Keep Me Sane: Death Wobble Has Me Considering Selling

[Zero_Accel]

Like other folks have said, worn/loose components are the culprit. Anyone that says that it's normal for Jeeps to have death wobble are only fooling themselves.

The spot that I always check first, track bar, that will cause death wobble every time if it's loose or the bushings are worn out. Next is checking the bushings in the control arms, then tie rod, then knuckles.

Finally, check the steering stabilizer, some people insist that a bigger stabilizer will fix death wobble, all it does is help cover it up by making it harder to start, you still have an issue somewhere. And it will put excess wear on that fancy new stabilizer and you will STILL get death wobble on the bigger bumps.

I have 45,000 miles on my JT, on 37's with no death wobble, always wiggling suspension components when I'm under the truck to make sure they're good.

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[old mike]

To reliably fix it for the long run, you're going to need to spend a little cash. If you're good with that, then have a good off-road shop do the these four things 1) upgrade to these ball joints (https://www.dynatrac.com/rebuildable-ball-joints/jeep-wrangler-jl-and-gladiator-jt.html); 2) upgrade to the correct one of these hydro-assist steering units for your Jeep (https://www.pscmotorsports.com); 3) have the shop advise you on this (https://steersmarts.com/collections/featured-products/products/yeti-xd-jl-jt-sector-shaft-brace) and the right nut to fit the larger PSC sector shaft and on any heavier track bar, drag link, or tie rod they might recommend; and 4) re-torque everything up front. Take it to a shop and have professionals do this work. No, you're not just as good as they are.

 

[azwjowner]

To reliably fix it for the long run, you're going to need to spend a little cash. If you're good with that, then have a good off-road shop do the these four things 1) upgrade to these ball joints (https://www.dynatrac.com/rebuildable-ball-joints/jeep-wrangler-jl-and-gladiator-jt.html); 2) upgrade to the correct one of these hydro-assist steering units for your Jeep (https://www.pscmotorsports.com); 3) have the shop advise you on this (https://steersmarts.com/collections/featured-products/products/yeti-xd-jl-jt-sector-shaft-brace) and the right nut to fit the larger PSC sector shaft and on any heavier track bar, drag link, or tie rod they might recommend; and 4) re-torque everything up front. Take it to a shop and have professionals do this work. No, you're not just as good as they are.

He has 32 inch tires, stock Willys size, not 40 inch tires. That's way way overkill.

 

[Jtaugner]

To reliably fix it for the long run, you're going to need to spend a little cash. If you're good with that, then have a good off-road shop do the these four things 1) upgrade to these ball joints (https://www.dynatrac.com/rebuildable-ball-joints/jeep-wrangler-jl-and-gladiator-jt.html); 2) upgrade to the correct one of these hydro-assist steering units for your Jeep (https://www.pscmotorsports.com); 3) have the shop advise you on this (https://steersmarts.com/collections/featured-products/products/yeti-xd-jl-jt-sector-shaft-brace) and the right nut to fit the larger PSC sector shaft and on any heavier track bar, drag link, or tie rod they might recommend; and 4) re-torque everything up front. Take it to a shop and have professionals do this work. No, you're not just as good as they are.

WTF advice is this? Spend $3,500 in aftermarket parts, a few grand to install it? How about they determine which component is worn out, and I dunno, simply replace it?

Thought the "GET A BIGGER STABILIZER, IGNORE EVERYONE ELSE" was the worst advice, but here we are.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

No steering stabilizer will fix the root cause of death wobble. Period.

Unless the stabilizer is the root cause.

 

[old mike]

He has 32 inch tires, stock Willys size, not 40 inch tires. That's way way overkill.

WTF advice is this? Spend $3,500 in aftermarket parts, a few grand to install it? How about they determine which component is worn out, and I dunno, simply replace it?

Thought the "GET A BIGGER STABILIZER, IGNORE EVERYONE ELSE" was the worst advice, but here we are.

Okay, you're both right. I surrender to your better expertise and I'll let you advise him on which component is worn out and needs replacing. He's a long way from Phoenix, but Raleigh's relatively close to Upstate SC and perhaps you can drive up and take a look. If that doesn't work, he can always go back to contemplating selling it for an IFS vehicle (truck) and I bet he'll get a good price.

 

[JeepViking13]

Someone please talk me out of this.
I have an 18 JLUS with 39,500 miles with a rubicon suspension swap and .5” spacers. I also have 255/75/17 tires. In the past 3 weeks I have developed death wobble. Full on shaking until slamming on the breaks and reducing speed.

I took it to Firestone where they inspected the entire suspension, did an alignment (toe was out of spec) and balanced my tires.

The next day I got it on the road thinking it was fixed, and death wobble was even worse (almost had to pull over). I called the Jeep dealership to have them look at it and they are booked solid through November.

So currently my Jeep is sitting in my driveway, immovable as I’m too terrified to drive it. All this waiting has me contemplating selling it for an IFS vehicle (truck).

Can someone please talk me out of this and give me hope. I don’t want to dump weeks and thousands of dollars into troubleshooting this.

When did you have the Rubicon suspension swap done? Were they new components or did you get them used? They may be worn out. Was it installed properly? This could be the culprit.

I can't believe nobody hasn't mentioned this already. Alot of times people end up with problems after suspension work especially if it wasn't done right. I've seen people get brand new 2" Mopar suspension installed and have issues.

 

[ChattVol]

@jackgraves7 I feel your frustration...Give this a read:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/ho...the-jl-an-algorithm-to-diagnosing-your-issue/

 

[jackgraves7]

When did you have the Rubicon suspension swap done? Were they new components or did you get them used? They may be worn out. Was it installed properly? This could be the culprit.

I can't believe nobody hasn't mentioned this already. Alot of times people end up with problems after suspension work especially if it wasn't done right. I've seen people get brand new 2" Mopar suspension installed and have issues.

They have about 30k miles on them, installed at 10k. I’m not saying this isn’t the culprit, I just don’t want to replace every component until something fixes it.

 

[jackgraves7]

Go find a reputable off-road shop that can help you identify the problem. It's likely a stock suspension component that is causing it..

There’s a 4W parts local to Raleigh, I’ll give them a call today and see if I can get it in sooner. Hadn’t considered an off road specialist, so thanks!

 

[jackgraves7]

Thanks all for your input, I definitely feel better about it. I am going to call 4WP today and see if I can make an appointment. Not giving up hope yet!

 

[Deke]

Unless the stabilizer is the root cause.

This was the cause of my DW. Had the stabilizer recall done back in 2019 and the dealer installed the replacement upside down. Had my first DW a couple of days later when I hit an uneven patch of road and again a couple more times in the month that followed. I flipped the stabilizer to the correct orientation and never had another issue.

 

[mwilk012]

Toe doesn’t change unless something gets bent or worn out. I bet if you have checked it will be out of spec again.



No steering stabilizer will fix the root cause of death wobble. Period.

A good one can however, mask the root cause until it wears out even more. Possibly until it’s at the point of catastrophic failure.

Don’t listen to the people who disagree.

This is something people have said for a long time and is simply not true. The root cause of death wobble is the basic design of a solid front axle. Both Chrysler and Ford agree and have recalled steering stabilizers in the last few years for this reason.

Now, if something is broke, you should fix it. There are different kinds of death wobble.

 

[jaymz]

Unless the stabilizer is the root cause.

It isn’t.

 

[Remorseless]

Track bar, ball joints, tie rod/drag link ends are your most likely culprits for being worn out and causing issues. Either have someone steer the vehicle back and forth while it's stationary and you observe the linkage or set up a camera under the steering/axle while you steer back and forth. You're looking for anything that's "popping" when put under load.

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