The “death wobble” is a creative term coined by Jeep owners that describes a situation when the front axle begins violently oscillating, causing the car to shake (or wobble) in a manner which makes the vehicle hard to control.
What the Wobble? ∞
The death wobble is a simple problem without a simple solution. Essentially the wobbling is your suspension system is out of equilibrium. Unfortunately there are many areas in the suspension system, including the tires and the body, that could be causing the problem:
- Poor alignment: If you're experiencing the wobble and haven't had your alignment checked, this is the first thing you should do.
- Unbalanced Tires: Tires that are unbalanced can start throwing the axle around and the only way to stop the wobble is by slowing down.
- Ball Joints: Worn ball joints can allow the wheel to move laterally and independently of the opposite wheel. These should be replaced regardless, worn ball joints are very dangerous in any vehicle.
- Steering Stabilizer Bar: A steering stabilizer that is loose may lead to the death wobble.
Why is This a Problem in Jeeps? ∞
Many Jeeps are coil-sprung with a track bar setup and secondly, a lot of Jeep owners get their Jeeps lifted or modified or have after-market track bars installed. Jeep models affected by this design are: the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler. If it's any consolation (I know it's not) this problem also occurs in some Jeep and Dodge trucks, especially older Broncos.
Fixing the Wobble ∞
Obviously, to fix the wobble you need to know what's causing it. The best way to do that (although frustrating) is to go through the common causes one-by-one until you find it. Let's start small and work our way up:
- Start with a quick visual inspection under the front end of the vehicle. Look for shiny or damaged steel, indicative of metal that's moving around.
- Check to make sure all bolts are tightened on the front track bar
- Check the tires since they typically break down faster and are more prone to storing and releasing the energy that causes the wobble. Are they properly balanced and inflated to the manufacturer's suggested PSI? Did you recently have them balanced? You might try bringing the car back and asking them to make sure the balance is still true.
- After that check the front wheel bearings by jacking the the front tires off the ground, grabbing the top and bottom of the tire and trying to wiggle it back and forth. If you notice any lateral give you might want to have a mechanic check those bearings for you.
- Look for loose connections in the tie rod ends and drag link ends.
- Has your Jeep been lifted? Might want to check the front axle casters.
- If all else fails, you might need a new steering stabilizer. Although if you do replace the stabilizer you might want to replace other components as well since the death wobble shakes everything and can loosen other components as well.
The Jeep death wobble about 50 miles an
hour on the highway
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Joined
Nov 23, 2010 · 34 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Jan 21, 2013 (Edited) I have a recurring death wobble on a 2001 GC with a 2" coil spring spacer lift. I have searched almost every death wobble cure and I am at a loss. I have replaced a lot of my steering/suspension and I still get a death wobble. I do not know where to turn. So far I replaced: What else can I replace or adjust to cure the issue? Joined
Aug 8, 2012 · 2,396 Posts
death wobble is usually caused by a bad front end part , Tie rod, ball joints , sway bar links,etc.
Joined Sep 29, 2010 · 3,186 Posts
As Spyder said try rotating your tires. One bad balance job could be enough to set it off. Lifted WJs are super touchy. Then I would start with the tie rod and drag link ends. Also make sure the track bar mounting bracket holes are not egged out and the bolts are super tight.
Joined Nov 23, 2010 · 34 Posts
Discussion Starter · #4 ·
Jan 21, 2013 I have brand new tires, balanced at the same time. The DW happened yesterday twice around 40-45mph. The first time I slowed down to get rid of it, the 2nd time I accelerated out of it. I will start checking out the TREs. How do i check them?
Joined Aug 8, 2012 · 2,396 Posts
check all rubber caps on the tie rods and ball joints to see if they are ripped , if so This could be a good place to start you need to Jack up one side and push on either side of the tire and see if there is excessive play , also from top to bottom. To check the ball joints - use a board and place it under the tire and see if you can
lift up (gently ) on the wheel . If you have a lot of movement up and down then your ball joints are bad. This will also check the wheel bearings as well. Just because the tires are new doesnt mean they are balanced correctly ( or maybe you threw a weight , one fell off) . I had a set that were balanced and on the wheels when they were delivered brand new . It ended up they were Counter balanced and did the same thing as you are describing. Counter balance is when the
weights of the wheels are placed so they make the wheel even more unbalanced
All 4 shocks (Skyjacker Nitro +2")
Moog Front coil Springs (plus
2" spacers)
Omix-Ada Track bar
Moog Steering Stabilizer
16x8 Pro Comp rims with 4.25" backspacing
Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires (225/75-16)
Wheel alignment from a trusted mechanic
does it happen at a certain speed? and can you drive thru it ? maybe you busted a belt on a tire. Have you rotated the tires?
Joined Aug 8, 2012
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2,396 Posts
Joined Nov 23, 2010
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34 Posts
Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 22, 2013
Today I checked the TREs and Ball joints for play. Everything is surprisingly tight! The track bar is pretty solid, no play. Am i looking for "egged" holes in the upper or lower mounts? I guess I will have Firestone check the balance on the tires since I have a Lifetime Alignment/Balance package from them. I drive 50 miles a day, mostly highway
miles, and I do not feel any vibration or anything. If something were faulty, wouldn't i feel something. I did notice that I can jiggle my steering wheel a little and the jeep still drives straight. Conversely, when driving straight, i feel like i have to "correct" the steering often,
Joined Oct 17, 2012
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52 Posts
Steering stabilzer? Alignment? What about road conditions? Occur during bump or pavement transition? Sounds like you have been pretty thorough with the front end checks. Good luck.
Joined Dec 18, 2009
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8,310 Posts
Today I checked the TREs and Ball joints for play. Everything is surprisingly tight! The track bar is pretty solid, no play. Am i looking for "egged" holes in the upper or lower mounts? I guess I will have Firestone check the balance on the tires since I have a Lifetime Alignment/Balance package from them. I drive 50 miles a
day, mostly highway miles, and I do not feel any vibration or anything. If something were faulty, wouldn't i feel something. I did notice that I can jiggle my steering wheel a little and the jeep still drives straight. Conversely, when driving straight, i feel like i have to "correct" the steering often, Eventhough i have never experienced the DW myself, my jeep also has some play in the steering wheel. I have to change my tierods, but it seems that there is some play
in the steering gearbox as well.
What you also can check is the input rod to the steering gearbox. There is a kind of a coupling which could create some play.
Joined Aug 8, 2012
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2,396 Posts
I agree with AMSOIL dealer , what are the conditions on which it occurs ? is it after a bump? Did you happen to check the Joint at the steering box? To check this , have some one turn the wheel while you watch the joint and see if there is any up and down movement in the joint.
It seems that most older jeeps have sloppy power steering boxes , so it wouldnt be a surprise if yours did as well but, you shouldnt be fighting it.
oh ,and a good way of checking the track bar is to , turn the wheel when the jeep is on the ground and if the whole body in the front ( other then the tires ) move . then you have a track bar issue . It will be a side to side motion
Joined Nov 23, 2010
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34 Posts
Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 24, 2013
The two times the DW occurred was on a flat road hitting either a bump or shallow pot hole. So I used to have a Kevins Off Road Secondary Steering Stabilizer on my jeep to help combat the DW. It seemed to work. When I had my trackbar replaced, my mechanic removed the stabilizer because he said it was binding up. (he showed me the bent screws and
everything). Well today I reinstalled the steering stabilizer with shorter screws...well it bound up again and got itself stuck or jammed with the wheels cut to the left. As i tried to free it, i must have turned the wheel too hard as not my steering wheel is not centered anymore and there is even more play in the steering. It felt extremely loost on my 25 mile journey back home. I am so frustrated now, I may replace the tie rod and drag link just to eliminate another possible cause of DW.
Joined Aug 8, 2012
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2,396 Posts
what pins bent? Can you post a pic? Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
Also. If you were driving on it and it was bound up . Then you probably bent either the tie rod coming down from the steering box .
Can you also post a pic of the front of the jeep ( drag link , tie rods , etc. ?
You should probably at this point replace them anyway due to the stresses placed on the
joints from driving with it bound up.
Joined Jun 4, 2009
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1,030 Posts
Had that happen to me 3 times on my 99wj. Twice within an hour. Hit a small pothole and then a crazy death wobble on the highway. I was very scared and pulled over right away to check the car/tires. Took it to the mechanic. They said the ball joints were bad. Replaced both. The DW never came back. Sold the WJ shortly after.
Joined Nov 23, 2010
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34 Posts
Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 25, 2013
i will post pictures tomorrow. I contacted Kevins Off Road and here is the response they sent me. Is it accurate? "Drew, it's likely that your drag link (or tie rod) is rotating on it's
axis when you turn left and right. This is typical on a lifted
vehicle. You can remedy most of that rotation by binding the tie rod
ends
against each other. You would do that by loosening both tie rod
ends, twisting one forward in it's pivot, locking it down, and then
twisting the other one backwards in it's pivot, and then locking IT
down. This will keep the tie rod from rotating throughout the moment
of a "change in force" of the steering rod."
Joined Dec 18, 2009
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8,310 Posts
I would do a thorough inspection first to find out if something is bend and if it would not endanger further use of the jeep. Loosing the steering completely due to a part which fails due to being overstressed, is not a good idea. Not telling you that it is dangerous now, but better to check it first, so that you know what is going on.
Joined Dec 18, 2009
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8,310 Posts
i will post pictures tomorrow. I contacted Kevins Off Road and here is the response they sent me. Is it accurate? "Drew, it's likely that your drag link (or tie rod) is rotating on it's This seems to be correct yes. By
doing what they describe, you prevent the rotating movement of the rod and could prevent some play.
axis when you turn left and right. This is typical on a lifted
vehicle. You can remedy most of that
rotation by binding the tie rod
ends against each other. You would do that by loosening both tie rod
ends, twisting one forward in it's pivot, locking it down, and then
twisting the other one backwards in it's pivot, and then locking IT
down. This will keep the tie rod from rotating throughout the moment
of a "change in force" of the steering rod."
Joined Jan 25, 2013
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3 Posts
Death Wobble is inherent to the solid axle. Occuring at 40 to 45 MPH usually has a root cause in wheel balance. First thing I would do is to swap the front and rear wheels, and see if it still happens. Any looseness in the trackbar will aggravate it. A wheel out of round can cause it. A bad motor mount can cause a reaction like death wobble. I've only had on
my XJ, and replacing the ball joints ended it.
Joined Nov 23, 2010
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34 Posts
Discussion Starter · #18 · Jan 27, 2013 (Edited)
Here is the pictures of the carnage...I plan on replacing ball joints, tie rod ends, hubs, axle shafts. I figure i might as well get the latter two items done while everything is ripped apart. All parts will be Moog except for the ball joints which are "Alloy USA" and "ToughOne" axle shafts. I apologize for the pictures being crooked but for
some reason my computer does not recognize the changes i made to them
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Joined Aug 8, 2012
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2,396 Posts
I can honestly say thats the first time I have ever seen a stabilizer there.... There is barely enough room for it. It looks as though it may have come in contact with the drag link though. Have you replaced everything yet?
Joined Sep 29, 2010
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3,186 Posts
I can honestly say thats the first time I have ever seen a stabilizer there.... There is barely enough room for it. It looks as though it may have come in contact with the drag link though. Have you replaced everything yet? Yeah there's no need for dual stabilizers on anything especially a Jeep with
all the crazy angles under there. They're destined to bind and IMO are just a band aid over an arterial bleed to try to mask the real problem.