Death wobble, also 3rd gear feels strange sometimes

[01tj]

I have an appointment at the dealership in a few days for an inspection and I have a few other concerns. I told them when I called that I have been experiencing some death wobble on the highway. Mine is a stock 2018 but he checked my vin and said it doesn't have any recalls listed. He said it could be tire pressure, anyone else experiences this?

My other concern is when driving in 3rd gear at about 25mph it feels kind of bouncy as if I were blipping the throttle or maybe slightly pressing the clutch in. I've asked this before and the only answer I have really gotten is just don't shift so soon. It just seems strange that my Jeep will put around at 1800 rpms in 2nd or 4th gear but 3rd gear feels strange.

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[Goosed]

I have an appointment at the dealership in a few days for an inspection and I have a few other concerns. I told them when I called that I have been experiencing some death wobble on the highway. Mine is a stock 2018 but he checked my vin and said it doesn't have any recalls listed. He said it could be tire pressure, anyone else experiences this?

My other concern is when driving in 3rd gear at about 25mph it feels kind of bouncy as if I were blipping the throttle or maybe slightly pressing the clutch in. I've asked this before and the only answer I have really gotten is just don't shift so soon. It just seems strange that my Jeep will put around at 1800 rpms in 2nd or 4th gear but 3rd gear feels strange.

It your transmission a manual? I also have what feels like power surges and losses in 3rd gear with my manual.

 

[01tj]

It your transmission a manual? I also have what feels like power surges and losses in 3rd gear with my manual.

Yes, and I only notice it in 3rd. I've had 8 vehicles with a manual before and never noticed anything like this in any of those

 

[am1978]

check your vin, there is a dampener replacement recall for 2018 and up, also a service bulletin for replacing the aluminum steering gear with a steel one if you complain about stability the right way. Search the threads for it.

 

[01tj]

Yes, and I only notice it in 3rd. I've had 8 vehicles with a manual before and never noticed anything like this in any of those

check your vin, there is a dampener replacement recall for 2018 and up, also a service bulletin for replacing the aluminum steering gear with a steel one if you complain about stability the right way. Search the threads for it.

I don't think I need the steering box changed, I've read through a lot of those threads and I don't think I have a bad one. There's really not much play in the steering but I feel the death wobble a little over most bumps and a lot over some.

 

[limeade]

I don't think I need the steering box changed, I've read through a lot of those threads and I don't think I have a bad one. There's really not much play in the steering but I feel the death wobble a little over most bumps and a lot over some.

What you describe is not death wobble. You either have it (and you will know when it happens since you'll dang near crap yourself and you'll have to come to a stop to get it to stop....the death wobble not the crapping) or you don't.
What you're describing is a shimmy, which could be caused by multiple reasons: tires out of balance, bad tie rod ends, bad unit bearings, bad track bar bushings, wallowed out track bar mounts, bad upper and/or lower control arm bushings.

In my experience, I have seen/experienced one or multiple issues cause a shimmy at certain speeds. My TJ had a shimmy at speeds between 45-50 mph, at speeds over or under that, it was smooth. Went away after replacing the stock front axle upper control arm bushings, which were toasted.

I'd start with a tire balancing and complete visual inspection of all front end components. To inspect all of your steering and suspension bushings, linkages, etc. do the following:

With your Jeep in park, all 4 tires on the ground, and engine running, have someone move the steering wheel back and forth slightly. You don't want them to actually cause any movement in the tires, just need some force exerted through the steering system to the tires. While they do this, get under the front of your Jeep and look for any abnormal movement and/or noises in your steering and suspension parts. There should be no movement at either of the track bar mounting locations or at the control arm mounts. There may be some slight up/down movement at a tie rod end, but they shouldn't be rotating or flopping side-to-side.

To check ball joints, you'll need to lift the tire/wheel assembly off the ground. Grab the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions and push/pull those locations. The tire/wheel should not move.

If all of that checks out, I'd then re-torque all steering and suspension components, ensuring the weight of the Jeep is on all 4 tires when you do.

You say your Jeep is stock, but if it's been off-road any, something in the steering/suspension systems maybe worn out just enough to allow some unwanted movement.

 

[mwilk012]

People need to stop saying they have death wobble when they don't. If you had death wobble, your jeep would be at the shop and you wouldn't want it back until it was fixed.

 

[limeade]

People need to stop saying they have death wobble when they don't. If you had death wobble, your jeep would be at the shop and you wouldn't want it back until it was fixed.

Absolutely! It is probably the most over-used and misused term in the Jeeping world today.

 

[01tj]

Pretty sure it was death wobble. It's not as bad as what I've experienced in my TJ but last time it happened I hit the expansion strip at the end of a bridge on the interstate at about 70 and had to slow down to about 20 before I felt like I had control of the Jeep again. Maybe the other times its more of a shimmy when I hit a bump and think uh oh here it comes again but it doesn't.

Maybe I should describe it as dribbling the front tires like basketballs in an alternating 2 ball basketball drill.

The one time my son was in the passenger seat and said he thought I hit something and we were about to wreck.

 

[limeade]

Pretty sure it was death wobble. It's not as bad as what I've experienced in my TJ but last time it happened I hit the expansion strip at the end of a bridge on the interstate at about 70 and had to slow down to about 20 before I felt like I had control of the Jeep again. Maybe the other times its more of a shimmy when I hit a bump and think uh oh here it comes again but it doesn't.

Maybe I should describe it as dribbling the front tires like basketballs in an alternating 2 ball basketball drill.

The one time my son was in the passenger seat and said he thought I hit something and we were about to wreck.

Front track bar is the culprit the majority of the times. But I'd still look at everything.

 

[Yogi]

Could also be bump steer. If it's bad enough it will feel almost like death wobble ... just not the crapping your pants kind ... LOL
If all the parts and torques check out, then it's definitely time for a realignment.

 

[01tj]

Happened again today, I was doing about 70 and had to drop to about 20 before it stopped dribbling the tires. One thing I thought of is I rotated my tires and the spare is on the front right. This was a late rotation and that tire has noticeably more tread than the other side. Would that cause death wobble?

 

[limeade]

Happened again today, I was doing about 70 and had to drop to about 20 before it stopped dribbling the tires. One thing I thought of is I rotated my tires and the spare is on the front right. This was a late rotation and that tire has noticeably more tread than the other side. Would that cause death wobble?

Here's my opinion based up my own personal experiences:

Death wobble is the uncontrolled oscillation/movement of the front axle. What allows this uncontrolled movement is either track bar or control arms (or their associated mounts and/or bushings). The other parts (like out-of-balance tires) aren't what allows the death wobble to happen, they just allow it to manifest itself.

If everything in the front end is solid and working properly, out-of-balance tires in and of themselves will not create death wobble. It's the out-of-balance coupled with say a worn out track bar bushing. But it's the worn out track bar bushing which is allowing the uncontrolled movement. But if the tires are in balance and there's no force acting on the bad track bar bushing in such a way as to cause death wobble, you may never know the bushing is bad.....until you hit a bump at 70mph, which will cause the front axle to oscillate in a manner which can no longer be controlled due to the bad bushing.

With the JL's, your Tie Rod and Drag Link are independently attached to the passenger knuckle (unlike the TJ/XJ/ZJ where the drag link attached directly to the Tie Rod). I guess theoretically, if either the Tie Rod or Drag Link were bad and caused enough movement at the knuckle, this could create enough force to get death wobble.

Due to the design of the JL's suspension and steering systems, it is imperative all front parts are in good condition. This is why I suggested doing a front end inspection to find out where the weak part is. On the several times I have fixed a Jeep (all TJ's, XJ's, and ZJ's) for DW, I have found the culprit through this test. And EVERY time it was something to do with the front track bar.

If you have larger/heavier than stock tires and wheels, the stock steering parts and front track bar bushings may be worn out.

 

[mgroeger]

My two cents...

Make sure tire pressure is correct or even a tick lower than what's called for.
There is no alignment on a Jeep, only toe in/out and that won't cause death wobble. If going to the dealer I would def have them check the toe as well as balancing all tires, that way you can eliminate that low hanging fruit which is not causing the problem anyway.

I had two bad tie rod ends on my wife's Jeep and the factory track bar lasted a year. That is where I would start. While a new steering stabilizer might make you feel good it's not the real problem even if it is bad. A Jeep that is properly set up with solid components can be driven without a stabilizer and not get death wobble. Often times a garage will remove the stabilizer to help hunt down an issue.

The other post about turning the wheel and putting a finger across any joints (tie rod ends, drag link) is spot on and can reveal a lot. I would HIGHLY recommend you diagnose as much on your own as you can and hopefully find out what the problem is. Check torque settings on all of your bolts as well. Then take it to the dealer and tell them what you found and push for that part to be replaced. Half the dealers out there will drive it and then say "Well we couldn't replicate it but we noticed you were missing a valve stem cap so we're pretty sure that is the problem."

 

[01tj]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try to check some stuff out on my own. I have an inspection scheduled Friday and I'll have them check too. I guess I didn't expect to have to deal with this on a completely stock jeep.

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