DEATH WOBBLE "?"

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[X-BoB-J]

I just recently started to get death wobble after i changed my motor mounts to the M.O.R.E ones.... so i started to pick away at the steering i noticed my wheel bearings were shot... and i had one bad tie rod end... replaced both wheel bearings and the tie rod end didnt get it re allined and its still doing it... i have a stock trac bar... could that be the culprit??? also i took a measurement from inbetween my shock and coil to the outer edge of the tire... the driver side is 19 from inbetween my shock and coil  to the outer edge of my tire and the passenger is 17 form inbetween my shock and coil to the outer egde.... you can see that it is off centered, and the death wobble starts around 35-45 MPH also my jeep is  a 94 xj w/ 3.5 of lift

[Casey L]

It is probably your trackbar. Most DW issues I had were because of my trackbar bushing. However, soon after I put two new adjustable tracks bars in, all my bushings in my control arms went. And I ended up just replacing the arms.

Depending on the condition of your bushings you may want to consider the same if you daily drive your jeep and regularly drive on the highway like I do.

Are you still running the TSL's. If you don't the the money for suspension upgrades right now put your stockers on for driving around. Thats what I did with my budget boost.

[X-BoB-J]

nope
 30 inch all terrains, this is killing me.... how do i check the control arm bushings and if i were to re drill the track bar mount how far do i got over and what way do i go over

[Casey L]

Just eye it up with a measuring tape against your frame. I think you need to drill the hole about 3/4" off to the right.

I knew my control arm bushings were bad because I could see through them and stick a screwdriver through where the bushings was soposed to be. 

[X-BoB-J]

which mount do i drill... the one by the axle?

[jeepgod]

first off did the death wobble start immediatley after you installed the lift?  cause if that was the case then it would / could be the trac bar. if the dw is just starting them something is worn out or loose or something else. the alignment of left to right on the frt end is not the issue.

first off if you replaced a tre then you need an alignment. you can't just throw a tre in and think that the dw will go away cause you replaced a part

next i would check the trac bar mount / ends. any play will cause dw

next check your steering components again. make sure that everything is tight. meaning NO play in anything! also check your ball joints etc. basically you need to look the entire frt end over for play in any frt end componenets.

good luck, but start with an alignment

[X-BoB-J]

so my axle being off centered by alot has nothing to do with it.... i got some pictures its pretty bad in the second pic down notice how much angle is on my sock....

[Twisty]

Is that stock steering?

I also have those custom sway bar discos...courtesy of Casey

[jeepgod]

dude! i will ask again . . . .did you have dw right after the lift was installed?  if not then your problem is not that the offset axle!

you need a fawking alignment if you installed a new tre!  the end!  i am not trying to be a dink but think this through.  if the dw is new then it is not anything to do with a off center frt diff. and if you are concerned about the axle being shifted drill a new hole in your lower axle mount and move the trac bar over to correct the issue. or get an adjustable one and be done with it.

but i am telling you, get an alignment!

this does not require that much effort or time. go get an alignment

sorry if i sound like a dink i am just tired.

good luck

[ayoung]

i totally 100% agree with todd GET AN ALIGNMENT and do not even try to think of what could be the problem or post anything else on here until you do....its a waste of yours and ours time.

and dont listen to Casey on how far to drill that mount, you cannot just say drill it .75" over...how far you have to drill it over totally depends on how YOUR jeep is sitting at the current moment...there is not magic number.  Most jeeps at 3" of lift dont even need the trac bar mount redrilled, so i am willing to bet .75" will be too much.

just go get the alignment, and take it from there.  if you had that many things worn out in your front end, chances are something else is outta whack.


and was your front end that shifted since the first time you lifted the jeep?  or is this something new?  I feel like you would have noticed that much of a shift right when you lifted it, perhaps you bent something in your steering?

[2000cherokee]

we are going to canabalize my jeep tomorrow for parts. going to put in an adjustable trac bar on it and then he said hes going to get it aligned.

we also jacked up the front of the jeep and there isnt anything on the front end that is loose it all real tight, no play in anything

[X-BoB-J]

sorry jeep god for the lack of clearification, no ive had the lift in for quite some time now.... i changed my motor mounts and then this  came on about 2 weeks after i did them ... you make a good point with the trac bar, becuase if it was the bar then it would have been doing it all along.... thanks for all the suggestions ill get it to a garage a.s.a.p, but it was doing it before i put the tre in,  hench the reason of replacing it..... did it just all of a sudden come out of alinment?, this happened in one day... no warning, drove it one day and it was crazy, mike felt the wobble, lol scary comes with no warning neither, definetly not driveable right now

[Casey L]

Why don't you do your own alignment. A shop is going to charge you like $100 for their special 4 wheel computerized allignment and they will only adjust the toe. I was like you, and I brought my jeep to townfair and demanded that they adjust my castor, they lied and only adjusted the toe. I was not happy, and got my money back.

http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html

Not like your alignment won't get screwed up every time you go wheeling anyways. Mine always does. 
 

[jeepgod]

sorry jeep god for the lack of clearification, no ive had the lift in for quite some time now.... i changed my motor mounts and then this  came on about 2 weeks after i did them ... you make a good point with the trac bar, becuase if it was the bar then it would have been doing it all along.... thanks for all the suggestions ill get it to a garage a.s.a.p, but it was doing it before i put the tre in,  hench the reason of replacing it..... did it just all of a sudden come out of alinment?, this happened in one day... no warning, drove it one day and it was crazy, mike felt the wobble, lol scary comes with no warning neither, definetly not driveable right now

ok , if the tre and the wheel bearings are worn then both things could have caused the dw.  now you have replaced a tre (and the wheel bearings, but they have nothing to do with alignment but can and do cause dw if worn), now you need an alignment. the fact that you installed a new part ( a tre) does not mean that you set up the alignment properly or in this case the toe.  if you have changed the toe at all then it will still have dw this is why you need an alignment.  i hope this is clear now?

Why don't you do your own alignment. A shop is going to charge you like $100 for their special 4 wheel computerized allignment and they will only adjust the toe. I was like you, and I brought my jeep to townfair and demanded that they adjust my castor, they lied and only adjusted the toe. I was not happy, and got my money back.

http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html

Not like your alignment won't get screwed up every time you go wheeling anyways. Mine always does. 
 

casey if you spent $100 on an alignment then you deserve to get screwed by town fair, most shops are like $50.    plus they do more than "only adjust the toe"  they check the frt end for play, straighten the steering wheel and set the toe to factory specs. plus some jeeps (tj, xj, zj) came cams on the lower control arms to adjust the camber / castor so they can and do more than just "adjust toe"



llibobill - it is a good idea to learn how to set up an alignment on your own if you plan on wheeling. but at this point (no offense llibobill  i don't see this guy doing that at this time.  not that he can't but i would hazard to guess that it would be better (at this time ) to have a repair do the alignment

[X-BoB-J]

didnt plan on it.... so dont goto town fair... any one know of a good shop in worcester or around..

thanks alot for all the imput jeepgod VERY VERY helpfull