death wobble?

[madhunter419]

i replaced all the worn front end parts on my mj and the death wobble is still there! :headpop: what else could it possibly be?

[CWLONGSHOT]

There is a laundry list of possibilities!!

 

Please try a search using EAGLE as an author. There is so many posts from different people posted here on DW, its mind numbing...

 

CW

[Eagle]

Tire balance, of course. Or possibly a bent wheel rim.

 

First, are you REALLY experiencing death wobble, or do you have a shimmy and you heard the term "death wobble" and assumed that any shaking of the front wheels is death wobble?

[madhunter419]

believe me its like I'm in a funny car lurching lol it only happens at about 55 mph tho. and sometimes it won't even do it. :wall:

[mvusse]

Wheel balance? Alignment? Tie rod ends? Ball joints?

 

Suspension parts are only part of the list of possibilities. Steering system is in there too.

[madhunter419]

ball joints are good, replaced 2 tie rod ends and the track bar. but there is a little play in the steering even though i replaced those parts

[mvusse]

Lay underneath the truck while somebody moved the steering wheel back and forth just a but beyond the play, and see what's moving.

[madhunter419]

thats what i did and i replaced all those parts that i just meantioned

[Automan2164]

Track bar.

 

Rob L.

[oldrusty]

Check your toe adjustment on the front wheels. I just went through the exact same symptoms you described. Finally checked the toe the other night and the front wheels were toed in about 5/8". My fsm says it should be between 1/16" and 1/8". I adjusted mine out to 1/8" and it drives much better now.....

[Eagle]

believe me its like I'm in a funny car lurching lol it only happens at about 55 mph tho. and sometimes it won't even do it. :wall:

55 MPH is the critical point for shimmy caused by tire balance.

 

When it happens, can you keep driving, or do you have to stop the truck to end the wobble? If you can keep driving, it is NOT death wobble. There's a reason it's called that ...

[Oizarod115]

believe me its like I'm in a funny car lurching lol it only happens at about 55 mph tho. and sometimes it won't even do it. :wall:

55 MPH is the critical point for shimmy caused by tire balance.

 

When it happens, can you keep driving, or do you have to stop the truck to end the wobble? If you can keep driving, it is NOT death wobble. There's a reason it's called that ...

identifying the problem as definite DEATH WOBBLE is really important in trying to fix it. Death wobble is like being inside of a paint can shaker, and it won't stop shaking until you either stop or almost stop.

[mvusse]

Shaking violently enough to rattle the teeth out of your skull, to be exact.

 

Anything less would be just a shimmy.

[brak]

i had death wobble pretty bad on my old XJ after i lifted it 3 inches. new beefier lower control arms remedied the issue for me.

[socal1200r]

I had the same thing happen to me on a '96 Cherokee 4wd 6-cyl I used to have. Replaced the track bar, steering damper, shocks, tires, got an alignment, and it went away like that...not sure which particular item made it go away, but it needed all those things anyway...but to have the front end shake like that at freeway speeds is no joke...happened to me when I was about 3/4ths of the way thru the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel here in Norfolk, just on the other side of Fort Monroe...when it happened, I let off the gas, speed dropped to about 50 mpg, wobble was gone...I pulled over once I got out of the tunnel, checked the front end, didn't see any fluid dripping or parts flopping around, but it happened again when I went thru the tunnel going in the other direction...but like I said, once I put those new items on and got an alignment, it never did it again...