Death Wobble - Help! (Solved)

[gevo1]

Where is your steering dampener? ?

I notices this as well. However, the steering damper does not, at least should not, be used to alleviate DW. Me thinks this is a bad case of bump steer as a result of poor alignment (assuming all else is good)

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[gevo1]

Check your tires for out of round too. I got the death wobble whenever a certain tire was rotated to the front. The other four were fine.
also
Im wondering about the aluminum knuckles. Since you changed everything else, could the ball joint holes be elongated?

Now that you mentioned it, I didn't realize he did not change tires. Can try rotating front to rear to assess the difference. After DW, the internal tire belts can be damaged and necessitate replacement.

 

[Riotfunk]

Swap tires from side to side and see. It also doesn’t take much to wallow out the track bar mount. I installed the yeti brace at about 800 miles on stock rig since mine was already starting to oval. I also replaced all the hardware with grade 8 and are a lil larger and not fully threaded like oem. They are a shoulder bolt so they don’t cut into the cheap jeep mounts.

 

[sherpaJL]

I notices this as well. However, the steering damper does not, at least should not, be used to alleviate DW. Me thinks this is a bad case of bump steer as a result of poor alignment (assuming all else is good)

I would install one just to see if it had any effect. Agreed it's not a fix.

 

[jeepingib]

Start with the basics. Have someone quickly wiggle the steering wheel back and forth while you are under the front end. Place your hand on the track bar, and frame mount. See if it's got any slop. Do the same thing at the axle end. Then do it with each end of the drag link, and tie rod. Then have your friend push on the tire like they are trying to roll it backwards. Check the control arm joints while they are pushing and releasing the tire. Ball joints are best checked with a pry bar while the tire is off the ground. It shouldn't move in any direction besides turning. Try to pry between the C and the knuckles to look for slop. You said your caster is within spec. But the factory listed spec is not a good point for a lifted wrangler. They list it as 5° +/- 1° but if you are close to 4 it makes the steering susceptible to death wobble and with no return to center feel. I prefer caster around 6.3° for the JL. Lastly if you have not rotated your tires, you should do that. Front tires get cupped badly by death wobble and they will exaggerate the effect even more as the cupping gets worse.

 

[Roky]

It might be the angle of your pic but your drag link and track bar doesn’t look parallel, this will cause bump steer. This and running without a steering stabilizer could be contributing…… you said you switched axles, is the new axle wider? Your tie rod looks like it’s over extended and the slits in the adjuster sleeve need to be lined with slit in bar as well….

 

[Zandcwhite]

I know you said caster is within spec, but jeep spec is extremely low in my opinion. Do you happen to have the alignment sheet? I'd up caster to at least 6⁰ personally. Hard to tell in the photo but it looks like the drivers side of the tie rod is way more extended than the passengers side, not that I think that would cause death wobble but if there isn't enough thread engagement on that side it could be flexing there? I've yet to get a JL dialed in enough to run without a stabilizer but it should be possible.

 

[oldcjguy]

Are you missing a jam nut on the driver side tie rod? Never seen one like that. What keeps that rod end tight?

 

[ScotM]

I’m curious, I don’t see the steering stabilizer either. I replaced factory with a fox and relocated it to the tie rod when I upgraded my front end to steersmart

 

[KCSgtMaj]

So I have tried everything in this post (https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ble-an-algorithm-to-diagnose-the-issue.62313/). To date

New ball joints
Re-torqued lower control arms (190#)
"New" tie rod (bought it used, curious if the joints are shot).
"New" drag link (same as above)
New tires
Balanced tires
Wheel alignment
New track bar
Checked all bolt holes for wallows
Checked wheel bearings
Steering box torqued


Literally an entirely new front end. I've never ran synergy stuff before and since I got mine used I am curious to know if these joints are totally shot (my gut says yes, but I don't know how much movement there should be). I tried messaging synergy a few days ago and they "some movement" but haven't gotten back if this is normal (Jeep Invasion I think). Any input? It's the only other thing I can think is causing this death wobble.

Where is the nut for your tierod end?

 

[Roky]

Where is the nut for your tierod end?

There isn’t one on driver’s side, unless they’ve changed. I ran this tie rod for couple years…it worked great but on Rubi axles it got adjusted to the limit of its spec….takes a minute to get it right…..

 

[roaniecowpony]

Where is the nut for your tierod end?

It uses a pinch bolt and is on the back side in the video.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I'm with whoever said to have someone move the steering wheel back and forth while you're under the front end checking for movement. Just be careful as the steering system can crush you like a bug.

Check all the suspect areas while the steering is being exercised: both ends of the trackbar and the mount welds, steering box to frame, sector shaft to steering box, balljoint to knuckle yokes, tierod ends to knuckles, draglink to knuckles and pitman arm.

More often than not, it has something to do with the trackbar. Whether it's the adjuster pinch being loose (teraflex) or soft bushings, or the bolt clevis undertorqued or egged out.

 

[KCSgtMaj]

There isn’t one on driver’s side, unless they’ve changed. I ran this tie rod for couple years…it worked great but on Rubi axles it got adjusted to the limit of its spec….takes a minute to get it right…..

I see it now, though the castle nut in your photo looks a little short for that cotter pin to stop it from backing off, from what I see in the photo.

 

[Roky]

I see it now, though the castle nut in your photo looks a little short for that cotter pin to stop it from backing off, from what I see in the photo.

Nah, it was rock solid…. I’ve since gone to aluminum, but I can’t say anything bad about that synergy tie rod, served me well…..

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