MichiganDuck Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 I've been working on my Jeep getting it driveable. Death wobble has gotten ahold of this Jeep since i bought it. Happened whenever i hit any bumps with the passenger tire over 35mph. Which, in Michigan, that's every 500 feet. :roll: Anyways, put new stabilizer, new shocks, new trackbar and sway bar endlinks + bushings (all from autismzone). That helped and i can now get up to 55mph... anything faster gets sketchy. Looked underneath, and can't see anything that shows wear or is loose. However, i checked the passenger side wheel and can grab it at the top, push and pull on it and it will move very slightly and enough to make a clunking or popping noise "inside". The drivers side doesn't do this. Any idea what that could be? I feel like this has to be my issue. I have some 255/70 General Grabber AT2's on order for it, and want to get this fixed before i get the alignment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawaboy13 Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Can you give us the info on the truck? Year and drivetrain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Most likely the tracbar and or mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganDuck Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Can you give us the info on the truck? Year and drivetrain? It's an 87 2wd, 2.5/4spd. Most likely the tracbar and or mount. Trackbar is new. I don't really know what to look for on that mount, but the trackbar fit well when i replaced it, and it's snug. Anyways, put new stabilizer, new shocks, new trackbar and sway bar endlinks + bushings (all from autismzone). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Any idea what that could be? Tire balance. I feel like this has to be my issue. I have some 255/70 General Grabber AT2's on order for it, and want to get this fixed before i get the alignment! What if the alignment is what's causing it? Insufficient caster angle, for one thing, is a major player in causing death wobble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganDuck Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Any idea what that could be? Tire balance. Tire balance would cause a clunking noise while i push and pull on the tire? :huh???: And Eagle, I'm hoping the alignment/new balanced tires next week will completely fix the issue, as it isnt too bad anymore. But that clunking noise is concerning and to me seems like what maybe causing or contributing to the wobble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88whitemanche Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 What wheels and tires do u have on there now? A buddy if mine had an89 2.5 and the steel wheels that he had on there were bent and caused serious wheel wobble...ended changing upto alumunum wherls and fixed the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Wheel moving is either bad balljoint or bad unit bearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Wheel moving is either bad balljoint or bad unit bearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawaboy13 Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Probably ball joints. No u joints do to being 2wd. I had the same type of issue and it was a u joint on mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Any idea what that could be? Tire balance. Tire balance would cause a clunking noise while i push and pull on the tire? :huh???: No, tire balance would cause death wobble. And Eagle, I'm hoping the alignment/new balanced tires next week will completely fix the issue, as it isnt too bad anymore. But that clunking noise is concerning and to me seems like what maybe causing or contributing to the wobble. A clunk is a cause for concern, but probably is not the cause of death wobble. I know others are going to disagree with me, but the fact is I have driven, and seen others driving, XJs and MJs with severely worn and loose components and NO death wobble, yet the two times I have experienced death wobble were in vehicles with front suspension components mostly new and all tight. One of them was a brand new 1999 Grand Cherokee with only about 10,000 highway miles on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMCJeepMJ Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Wheel moving is either bad balljoint or bad unit bearing. Probably ball joints. No u joints do to being 2wd. I had the same type of issue and it was a u joint on mine I too am going to go with ball joints by your description and setup of your rig [same as mine]. I just changed mine this year and it made a world of difference. Doing them sucks, and you'll want to do both sides instead of just one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87MJTIM Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 If you can wobble the wheel while it is up on jacks, it is probably the bearings. You should change both L and R together, since they're probably the same age. PS - get the wheels balanced while you are at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganDuck Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Alright, thanks guys! I'll look into it this week and update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Yours being an 87 2wd, it won't have unit bearings, it will have a spindle, and inner and outer tapered wheel bearings. You need to check these as well. The tire movement by hand could be caused by them or like was said, the ball joints. I wouldnt bother getting an alignment untill both of those items are checked and made right. If the tire moves like that, an alignment won't be accurate. And tire balance and caster angle are very important, so whoever you have do your alignment, make sure they check and adjust the caster. Most places will just set toe and let it go. So double check that and make sure they do it. On your 87, caster is adjusted by shims at the rear of the lower control arm. I think spec is 6.5-7.5 degrees. I had issues with mine getting DW, and finally did the caster adjustment. It was way under, at around 4 degrees, I was able to get it to 6 degrees with as much adjustment as I could put in it, and I have not had DW since. If you can't get enough caster with the shims, you may need to look into getting some adjustable control arms. Good luck and let us know what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganDuck Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 Well, i had the outer wheel bearing tightened up and it seems to have helped. My mechanic thinks the bearing may have some damamge so, I'm going to have them replaced. I start my new job monday, so I'm kind of in a rush to get things done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganDuck Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 New tires solved the problem up to 65mph... thats as high as ive taken it since i got them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now