*another* death wobble thread

[GhostTheSahara]

So my ‘22 Sahara has 32k miles on it… prior repairs include an entire engine replacement (a completely different conversation) amongst other things.. but over all love the thing. Got the DW, my guy at the dealership instantly ordered a damper and got it installed, jeep was fine for 2 days then hit a bump at about 75 and things went pear shaped again. So clearly the damper wasn’t the issue… what do I tell them to look for now / what should I get smart about? U joints? Ball joints? Wheel balance?

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[Fonzilla85]

How big was the bump? I can only imagine hitting anything at over 70 MHP plus will cause some issues.

 

[GhostTheSahara]

How big was the bump? I can only imagine hitting anything at over 70 MHP plus will cause some issues.

Standard freeway overpass connector bump thing… jeep has been exceptional for almost 2 years regardless of speed or road quality

 

[Fonzilla85]

Standard freeway overpass connector bump thing… jeep has been exceptional for almost 2 years regardless of speed or road quality

Ok. Definitely recommend getting under the Jeep. Make sure everything is tight and inspect for any possible damage. That would be step 1, after that, refer to the posts that members have put up on the forum to choose the next step forward.

 

[YJdude]

So my ‘22 Sahara has 32k miles on it… prior repairs include an entire engine replacement (a completely different conversation) amongst other things.. but over all love the thing. Got the DW, my guy at the dealership instantly ordered a damper and got it installed, jeep was fine for 2 days then hit a bump at about 75 and things went pear shaped again. So clearly the damper wasn’t the issue… what do I tell them to look for now / what should I get smart about? U joints? Ball joints? Wheel balance?

Get under it with (no lift, all wheels on the ground) engine off and look at the track bar. Have an assistant move the steering wheel back and forth. If there's any movement at either end of track bar (either axle or frame) you've identified the culprit.

 

[Speed331]

Check all the suspension bolts for proper tourque. My 2 door had the same issue with an overpass joint that angled across the road (only with a full tank of gass, no top and over 72mph -weird, I know). Turned out the track bar bolts had loosend. Just two incidences were enough to toast the bushings. Replaced it with a solid steel heavy duty track bar and have been DW free ever since.

 

[Bandit59]

So my ‘22 Sahara has 32k miles on it… prior repairs include an entire engine replacement (a completely different conversation) amongst other things.. but over all love the thing. Got the DW, my guy at the dealership instantly ordered a damper and got it installed, jeep was fine for 2 days then hit a bump at about 75 and things went pear shaped again. So clearly the damper wasn’t the issue… what do I tell them to look for now / what should I get smart about? U joints? Ball joints? Wheel balance?

Damper never the answer but that is what the dealer does. Track bar mounts are a common issue I would start there. Retorque the bolts

 

[silverooby]

Get under it with (no lift, all wheels on the ground) engine off and look at the track bar. Have an assistant move the steering wheel back and forth. If there's any movement at either end of track bar (either axle or frame) you've identified the culprit.

Even if you can’t see the track bar move in that test, it can still be the culprit under much higher forces as was the case with me. I put in the track bar support bracket. Fixed it.

 

[jc1003]

My wife's Sahara had death wobble last year and the dealer replaced the stabilizer which fixed it.
A few months later I upgraded the stabilizer which helped a little bit. I did new LCA's yesterday
with Dynatrac ball joints. It made a huge different than before. Stock ball joints suck.

 

[YJdude]

Even if you can’t see the track bar move in that test, it can still be the culprit under much higher forces as was the case with me. I put in the track bar support bracket. Fixed it.

Good point. You're absolutely right.

I would venture to say that at least 95% of all true, legit death wobble is caused by track bar issues.

 

[Upnarms]

So my ‘22 Sahara has 32k miles on it… prior repairs include an entire engine replacement (a completely different conversation) amongst other things.. but over all love the thing. Got the DW, my guy at the dealership instantly ordered a damper and got it installed, jeep was fine for 2 days then hit a bump at about 75 and things went pear shaped again. So clearly the damper wasn’t the issue… what do I tell them to look for now / what should I get smart about? U joints? Ball joints? Wheel balance?

I don't mean to be mean, but since there are literally hundreds of DW threads which you seem to acknowledge in your title, have you read any of them? Because it's the same exact answers in EVERY one!

But just to be "helpful" here is one of my previous answers in one of the many threads available

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...arranty-whatre-my-options.124199/post-2593069

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/“death-wobble”-resolved-quickly…?.124506/post-2599513

If your tires are original, they are more than likely part of the equation. Don't discount that.

 

[Whaler27]

I don't mean to be mean, but since there are literally hundreds of DW threads which you seem to acknowledge in your title, have you read any of them? Because it's the same exact answers in EVERY one!

But just to be "helpful" here is one of my previous answers in one of the many threads available

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/“death-wobble”-resolved-quickly…?.124506/post-2599513

If your tires are original, they are more than likely part of the equation. Don't discount that.

This^^

This site has a search engine. It takes about ten seconds to use that to find DW threads and start reading. For a windbag like myself, it takes 30 minutes or more to write all the same stuff again, and then find and paste the links to the related videos and tutorials.

OP, death wobble can be vexing, but it can always be fixed by a competent and patient mechanic. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the dealer invariably swaps in a new damper. That is never, ever, the solution, but it does occasionally mute the symptoms for a time.

Even jeeps with sloppy suspension, bad death-wobble, and no steering damper/stabilizer can be driven at slow speeds on unblemished asphalt for some distance without producing DW. A good jolt from a pot hole is often what starts the oscillation. Again, this is all discussed in prior threads with links to video.

Here’s a video I’ve linked three or four times — not because a track bar is always the solution, but because a damper never is:

Steering damper not the issue

 

[Old Jeeper]

DW again YES, it's possible!!!!!!!!

100% of the components from the firewall forward that have any connection with the suspension CAN Contribute to DW, do not forget this!

I have been dealing with DW since the 60s on my car and on my Harley, on my John Deere tractor, and on my Jeeps. I owned a Jeep shop for 9 years and successfully dealt with it.

When attempting to resolve DW you start with the basics and the simplest solutions: You would be surprised at how often one of the investigations below led to solving the issue.

Sadly most shops start with underframe suspension components ignoring those below that are easy to deal with. Of course, you don't make as much money selling 2 shocks or equalizing the PSI in your tires, etc.

NOT in any order

Shocks & SS: Failing shock or shocks, leaking shock fluid

Tires: PSI = across the front? Tires balanced? Tires inspected for internal damage...belts can get torn internally and slip causing unbalanced REACTION to input

Ball joints/wheel bearings: Loose

Settings: Caster, Camber, Toe in/out: NOTE, Caster is directly affected by the size of your tire, the taller the tire, the longer the wheelbase and that has to be compensated for.

TRACK BAR: The track bar has 1 (ONE) job, to locate and stabilize your axle from lateral oscillation... The Steering stabilizer is responsible for the mitigation and management of the lateral oscillation.

Past that you dive into bushings and torque of the assorted nuts and bolts.

DW is often a progressive disease meaning that it becomes not one item to replace due to wear and tear of the DW but multiple wear and tear results from a failure to fix DW the FIRST time it was noticed!

Come to grips with Newton's 1st and 3rd Laws of Motion:

1. The first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. This means that the natural state of an object is to maintain its current state of motion or lack thereof. In other words, objects have a tendency to resist changes in their state of motion.

3. The third law of motion is commonly known as the law of action and reaction. It states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that when an object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first object. These forces are always present in pairs and act on different objects.



There I was in my truck running down the highway trying to loosen my load with 7 women on my mind.

Suddenly I hit some railroad tracks and DW announced its presence. I pulled over, slowed down, restored its driving, and started looking for an Auto parts house

One block later a NAPA Auto parts, I pulled in, they had an SS that fit my truck in stock, I asked if it could borrow a few tools, and I crawled under and installed a new SS and life was good again...knowing I had not damaged a lot of other components in the wake of the DW.

SUGGEST ALL TAKE HEED!

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