Death Wobble Poll

[GO_RV]

Read this
wow!
defective units
Death Wobble Issue in the News

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[AnnDee4444]

Read this
wow!
defective units
Death Wobble Issue in the News

 

[GO_RV]

Yes, 2019.
but my death wobble only happened when it got cold outside.
when it warmed up to 50f it went away.
must stil be putting defective units in Hoping they live in Florida.

 

[PatrickR]

Yes, 2019.
but my death wobble only happened when it got cold outside.
when it warmed up to 50f it went away.
must stil be putting defective units in Hoping they live in Florida.

Ok I thought I was insane.... I noted dw was only an issue when it was cool out. I might just have to swap dampers and see where I'm at.

 

[AnnDee4444]

must stil be putting defective units in Hoping they live in Florida.

I highly doubt it.

Assuming nothing is worn and everything is stock and torqued correctly, the cause of death-wobble is the weak track bar mount.

 

[GO_RV]

I highly doubt it.

Assuming nothing is worn and everything is stock, the cause of death-wobble is the weak track bar mount.

All I can do is what the dealer repair said. It’s under warranty
they will be replacing the steering damper tomorrow.
we'll see what happens.

 

[Bulletbill]

Poll is older than Covid... it was thrown out the window a long time ago.

Sorry, didn’t mean to hijack an old post. I have just seen lot of recent posts on newer JLs that developed DW. My JL drives great, but I retire in less than 3 years and wanted to be proactive about any issues prior to them rearing their head when I will presumably have less coin in my pocket.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

I highly doubt it.

Assuming nothing is worn and everything is stock and torqued correctly, the cause of death-wobble is the weak track bar mount.

Do those things actually have an effect? I've heard so many mixed results regarding the trackbar reinforcement but have my finger on the trigger to order a steersmarts brace (w/o sector support) since I've had a few trackbar related DW issues.

I do believe a lot of these issues are trackbar related so maybe adding the brace isn't a bad idea.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Sorry, didn’t mean to hijack an old post. I have just seen lot of recent posts on newer JLs that developed DW. My JL drives great, but I retire in less than 3 years and wanted to be proactive about any issues prior to them rearing their head when I will presumably have less coin in my pocket.

No worries. I don't have a problem continuing the discussion... it's just that my theory that caused the poll was completely disproven a long time ago.

If you want to be proactive my recommendation is to get a track bar brace, specifically the Metalcloak one. It's a pain to install, but the improvements on my stock-ish JLR make me aim for potholes now.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Do those things actually have an effect? I've heard so many mixed results regarding the trackbar reinforcement but have my finger on the trigger to order a steersmarts brace (w/o sector support) since I've had a few trackbar related DW issues.

The Metalcloak brace made a difference for me. It has two extra bolts that other braces don't, that I believe add quite a bit of rigidity. I actually tried it without the bottom bolts for a few days and didn't notice much difference, but once fully installed it changed quite a bit.

The steering box is still sloppy (even after adjusting), but I'm pretty sure I could completely remove the stabilizer and not get death-wobble now.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

The Metalcloak brace made a difference for me. It has two extra bolts that other braces don't, that I believe add quite a bit of rigidity. I actually tried without the bottom bolts for a few days and didn't notice much difference, but once fully installed it changed quite a bit.

The steering box is still sloppy (even after adjusting), but I'm pretty sure I could completely remove the stabilizer and not get death-wobble now.

I had a DW ordeal a few months ago. It appeared the front MC trackbar soft bushing failed. I replaced it with my old Synergy trackbar which solved it. I thought if it was trackbar related (which it was) the brace might not be a bad idea. I just went ahead and purchased the steersmarts one. I plan on adding their tie-rod/draglink this year.

 

[AnnDee4444]

I had a DW ordeal a few months ago. It appeared the front MC trackbar soft bushing failed. I replaced it with my old Synergy trackbar which solved it. I thought if it was trackbar related (which it was) the brace might not be a bad idea. I just went ahead and purchased the steersmarts one. I plan on adding their tie-rod/draglink this year.

What sold me on the idea was a realization when centering the steeringwheel: If an eighth turn of the drag link adjuster can make such a difference in direction, even the slightest deflection of the track bar mount would cause steering direction change. Combine that with an oscillating load (deathwobble), and it would only deflect more. Minimize the deflection, and it should minimize steering direction change.

I also have Metalcloak's sector shaft brace waiting to be installed... Not sure if it's going to help though. I'm not sure I see how the steering box could deflect as much as the track bar mount, since it's bolted directly to the frame (maybe frame twist?).

 

[Rodeoflyer]

Yeah, I never understood the sector support either.. doesn't seem like it would have much effect over the reinforcement. My upgraded steering box is very tight, I'm only worried about trackbar deflection in my case.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Yeah, I never understood the sector support either.. doesn't seem like it would have much effect over the reinforcement.

Especially since the Steersmarts & Synergy allow it to pivot on a tiny bolt. The Metalcloak sector shaft brace looks like it would be much better at supporting the sector shaft... If it's even necessary.

I also didn't like the idea of potentially forcing the track bar deflection load onto the sector shaft, in the event the track bar mount deflects but the steering box doesn't.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

I'll see how it goes with the support and upgraded tie-rod/draglink. I'm not experiencing any DW at this time, but having experienced it on the Jeep I never want to again. I've had it a few times on previous vehicles (HD trucks) but the defective trackbar bushing made it occur over the smallest bump above 30mph. It was so bad it ripped my aftermarket steering stabilizer off the mount. Not something I ever want to deal with again!

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