Death wobble.

[89 MJ]

2 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

 

What data do you have to support this claim? 

 

(Not trying to be snarky)

He and I have gone back and forth on it for a while on the side. If I remember right, pretty much all of the steering and suspension is new from a different problem and it fairly recently had an alignment. From my memory, the only thing that changed after the alignment was the springs. But that's also going off of my memory, so I might be missing something.

[eaglescout526]

15 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

What data do you have to support this claim?

I never had death wobble until now…. The newest factor here is the light duty springs. I put them on to smooth out my MJ suspension not taking into fact that the caster would be off. The MJ sits lower than previously. I also had an alignment done with the standard duty springs still installed. Plus I’ve been pretty unhappy with the light duty springs since trying to find the cause of my steering clocking. So the springs are getting changed regardless. 
 

Now something I very much remember is when I had the light duty springs when I first got my MJ, there wasn’t a lot of shims in place. I remember changing my springs later on and remembered being suggested by the dodge dealer that I used to work at to add some shims in when I had an alignment done there many moons ago. I did that and everything was also fine with no issue. 
 

I will however make sure everything is good and tight. Knowing me I probably forgot to tighten down a control arm bolt while putting everything back together. 

[A-man930]

8 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

He and I have gone back and forth on it for a while on the side. If I remember right, pretty much all of the steering and suspension is new from a different problem and it fairly recently had an alignment. From my memory, the only thing that changed after the alignment was the springs. But that's also going off of my memory, so I might be missing something.

 

I was asking for data on your "caster was the issue on the JK"

 

@eaglescout526 you need to clear these up before I get off this horse... 

Don't just tighten them.  Remove them and inspect the female tapers.  

Also, have you done all 3 of the shakedown checks I described?  

 

[eaglescout526]

1 minute ago, A-man930 said:

 

I was asking for data on your "caster was the issue on the JK"

 

@eaglescout526 you need to clear these up before I get off this horse... 

 

 

Cant exactly do it while I’m at work but it’s on my list. 

[A-man930]

3 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

can't exactly do it while I’m at work but it’s on my list. 

 

I get it. Just trying to help you avoid more round and round. 

Just a dumb "gut feel", but I don't think caster is your issue. I bet you've wallored-out a taper somewhere or the frame-side track bar mount.  

[89 MJ]

8 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

I was asking for data on your "caster was the issue on the JK"

 

I see now. My dad went back to our tried and true method of tape measure and an old school angle finder. It was off by something like 3 degrees if I recall correctly. Problem is my parents don't have any alignment shops local that really know how to do alignments on solid axle vehicles anymore, so apparently they never touched the caster.

[eaglescout526]

16 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

Just a dumb "gut feel", but I don't think caster is your issue. I bet you've wallored-out a taper somewhere or the frame-side track bar mount.

That’s a fear of mine. I know when I had the first death wobble a few months back that was the first thing I checked. Was still good. Now that I had it happen 2-3 more times, I fear it could be toast. 
Now this got me thinking…I’ll get back to this. 
 

Honestly I appreciate y’all’s help and input on this. Don’t think otherwise that I don’t.
 This is the only place on the internet where you can ask these kinds of questions and not be bombarded with more questions and scrutiny. I knew I opened a can of worms but I want thoughts and opinions. 

[A-man930]

6 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

That’s a fear of mine. I know when I had the first death wobble a few months back that was the first thing I checked. Was still good. Now that I had it happen 2-3 more times, I fear it could be toast. 

Describe how you are checking.

[eaglescout526]

30 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

Describe how you are checking.

Without having a caliper, I unbolted the track bar at the axle side and moved the track bar while still tightened down for any movement that wasn’t the ball joint itself. I felt nothing nor was there any movement. I then put it back together, unbolted the bar at the frame side and inspected the hole with my eyes and didn’t see it looking wallowed out. 

[A-man930]

24 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

Without having a caliper, I unbolted the track bar at the axle side and moved the track bar while still tightened down for any movement that wasn’t the ball joint itself. I felt nothing nor was there any movement. I then put it back together, unbolted the bar at the frame side and inspected the hole with my eyes and didn’t see it looking wallowed out. 

I've honestly forgotten which side of the OE track bar has the bolted bushing versus the tapered stud rod end/ ball joint. Make sure you get a good visual on both.

Look up how to do a dry park test. You will need someone at the steering wheel for this - it's the closest you can get to replicating the true forces applied during use because you're involving the weight of the vehicle and the torque multiplication of the steering wheel and box. Checking by hand only, as you're describing or otherwise, leaves room for doubt.

[ratrapp]

ive never heard of checking a track bar unbolted from one end or another.bolt the track bar in and have someone rock the steering wheel left and right and watch for movement at the joint and at the bushing.

[eaglescout526]

tracking my findings here.

 

9/9/25

One nut found out of torque spec-pitman arm to linkage tie rod

Found track bar bracket to frame bolts loose, loose enough to spin but not come undone thanks to years of oil and rust. Now torqued to spec.

Found an outline of the bracket having possibly moved each and every time when I turned. Probably resulting in my steering clocking issue.

 

9/10 Found both ends of the track bar hard ware not torqued to spec

 

9/11 Everything within spec on the pass side.

 

I think that bracket has been my problem for some time. This would make sense for both my clocking after turns and getting DW to trigger on the drivers side. Thinking about the 3 times it happened, the wobble and vibrations were felt more in the frame than the steering. I have yet to take a drive but will soon and will drive to the spots where I got DW to trigger. Never would I have ever thought about that bracket. Arent these typically stuck and rusted in place? Haha.

[A-man930]

I bet you've got it fixed. 

[Pete M]

everything is suspect.  everything should be thoroughly inspected. 

 

everything.  

 

I imagine you've got this one licked   but the proof is in the driving.

[eaglescout526]

Went for a drive.

 

Clocking issue is fixed....DW came back but more aggressively this time.

[A-man930]

Torqued to spec is nice, but if the tapers are trashed it doesn't matter. 

Have you done a dry park test yet? 

[eaglescout526]

20 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

Torqued to spec is nice, but if the tapers are trashed it doesn't matter. 

Have you done a dry park test yet? 

Not yet. I don’t have anyone at home to help me at the moment. So I’m taking that time to make sure everything else is within spec. I found the control arms at the axle to be a little under spec. Next will be the ball joints. I’ll probably just lower the track bar at the frame side and make sure the hole doesn’t look trashed or wallowed out. I wonder if I should put my Mopar track bar back in. It’s not bad to the point where it’s questionable but the joint is stiff and quickly moves from one side to the other when checking it for movements. 

[eaglescout526]

Found the ball joints to be out of spec on torque. Torqued now. I forget how much those things need. At this point everything is torqued. The only thing I can suspect is joints of the whole steering to have failed despite not even being half a year old. 

[eaglescout526]

Ok, went for a drive. I could feel it wanting to trigger a couple times but it seemed a little harder to get it to trigger. But I did finally get it to trigger. Im looking at 3 ideas, track bar is just garbage along with the mounting hole.

Tires are out of balance

Or toe is off. Though I am not sure this one would trigger it.

[ratrapp]

believe it or not bad or severely out of balance tires will cause death wobble.