Third Dampener Solution To Death Wobble?

[iPooted83]

Check the track bar for tightness. I’ve seen several posts about the track bar being loose where it connects to the axle. https://www.quadratec.com/c/reference/what-track-bar-and-why-do-i-need-it

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[ChattVol]

13k miles on my jlus with 2.5" RK lift, 35" ko2's, adjustable trackbar and longer fixed LCA's and steering has been vibrating a good bit and had 1st DW experience 3 weeks ago at 45mph after driving over a small bump on a busy 4 lane road. I hit the brakes hard and it went away at 25mph. I was shook up after it and called my axle shop to look at it because they're closer and could look at it quicker than Jeep.. They retorqued my steering related bolts, checked allignment and made sure axles are centered. They adjusted the front axle a bit and said caster is at 6.0. Since then, I've still been having vibrations and shimmy over certain bumps, but no DW. I checked the oem SS and it did have some inconsistent resistance in a spot that felt like a dead spot. I checked the part # on the SS and it was X064M1, which the 064 is less than 257, so it falls under the needs replacement category. After reading about all the repeated failed oem SS issues and it being time consuming going to jeep, I ordered a Metalcloak SS, bur fear this is a bandaid. I dont want to spend $ on a Yeti steersmart draglink/tie rod.

Are others finding that having the steering box replaced by jeep has helped? Should I pony up on a yeti tie rod and draglink since I have the RK track bar?

 

[Oldtimer]

What was the fix that JeepCares helped with? Part numbers? What exactly did they do to solve this? Just happened to me this weekend in my pure stock 2019 JL Sport S. Thanks!

Replaced the “steering dampener” with another (mopar) one. Not sure of the part numbers, the local dealership handled the installation.

 

[jaldeborgh]

Randomly replacing parts based on anecdotal evidence is not good process and I would have no confidence in a repair. By now there must to be enough data out there to get to root cause, which is Jeeps responsibility. Also, given a large numbers of vehicles in the field not having the DW problem demonstrates it's a marginal issue, meaning a manufacturing tolerance stack-up is likely pushing something mechanically outside of safe limits or alternatively there is a serious specification and/or quality problem with a component. In either case a detail examination of all aspects the suspension and it components versus a known good car should provide evidence of variation and/or poor quality. If Jeep puts some engineering/quality effort into this it shouldn't be that difficult to resolve, IMHO.

 

[bumpit]

13k miles on my jlus with 2.5" RK lift, 35" ko2's, adjustable trackbar and longer fixed LCA's and steering has been vibrating a good bit and had 1st DW experience 3 weeks ago at 45mph after driving over a small bump on a busy 4 lane road. I hit the brakes hard and it went away at 25mph. I was shook up after it and called my axle shop to look at it because they're closer and could look at it quicker than Jeep.. They retorqued my steering related bolts, checked allignment and made sure axles are centered. They adjusted the front axle a bit and said caster is at 6.0. Since then, I've still been having vibrations and shimmy over certain bumps, but no DW. I checked the oem SS and it did have some inconsistent resistance in a spot that felt like a dead spot. I checked the part # on the SS and it was X064M1, which the 064 is less than 257, so it falls under the needs replacement category. After reading about all the repeated failed oem SS issues and it being time consuming going to jeep, I ordered a Metalcloak SS, bur fear this is a bandaid. I dont want to spend $ on a Yeti steersmart draglink/tie rod.

Are others finding that having the steering box replaced by jeep has helped? Should I pony up on a yeti tie rod and draglink since I have the RK track bar?

Going to a yeti trackbar from the RK one seems like a side grade to me. I've run rk trackbars on 2 jk with zero issues. They make good parts

Does it shake violently like your going to lose control or is the steering wheel just moving back and forth? I'd check your tire balance and your toe. I'd suspect that you've got something amiss there. Caster at 6 is good so that's not your issue. I'm assuming your trackbar and draglink are nice and parallel?

A shop is never going to care for your jeep like you do so get a torque wrench and make sure everything is at spec so you know for sure its solid.

 

[jeepmikey]

Can anyone who has had the problem resolved provide details about how the dealer fixed the problem? I am on my third steering damper (that's what the dealer keeps replacing, not a stabilizer bar), and the problem (while better) persists. 24 days in the shop total, three attempts, and they still can't figure it out. I don't fault the dealer, this is a known problem, but still need a resolution.

I don't know if this helps but dealership just told me they're ordering a new track bar, longer control arms and new dampener - all from rough country. I told them to hold on the order and not do anything until they can confirm whether they can install Fox or the Falcon series pieces. At this point if they're swapping everything out and paying for the aftermarket pieces might as well add a little money and get better quality. We'll see if replacing these 3 items makes a difference.

 

[Blu bi Kong]

What was your caster set at after alignment?

I cannot tell you that. My shop has that info. I can get it when I rotate my tires for the second time. Tires came with alignment every other rotation. All I can tell you now is it rides like it's on a cloud!

 

[JeepCares]

What was the fix that JeepCares helped with? Part numbers? What exactly did they do to solve this? Just happened to me this weekend in my pure stock 2019 JL Sport S. Thanks!

Hi nymarty,
We're very sorry that you have experienced this. Please send us a private message so we can have this documented and addressed further for you.
Lydia
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[Blu bi Kong]

If it's not set at 6º or greater...I'd have them set it there if possible.

If it continues to drive like does now. I don't care what it is! There is nothing I would change or improve. It rides that good. Everytime I see these guys for tires, alignment, rotation, balancing. .. .They ask me to go drive it and make sure I am happy, then return and tell them what I need. 7 trucks and 3 cars later, I simply drove back in and paid the bill.
Very happy with their work, prices and my friend the service writer. I am saddened to read of all the horror stories I have seen posted about all the difficulties here.

 

[ekimgnuj]

Ok just to clear this up... a few of you have mentioned a "steering damper" and a "steering stabilizer" as if they are two separate items. They are one and the same.

Thanks, I figured that was the case. But everyone on this forum uses "stabilizer " but the dealer part is called "damper."

 

[TroyBoy]

I guess the question is - would replacing a dampener temporarily mask a bad steering stabilizer?

I don’t follow the question. A steering damper is another name for a steering stabilizer.

 

[Spartan99]

Long time Jeep owner here. I will bet my first born that 1) your wheels are not balanced and b) your toe might be a tad out.

Our Jeep front ends are hyper sensitive to vibrations. On other cars with independent suspension, an unbalanced tire’s vibrations don’t vibrate through the solid front axle and cause the whole thing to shimmy more and more as the wheel gets more unbalanced and parts start to loosen and it goes from unnoticeable to a shimmy to god me my Jeep is going to explode.

Eventually your ball joints wear out faster because in addition to the shimmies and dw’s you rarely grease the ball joints, causing the front end to be even more loose and susceptible to shimmies and wobbles. Also you never take the time to torque your front end fasteners. By you I mean me in my first years of ownership lol. Eventually I figured out dw. It’s easy, actually. Keep those wheels balanced. Offroading of course makes it easy to lose them, as does every day driving. Keep your toe correct. Toe out is like skiing with your skis pointed out, where each leg is pulling you away from the other, wobbling you left and right. DON’T GET CHEAP LIFTS. You’ll f up that critical caster angle. You want a lift? Do it right. Do not alter the geometry. Torque and grease the fittings annually. Stabilizers are failing because over time the wobbling is abusing the dampener. Failing stabilisers are symptomatic. You keep your caster angle right, keep your tires balanced, fittings greased, fasteners torqued, track bar in good shape and toe angle right and you won’t have a vibration that evolves into a shimmy and then matures into dw. Just pay attention you’ll get a hang of it. On newer rigs it’s almost always just a wheel balance, and it can especially be a challenge to balance those big tires people put on with bead locks etc.

 

[Chewbacca2264]

Just a quick note to add as I have been posting in a couple of other similar threads. I have had what I call a "mini" wobble since I bought the Jeep. Running Rubicon suspension, and 32" duratracs on stock wheels. In totally stock form steering sucked, then added the suspension and tires and it got worse. Then the wobble started, usually in the 50MPH range hitting expansion joints or small bumps etc. My damper/stabilizer fell under the STAR case so I replaced it with the Falcon 2.2. Stopped the wobble, but there was still a hint of vibration through the wheel. Added the Yeti track bar and firmed things up some more.....still a slight vibration and steering still sucked, loose feeling and flighty. Added adjustable LCA's and set caster to 6.5/6.2, helped some more. Still an occasional weird vibration and steering still sucked. Had to run the Falcon on firm to keep the Jeep on the road. Finally stood outside the Jeep with it running and began to turn the wheel, holy crap between 2 and 3 inches of turn before the front wheels began to react. Bingo, bad steering gear box. Tightened it 3/16 of a turn and the Jeep handled the best it ever has. I then put the gear box back and had a long talk with my service manager. Showed him the STAR case for Jeeps built before May 8, had video of me sawing the wheel in heavy winds well under the speed limit and proposed my theory that the gear box was causing all of my issues. After our conversation he ordered a box and followed the instructions in the STAR case. Got it back last night and wow what a difference. With the Falcon on Medium setting the steering is firmer than at any time when I had the original gear box. The mechanic who aligned my Jeep and helped me set the caster and I have had a couple of long conversations about this. We both believe that the slop in the gear box caused ALL of my issues. There was such a dead spot that there was not enough tension on the wheels, this allowed them to deflect when hitting bumps or expansion joints etc. This overtaxed the stabilizer and gave the Jeep the awful handling characteristics. I will test more today but I hit the on ramp where I got the worst mini wobble yesterday and I did not have a bit of vibration through the wheel. If you have loose, vague steering with a big dead spot in the steering it is not a Jeep thing! It is a gear box out of spec and it needs to be replaced. If you have poor steering and wobble I would check the delay in your steering wheel/front wheel sync. If the wheels do not move with the steering wheel go back and show your dealer the STAR case regarding the pre May 8 builds and fight with them to perform the same procedure for you. This is just my opinion but when guys say that they have replaced stabilizer more than once I am suspicious that your gear box is out of spec, slop in the wheel and lack of tension on the front wheels is causing your stabilizer to have to "catch" the deflecting wheels and causing the part to fail. Just my .02.

Chewi

 

[Spartan99]

Just a quick note to add as I have been posting in a couple of other similar threads. I have had what I call a "mini" wobble since I bought the Jeep. Running Rubicon suspension, and 32" duratracs on stock wheels. In totally stock form steering sucked, then added the suspension and tires and it got worse. Then the wobble started, usually in the 50MPH range hitting expansion joints or small bumps etc. My damper/stabilizer fell under the STAR case so I replaced it with the Falcon 2.2. Stopped the wobble, but there was still a hint of vibration through the wheel. Added the Yeti track bar and firmed things up some more.....still a slight vibration and steering still sucked, loose feeling and flighty. Added adjustable LCA's and set caster to 6.5/6.2, helped some more. Still an occasional weird vibration and steering still sucked. Had to run the Falcon on firm to keep the Jeep on the road. Finally stood outside the Jeep with it running and began to turn the wheel, holy crap between 2 and 3 inches of turn before the front wheels began to react. Bingo, bad steering gear box. Tightened it 3/16 of a turn and the Jeep handled the best it ever has. I then put the gear box back and had a long talk with my service manager. Showed him the STAR case for Jeeps built before May 8, had video of me sawing the wheel in heavy winds well under the speed limit and proposed my theory that the gear box was causing all of my issues. After our conversation he ordered a box and followed the instructions in the STAR case. Got it back last night and wow what a difference. With the Falcon on Medium setting the steering is firmer than at any time when I had the original gear box. The mechanic who aligned my Jeep and helped me set the caster and I have had a couple of long conversations about this. We both believe that the slop in the gear box caused ALL of my issues. There was such a dead spot that there was not enough tension on the wheels, this allowed them to deflect when hitting bumps or expansion joints etc. This overtaxed the stabilizer and gave the Jeep the awful handling characteristics. I will test more today but I hit the on ramp where I got the worst mini wobble yesterday and I did not have a bit of vibration through the wheel. If you have loose, vague steering with a big dead spot in the steering it is not a Jeep thing! It is a gear box out of spec and it needs to be replaced. If you have poor steering and wobble I would check the delay in your steering wheel/front wheel sync. If the wheels do not move with the steering wheel go back and show your dealer the STAR case regarding the pre May 8 builds and fight with them to perform the same procedure for you. This is just my opinion but when guys say that they have replaced stabilizer more than once I am suspicious that your gear box is out of spec, slop in the wheel and lack of tension on the front wheels is causing your stabilizer to have to "catch" the deflecting wheels and causing the part to fail. Just my .02.

Chewi

Nice job!!!!!!

 

[m3reno]

Long time Jeep owner here. I will bet my first born that 1) your wheels are not balanced and b) your toe might be a tad out.

Our Jeep front ends are hyper sensitive to vibrations. On other cars with independent suspension, an unbalanced tire’s vibrations don’t vibrate through the solid front axle and cause the whole thing to shimmy more and more as the wheel gets more unbalanced and parts start to loosen and it goes from unnoticeable to a shimmy to god me my Jeep is going to explode.

Eventually your ball joints wear out faster because in addition to the shimmies and dw’s you rarely grease the ball joints, causing the front end to be even more loose and susceptible to shimmies and wobbles. Also you never take the time to torque your front end fasteners. By you I mean me in my first years of ownership lol. Eventually I figured out dw. It’s easy, actually. Keep those wheels balanced. Offroading of course makes it easy to lose them, as does every day driving. Keep your toe correct. Toe out is like skiing with your skis pointed out, where each leg is pulling you away from the other, wobbling you left and right. DON’T GET CHEAP LIFTS. You’ll f up that critical caster angle. You want a lift? Do it right. Do not alter the geometry. Torque and grease the fittings annually. Stabilizers are failing because over time the wobbling is abusing the dampener. Failing stabilisers are symptomatic. You keep your caster angle right, keep your tires balanced, fittings greased, fasteners torqued, track bar in good shape and toe angle right and you won’t have a vibration that evolves into a shimmy and then matures into dw. Just pay attention you’ll get a hang of it. On newer rigs it’s almost always just a wheel balance, and it can especially be a challenge to balance those big tires people put on with bead locks etc.

I had a bad shimmy from 2500 miles to about 5000 as I tried to figure it out. Brought my car to a well known mechanic (4x4 place in lake hoptcong, NJ ) that works on jeeps and he said more than likely it was tires out of balance, and he was right!!! I added the falcon 2.1 as I'm not lifiting my jeep along with the rustys track bar support and an alignment and the jeep handles great.

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