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Just experienced death wobble on my stock JLU at 15k miles

ForeOSU

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Noticed over the last couple days that I was getting a rough response when hitting bumps on the highway. Then tonight, I hit a transition from road to bridge on the highway at 75mph and the front suspension went absolutely bonkers. Terrifying to experience.
This occurred several more times in my 40 mile drive home. Would calm down once I slowed down to ~55 mph.
What do I need to inspect in the morning? I’m taking my ride into the dealer Wednesday to be checked out but this is freaking ridiculous to experience in a stock ride at 15k miles.
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Avar928

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I had the same issue when I took my Jeep in for the steering stabilizer recall. The replacement SS was defective, swapped a new one in and all fixed. Could also check if all the bolts are torqued to spec.
 

m3reno

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I had the exact same issue. It's not death wobble. You would almost have to come to a complete stop if you had death wobble. I had the updated mopar track bar and rusty track bar brace installed along with balancing the tires at a reputable shop (very important). Haven't had an issue in 40,000 miles
 

Headbarcode

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Starting with the front track bar, I'd want to check the torque on everything in the steering and suspension systems. If everything is where it needs to be, get the front wheels in the air and check the ball joints.

It doesn't sound like you've gotten the full brunt of the wobble yet. I had it happen on several occasions, which would trigger from any decent size bump at anything over 50, and wouldn't stop until I slowed to under 15. Fun times in light to moderate traffic on the long Island expressway.
 

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Great advice above. Curious - has the V41 damper recall been performed? If so - make sure it wasn’t installed upside down; it will cause the conditions you’ve described (happened to me).
 

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ForeOSU

ForeOSU

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Great advice above. Curious - has the V41 damper recall been performed? If so - make sure it wasn’t installed upside down; it will cause the conditions you’ve described (happened to me).
Great question. I had it installed at my 10k oil change. I’m currently at 15k. How would I be able to tell if it was installed upside down?
 

Dudley Dawson

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Great question. I had it installed at my 10k oil change. I’m currently at 15k. How would I be able to tell if it was installed upside down?
Take a look at the damper from underneath - there is an arrow that should point towards the front of the Jeep. When installed incorrectly (upside down), it will look like this when viewed from above (points towards the rear):
Jeep Wrangler JL Just experienced death wobble on my stock JLU at 15k miles 50890505-FB70-47D0-8B9F-F1653A62CF45
 
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ForeOSU

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Take a look at the damper from underneath - there is an arrow that should point towards the front of the Jeep. When installed incorrectly (upside down), it will look like this when viewed from above (points towards the rear):
Jeep Wrangler JL Just experienced death wobble on my stock JLU at 15k miles 50890505-FB70-47D0-8B9F-F1653A62CF45
Awesome - thank you. Will check that out when I get home from work.
 

Yogi

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There is a port in the top of the proportioning disc inside the steering dampener. If the damper is/was installed upside down and cycled it fills both side with oil and negates any proportioning whatsoever. The steering dampener needs to be removed and bled.
To do that you remove it and with the rod side down put a bar or large screwdriver through the eye so you can stand on it. Orient the steering damper up (right angle to the floor) and with another bar or large screwdriver through the reservoir eye completely cycle the damper all the way down and all the way up five (5) times.
You can now reinstall the steering dampener in the correct orientation, as noted in the previous post, but DO NOT move the rod end until you have the reservoir end secured in place, right side up.
 
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ForeOSU

ForeOSU

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There is a port in the top of the proportioning disc inside the steering dampener. If the damper is/was installed upside down and cycled it fills both side with oil and negates any proportioning whatsoever. The steering dampener needs to be removed and bled.
To do that you remove it and with the rod side down put a bar or large screwdriver through the eye so you can stand on it. Orient the steering damper up (right angle to the floor) and with another bar or large screwdriver through the reservoir eye completely cycle the damper all the way down and all the way up five (5) times.
You can now reinstall the steering dampener in the correct orientation, as noted in the previous post, but DO NOT move the rod end until you have the reservoir end secured in place, right side up.
Thanks. I have an appointment at the dealership on Wednesday morning to check it out. If I were to try, there's no telling what I would break :)
 

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iznthesky

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Sadly.....most dealership..and dealership “Mechanics” are not experienced in trouble shooting “Death-Wobble”.
they are going to read your complaint, then test drive it, then they are going to perform the authorized FCA “Mandated” repair....which will probably be a New Steering Stabilizer and a software update......neither of which will address the PRIMARY reason your Jeep exhibited the high speed oscillation in the first place.

you will be better off learning from the good advice of the forum members here, or having a good Jeep JL expert look over your suspension components for the obvious culprit.

Good luck
 
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Take a look at the damper from underneath - there is an arrow that should point towards the front of the Jeep. When installed incorrectly (upside down), it will look like this when viewed from above (points towards the rear):
50890505-FB70-47D0-8B9F-F1653A62CF45.jpeg
They installed mine incorrectly and the shaking was worse. They ended up replacing the part again. I marked it with a marker just to make sure that they didn’t just reinstall it as I had read that it could be damaged from the incorrect installation.
 
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ForeOSU

ForeOSU

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Thanks all. Am I safe to drive to/from work on this tomorrow? 26 mile one way commute on the highway.
 

Yogi

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Sadly.....most dealership..and dealership “Mechanics” are not experienced in trouble shooting “Death-Wobble”.
they are going to read your complaint, then test drive it, then they are going to perform the authorized FCA “Mandated” repair....which will probably be a New Steering Stabilizer and a software update......neither of which will address the PRIMARY reason your Jeep exhibited the high speed oscillation in the first place.

you will be better off learning from the good advice of the forum members here, or having a good Jeep JL expert look over your suspension components for the obvious culprit.

Good luck
You are correct. Most dealership service & parts departments, and mechanics, are not that experienced in dealing with "death wobble" although most of them know about it. Regardless, that doesn't make them less of a "Mechanic". Keep in mind that 90% (or more) of what they work on is not a Jeep Wrangler. Overall there are not that many mechanics that completely understand the theory and practice of steering geometry. Additionally there are not that many Jeep owners that actually know what death wobble is. There is a tremendous difference between a shake, shimy, or bump steer and death wobble.
However, good dealerships and their people are more than willing to learn and are quite happy when the customer chooses to work with them rather than just barking at them all the time.
- Unabashed shout out to Demeyere CDJR in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada -​
From the dealership's perspective, They cannot work outside of FCA's mandated repair procedures else they risk not getting paid for warranty work, and if the vehicle is new(er) they certainly do not want to charge the owner ... remember, they want you back as a repeat customer.
Jeep owners are an odd group in that they are required, as a responsible part of the ownership experience, to understand a great deal more about their vehicle than any other vehicle owner, and the vast majority of mechanics that work on them, especially if they are going to modify the vehicle.
In my particular case my 2019 JLUR worked flawlessly while on stock rubber and stock suspension. That all changed when when I had the dealership add the Mopar 2" lift, 17x9x-12 offset rims, and 35" KO2s. That bitch would shake, shimy, and wander like nobody's business. It was unbelievable.
So, back to Demeyere CDJR. The service manager, parts manager, the mechanic, and myself all sat down and had a good chin wag over what it was doing and how to fix it.
#1 - Change the steering dampener. But, when we looked at the original, it was in upside down. (Keep in mind the steering dampener TSB had been performed before I took possession of the vehicle.) No luck. No change in behaviour. This is when we found out about the service procedure bulletin that detailed the process for "bleeding" the steering dampener. Completed that task, and major difference in vehicle handling ... vast improvement.
#2 - While the steering dampener vastly improved performance, the shake, shimy, and wobble were gone, but she still wandered like a nomad. Step 2 is replace the track bar with the new improved Mopar bar. The result was a necessary, but minor improvement.
#3 - Replace the factory aluminum steering box with the improved factory cast iron (steel?) steering box. The end result ... Problem solved !!!
Total time to complete ... 3 months.
Total days without my Jeep ... Zero.
Total cost to me ... $0.00.
The experience was well worth it to work with the dealer and the people. Although lengthy thanks to Covid and FCA's warranty procedures, everyone gained some knowledge, I left a happy customer, and FCA paid for it all. The next owner that comes in with the same problem is going to benefit immensely.
 
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ForeOSU

ForeOSU

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Take a look at the damper from underneath - there is an arrow that should point towards the front of the Jeep. When installed incorrectly (upside down), it will look like this when viewed from above (points towards the rear):
Jeep Wrangler JL Just experienced death wobble on my stock JLU at 15k miles 50890505-FB70-47D0-8B9F-F1653A62CF45
Confirmed it is pointing to the front of the vehicle so that’s not it. Thanks though.
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