improperly torqued front track bar. The other common cause is tires that are out of ballance (in our case, it was tires). I'm sure somebody will chime in about the correct torque numbers for the trackbar. I've also heard of incorrect toe-in after a lift being the culprit as well.

While the steering stabilizer seems like it would be the logical item to look at, alot of times it's not the problem.

do a search if you can and you'll find out a tone of info.

good luck, I almost made chocolate in my jeans one time it got so bad!
gritz

[muddy72]

I had a xj that did the same thing no solution although i made a post earlier that no one has replied to yet I have a wobble at 45 to 55 mph but i cant figure it out with out just doing tire balance alighnment stablizer heck everything to get it fixed.

[Captain Skippy]

Sorry, I am fairly new to jeeps. Knowing I will sound dumb, what's a track bar. BTW, the tires are factory size with only a few thousand miles. Thanks.

[Jackle]

welcome to the jeep world buddy......don't worry about asking stupid questions....we've all been there and sometimes you just gotta ask to find out the answers.

the track bar is what keep the axle centered under the jeep....without them in place you will notice that the axle will actually walk out to one side a little bit



muddy...if what you're describing happens only between 45-55 mph and its a slight wobble in the steering wheel then chances are you have thrown a wheel weight or the belts inside have shifted after a little bit of wear.......start with getting them balanced...i bet it takes care of it

[muddy72]

Originally Posted by Captain Skippy

Sorry, I am fairly new to jeeps. Knowing I will sound dumb, what's a track bar. BTW, the tires are factory size with only a few thousand miles. Thanks.

Try this link it has a good picture.
http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html

[Aerythus]

Death wobble makes you think you are going to crash and die.

The track bar is connected to the axle on the passenger side, and the frame on the drivers side. Most of the times I've had it, it was because of balance issues and worn tires; new tires seem to fix the problem. I've also heard of worn front end bushings in general causing the issue.

It's really hard to track down the culprit, as it seems to be caused by multiple small errors in the front end. I do know that if it is left unaddressed, it can cause rapid premature wear on front end components, namely the track bar and the steering box.

[j0nesy]

death wobble, as you can gather from the replies in this thread, can be cause by aplethora of different issues ... anything form tracbar issues to tire balance, caster to bad steering stabilizer or loose suspension bolts ....

have a professional look at it and diagnose the problem ... or a trusted friend.

[Gritz]

I'd still start with the balance of the tires. Ours got worse and worse as the tires wore down. New tires fixed it completely!

gritz

[paultyler]

I'd start with the alignment. There is a good chance your steering stabilizer is also toast.

Originally Posted by affende

death wobble, as you can gather from the replies in this thread, can be cause by aplethora of different issues ... anything form tracbar issues to tire balance, caster to bad steering stabilizer or loose suspension bolts ....
have a professional look at it and diagnose the problem ... or a trusted friend.

I agree.

[roadking]

If your only recent mod was the shocks, check to make sure they are tight. I had a similar experience and the nut on top of one of my front shocks was a bearly a little loose. Tightend it up and it went away. As mentioned earlier track bars are usually a culprit. Just get under there and check everything for tightness. If all is good, you may have a worn out part (114,000 miles?).