Part 2, PLANMAN explains Death Wobble Diagnosis and Inspection Jeep JK Wrangler

Video of how to diagnose shimmies and wobbles on a Jeep JK Wrangler.

[@ImInUrHd]

"This is a sure sign I need to take my friend wheeling, because his steering stabilizer isn't bashed in yet." HAHA, classic!

[@johnvento1344]

That was hilarious! What a great video

[@TraSzko]

These videos are so thorough and well explained, I cant believe that there are any "thumbs down". Thank you for the knowledge.

[@JasonDiggs]

Thank you for sharing all of this knowledge for free. And thank you for explaining it so clearly.

[@danmulkiewicz5515]

Hands down the best inspection video on the net. Nice work.

[@joshlocke7131]

Hands down the best diagnosis video on death wobble and or inspection of front end components for jeeps. Nice work and thanks for taking the time to put this out there for people!

[@manuelambriz4563]

One of the best videos available on the subject. Thank you!

[@NMIBUBBLE]

Oh What a relief Geez, I been searching Death Wobble videos and your Video Sir is AWESOME. Thank you Learning about this stuff is awesome, I have a 2008 Jeep JK with the Death Wobble and it's not even Funny. I'll start working on the inspection as soon as a get a day off. Looking forward to more videos in your library Thanks again. Tried of getting the run around at the Jeep Dealerships. They always say you need a track bar and a steering dampner. Slap to forehead.

[@ConradCalvin1]

Amazing, thank you for this! I currently do not have any of these issues, however I enjoy educating myself and understanding my jeep a little better. This will help me in the future! Thanks Again. Conrad

[@davec3487]

Thank you kind Sir for sharing your knowledge. This will save me hundreds. With 3 kids, every dollar counts!

[@101Parkside]

Great Video! I am no mechanic but would feel very comfortable diagnosing a Jeeps front end issues thanks to your Part 1 and Part 2. I've subscribed and will be a fan of your channel. Thanks Planman!

[@jdsmetx]

You have described what I'm experiencing with my JK to a "T"! I found the exact same part bad. Thanks for posting the video because it gave new places to check for bad parts.

[@ericoliva7435]

Thanks for taking the time to post these. I had my first DW experience two days ago on a TJ I just bought. This will help a lot to diagnose!

[@ndoran119]

11 years later, thanks for the help!!

[@cjpruitt7999]

This helped me so much with my 08 JK its unbeliveable, 3 different "mechanics" told me they couldnt "figure it out" 40 minutes later I know what the problem may be and how to fix it

[@path3868]

Awesome video! Thanks so much for posting this. A lot of people talk very highly of your video and the process you use to diagnose DW and worn out parts. I don't have DW but when I do I will have a much better understanding of what is going on and how to fix the problem rather than mask the problem. Thanks again!

[@jhuff6857]

Great video, very thorough. I went through everything and it looked as if the track bar had play. Replaced it yesterday and so far so good. Thanks.

[@zxtenn]

Great slow and thorough explanation of the front end parts their function and diagnostic job as well-- I think people with much less knowledge than you work on vehicles-- I have a 96 ZJ 5.2 and replaced ALL front end parts including steering box and iron man fixed control arms excluding ball joints-- Everything nice and tight now with no squeaks -- gotta love to turn wrenches and figure things out

[@chakarronify]

thank you so much for this vid its very well explained. I was able to fix my death wobble by replacing the tie rods on my wj. 👍👏

[@mtplanman]

Thank you for the report :-)

[@mathewlopez3382]

Best explanation of inspection on front end ....thanks for your channel and some good knowledgeable instructions...

[@slowhorse]

Passing the torch, in so thorough a way. Kudos to you. And many thanks. This is a small nit pick of a suggestion that may not be needed, since, anyone who pays attention to your fine contribution will see that at 8:52, you said Drag Link and meant, I believe, Tie Rod. A small annotation may prevent the small "Huh?" moment. Or maybe you were just testing us.

[@chakarronify]

thank you so much for this vid its very well explained. I was able to fix my death wobble by replacing the tie rods on my wj. 👍👏

[@Banishedsoulsofficial]

Ordered my parts yesterday. All of mine were toast

[@lifeinastockwrangler]

simply an amazing video! Literally the best death wobble check I have seen.

[@51505150ajs]

Thanks planman. I used your videos to diagnose my issue. Track bar...

[@bmwheeler1atverizon]

Excellent 2 part video on the wobble diagnosis!

[@davidarnoldt4029]

Very well done. Thank you for the post.

[@hammur2323]

Thanks for the awesome video. I have a vibration at 98 KLM. 2008 JK with 240,000 klm on it. My joints are finally going. Jeep is all stock.

[@tarnishedcross]

Awesome . Found your info on one of the many JK sites . I am going to check what you mentioned in the video . My main problem is bump steer . No vibration or wobble untill I hit one of the many pot holes here in Michigan ..

[@puckogre]

Thank you for an awesome tutorial! I've been trying to figure out how to identify what the exact cause of front end shimmy/wobble on my '08 4 door Wrangler X was for a while now. Followed your process, and I've got the exact same play in the drag link at the steering knuckle that this one does.

[@konrad712162]

This is a very informational video on how to locate the problems and another thing that helped my jeep reduce death wobble is putting the balance beads in the tires so it will constantly be balanced no matter what cause when you off road with weights you can lose on and then your tire will be out of whack and cause the wobble

[@philstat100]

Thank You for the great video and information. WOW! Lots of great information, Shows me that some of the other video's that I watched are way off! I have a 2001 jeep grand cherokee and live in Central America (Panama) and the mechanics down here are limited on Knowledge. Nothing against them, Just the way that it is. Not their fault. Most of the cars here are not made in North America. Again Thank You.

[@Plukethe2]

good stuff planman. well done sir! a great contribute to the JK community.

[@USfoolsgold]

Thank you for taking the time to make this amazingly detailed video.

[@truckerrickakamanowar]

New years eve. Watching this video again 2019! Great video very comprehensive. Happy New Year!

[@curtisclawson6723]

Great Job on explaining this subject. Well done.

[@kevinpritchard3592]

Great and informative video. Thanks

[@archaicologist]

To summarize I'm curious if what you outlined in this video is the tire/wheel related issues that cause speed dependent wobble or if tire/wheel related specifically specifically deals with tire/ wheel issues. Thank you again for the informative videos.

[@TheJavacowboy]

Super video. Thanks for taking the time. Looks like my same drag link has play in it!

[@n607rv]

Very nice explanation!! Well done. Thanks for the video.

[@mikerayis456]

you're the man. thank you

[@gno3883]

Man that video was amazing

[@andrewgerlette364]

Thank you for this video! This helped me so much!

[@mtplanman]

+Andrew Gerlette Thank you.

[@dannywilsher4165]

My DW story... I have a 93 Grand Cherokee. At around 30,000, it started the death wobble. I have a car lift and have done my own mechanic work all my life. So I figured I have this. Up it went and I did everything I have done to hundreds of vehicles for years to check all suspension and front drivetrain. Everything seemed tight and unworn. My wife's dad bought the Jeep new and passed shortly after. Her mother drove the jeep to the store and back till she passed and we inherited it. I know the thing was not put in four wheel drive very many times in it's life. So basically what I am saying is the Jeep was just like new when we got it with less than 20,000 miles. Back to the story of dw. I couldn't find anything wrong so I took it to an alignment shop that I have used for years and have always had good service from them. They couldn't find anything wrong so we drove it up the road. At 45 mph it went into the dw. The guy said he had never seen anything like this. He checked everything and did an alignment on it and it still, dw... After several attempts, he said he determined the track bar was the problem. $180. later he said it was fixed. I picked it up and on the way home it was still wobbling. Went right back and got my money back and found another shop. Same thing, not a clue what caused it but said I needed to replace all my bushings and tie rods. I asked why and they said they were all worn enough that they were all causing the problem. I didn't buy it. Now if I would go from 40 to 60 under heavy throttle, I could get past the wobble and it would run all day. But between 45 and 60 it would almost always wobble and violently!!! Eventually I replaced every part that can be replaced including tires twice because they would wear out fast. 4 or 5 shops tried to fix it and no one knew what to do. After putting up with the problem for several years and spending probably $2,000, I was thinking about what was going on when it was wobbling. I had even stuck my head out the window to watch the tire. What I decided was the toe in was causing the problem. I know it was aligned to specs at least 5 times but something was still not right! I got my tape measure out and a couple of pieces of angle iron and set the toe in to less than 1/8th of an inch. It was over 3/8ths when I first checked it. It has now been over 100,000 miles later and never once have I experienced the DW! I figured out the geometry of these suspensions cause this problem when they get to a certain harmonics. With the toe in adjusted in to far, the left tire will try to go right at a certain harmonic and when it gives in to traction making it slip, then the right tire will be trying to go left and at just the right harmonics the fight for traction gets to be more than the tires can support and they begin fighting and they start the wobble. Don't know if this is a good explanation, but when I took almost all the toe in out of my alignment, it fixed the problem. Even with 31 inch tires the wobble never came back. I now have over 160,000 and it runs and drives like a new one.... Almost.... lol...

[@ewledoux1]

Great video! Thorough!!! Thanks!

[@HWoodCreations]

Wow! Talk about a thorough video showing the steering setup. Thanks for the video. Don't recall you actually saying in your first video if you did indeed have death wobble.

[@mtplanman]

Thanks. This jeep didn't have full on death wobble, with is most often related to the front trackbar bolts, bracket holes, or bushings. However, it did have a wobble, clunk, and shimmy issue related to the worn ball joints and drag link end. Often, full on death wobble ends up damaging other front end components. So, a full inspection needs to be done.

[@HWoodCreations]

@@mtplanman I gotcha. Been experiencing DW big time for the past couple of weeks (luckily I can drive through residential streets and never get above 30mph if needed). I'm gonna follow this routine this weekend but at first inspection trac bar appears very solid and doesn't budge when I try to move it. Tie rod ends and drag link ends have no play but the bars will just fall (rotate) down if I put them in up position and let go. Thanks again.

[@mtplanman]

@@HWoodCreations If the sources of the problems don't become blatantly obvious, be sure to read one of my write-ups either on jeepforum, wrangler forum, jk-forum, or jkowners.

[@HWoodCreations]

@@mtplanman I think I messed up Jacking up the front end the other day before checking things. Did it again after work today (sitting on tires) and there's visible play both ends of drag link and one tie rod end. Looks like definitely have a path forward. Even it's not main cause they NEED attention. Lol

[@mikesherman8466]

That's Steering 101. Death wobble occurs on vehicles with good components too. I think it's a vehicle geometry thing and when everybody and their experts change out parts, that just changes the geometry. Did the wobble go away? I would recommend loosening control arm mounting bolts and raise the vehicle off the jack stands by the axle and retighten the bolts before changing any parts. Every vehicle is different so do what you have to too reset the geometry.

[@kronk1981]

mtplanman NICE JOB ON VID!!! I have 2013 jk wrangler with a 2.5 rough country spacer lift in her with new shocks done by a local company that supposedly are top notch.. she only has 32000 miles and I have some how created a monster death wobble just by having the kit put in.. I have the same tires from factory with the same millage.. This has really blown my mind it acts like it is possessed!!! I have almost rolled her over twice and this sh*t is getting old!!! I have checked all front end parts and even my trusted mechanic has gone over everything.. the only thing he did was rebalance the front tires that seem to help some but she still shakes around 45 mph WHEN YOU get in a rough spot or hole.. My question is if everything is all to specks what could be causing this?? I am toying with the idea of putting a heavy duty shimmy shock (stabilizer) on the front and continue driving it like I stole it... got any ideas it would be appreciated thanx TAMAMAN

[@mtplanman]

+TAMA MAN Your mechanic didn't go through everything, and the install was done incorrectly. Please don't drive your jeep until you read the first two posts and perform the inspection checklist in post number two here: www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-write-ups-39/write-up-diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-260145/

[@tribulation138]

After countless people telling me bjs wouldnt cause my death wobble it ended up being my passenger side bjs. After 2 years of not finding the problem I replaced upper and lower. The death wobble went completely away. My DW was so bad towards the end i had to pull over 5 times on a 10mile stretch of highway to get home.

[@planestomp]

+tribulation138 having that problem now and checked the joints tody and lateral slop

[@4everjeeper]

I think maybe I mis diagnosied my drag link and tie rods, I simply grabbed the tie rod bar and rotated it back and forth and moved very easy, same thing on drag link, I didn't know they were suppose to do that, just ordered a synergy tie rod and drag link setup to replace them, now they may not be bad, better go back out to garage and check like you did

[@liamcrook3382]

Great videos, really helpful! Thanks mate

[@marc1kim]

Very nicely done video thanks

[@coryreedy2752]

Good stuff! Thanks for posting this.

[@3ricky13]

mine turned out to be rusted spring bracket on passanger side

[@timryan1360]

I can only imagine the wobble on a JK with a bad draglink and all 4 ball joints bad. When your friend said "80K... death wobble... 37" tires... stock balls" in same sentence, I would have immediately suspected that. That draglink would amplify that like crazy. The Sector shafts are notoriously weak on these things. Do you recommend a brace with larger tires? Is it worth the cost?

[@mtplanman]

tim ryan I recommend avoiding a lift design that includes a drop pitman arm because it puts too much leverage on the sector shaft. If people spend much time in the rocks or with very low tire psi and 37s, I recommend a hydro assist steering kit to take pressure off the pitman arm/sector shaft. Sector shaft braces are nice, but if you have hydro assist and keep the stock drag link, the braces aren't needed.

[@timryan1360]

Thanks! Did some research and can do hydro for about 700 bucks for Diy, up to 2k for complete kit. The braces only work with certain track bars and not mine. Adds to cost of brace. Monetarily only a couple hundred more doing Diy.

[@Lyvwr]

Great video,.. "Narration by Ferris Buellers teacher"??.

[@archaicologist]

Awesome vids. I'm excited to look at this on my jeep in the morning. I'm curious if the tire/wheel related shimmy/wobble would also be the cause I have been experiencing. I was having the issue when traveling at over 55mph when I hit a bump at speed causing a pretty extreme wobble and shimmy in the driver side/front wheel. I recently had my tires balanced and now notice it when braking from around 40mph, which goes away by pressing more firmly on the brakes. What do you think?

[@GaryGalmin]

Great Video Both Parts. I have a WJ grand cherokee and I noticed you mentioned the straight tube that has tie rod ends on each side (lower portion) and that the play is normal (you were moving by hand). I have that same play on my WJ, but it seems when i drive and come to a stop, it clanks downward and i can easily hear it with the window down driving around town. I was thinking of new tie rod and and the steering tube, but not now before i run through your list. Any thoughts about the clanking.

[@TonySaprano]

great vid ! Just have to know, Where did you find the LONG drag link end part ? The part that goes from the steering knuckle back to the collar or did you replace the whole drag link ? Thx u

[@bud7188]

Thank you so much. Really thorough diagnosis and great video. QUESTION: I am pretty sure my drag link needs to be replaced. I also note that the drag link adjustment collar has a LOT of flex when someone rotates the steering for me. Is the dramatic flex at this joint normal? Your recommended Synergy product looks like a good fix.

[@mtplanman]

A drag link needs to be able to rotate at the ends to be able to handle cycling of the suspension, but it shouldn't have flex, and the ends should not have up and down movement or side-to-side movement.

[@ojbarberena7090]

Great information. thank you so much. I have a 1998 XJ Cherokee with severe death wobble, I replaced all four ball joints but both NEW upper ball joints have play on them just like the onece on your video, how is this possible? Thanks again

[@mtplanman]

They shouldn't have that much play.

[@jeffjarvis9486]

My first Jeep an not having good experience with it already when I got it 2wks ago I felt vib an stuff figured a good balance an rotation would smooth it out it only has 45,000 miles on it done replaced the steering stabilizer,new adjustable trac bar would I be better off buying a diff lift or trying the guess work at adding this an that I've always had square body chevys an Toyotas

[@crawlerutah]

Thanks, Great Video!

[@consaka1]

I dunno boss. Looking at the body movement in comparison to the axle seems to show plenty of movement. This leads me to suspect frame twisting where the trackbar mounts to the frame.

[@mtplanman]

+consaka1 What you are seeing is deflection of the trackball bushing and from the tires. There is no flexing of the frame or the trackball bracket. Replacing the ball joints and drag link end fixed the problem, and my friend has driven his jeep another 50k miles since that repair with no problems.

[@consaka1]

***** Lucky them. If that was a pontiac frame it would have broken off by now. ask me how I know. :)

[@axlegrind4212]

the dealerships say they allow .060" - .080" up and down play in ball joints. there's no need to replace these ball joints because the don't allow any unwanted lateral movement. only vertical

[@mtplanman]

Axle Grind That was more than 0.06-0.08”.

[@axlegrind4212]

i did look up the specs on the jeep axle but all i found was dodge which ought to be the same. they allow no vertical movement. personally i don't see a great big problem since the bj only rotate. www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/Publications/OtherPublications/documents/ballJointTolerances.pdf

[@ryancali9489]

Great walk-through! It looks like I might have the same diagnosis as shown in the video. So did your friend just change out the drag link ends and that fixed everything?

[@mtplanman]

He needed a drag link and to replace the ball joints. Yes, that fixed everything.

[@kyleswift2512]

Do you need to disconnect the steering stabilizer? Also can the front end be jacked up a couple inches off the ground?

[@ferds814]

so with the steering stabilizer your suspension will not show the loose locations?

[@MrRobobreak]

do i have to replace the entire bars or can i just replaced the ends? or will the alignment fix everything. thank you

[@markeinerwold5482]

I've been busting wrenches for 20+ years, most techs can't properly so this, I've always been a check guy, but I've got a 99 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE, ANS OD XOURSE DEATH WOBBLE, WORSE THAN IVE EVER FELT, IVE RELLACE THE TRACK BAR, AND UPPER TIE ROD ON PASSENGER SIDE ALL ELSE IS TIGHT EXCEPT 1 ODD THING, WHILE INSTALLING THE TRACK BAR, i was hard to line up the driver side, I had to use a pry bar to line it up, my kid road off in my challenge and left this mess in me! LoL here's the odd part, and I've never run accross it. While I would pry against the mount the entire front frame twists, not just on the driver side, the enite engine and passenger side so the same, it stops with the new track bar, I don't see how it would function correctly, even a bit of mount wobble with cause it, basically the mount is solid, all other parts are new, am I correct, if a mounts weld comes loose from the chassis it causes it, instead of the mount, the entire frame will twist a good inch, any ideas would be awesome, from one grease monkey to another.

[@MrRobobreak]

Hi, i have a 2007 jk unlimited rubicon and I just put a 3.5 inch lift on it. i put coils shocks, sway bar links, sterring stabilizer relocation bracket,and trackbar relocation brackets in the back and front. i have never had deathwobble until i messed with the front end. i have not gotten an alignment yet but when i do this test i do se that the ends of the drag link and tie rod has up and down movement. also i have had my tires balanced and there is no movement in the track bar. what do i do?

[@kevincheng4444]

like all ur video

[@GulfVet213]

My 2014 JKU has new 33" tires. I installed teraflex leveling kit. Now every bump and hills in the road makes it hard to handle. Not a death wobble. I think I will try re-torquing.

[@mtplanman]

GulfVet213 Loosen the front trackbar bolts and the front upper and lower control arm bolts. Vigorously rock the vehicle side to side and forward and back to make sure the rubber arm and bar bushings are all unbound. Then, torque all the bolts to spec. This should all be done with the full weight of the vehicle on the ground.

[@l.turner6406]

***** Thanks, I will try that and let you know how I make out. I saw you over on the wrangler forums. Your info is appreciated. Thank you

[@timdelariva1605]

Great vid.. thank u

[@alandzhabiev8818]

Thanks for the great video. My tie rod and drag link needed replacement. I replaced them with synergy parts. Drove to get alignment done and had the death wobble again. Everything else looked fine when I checked. What should I look at now?

[@mtplanman]

You would want to incrementally go through each of the inspection steps I’ve listed on places like Jeepforum, Wranglerforum, JK-forum, and JKowners. Now, if your alignment was way off and you had too much toe in or toe out after the replacement of the tie rod and drag line, that might have resulted in front end oscillations that approximated death wobble. Has it re-occurred after the alignment? How out of spec was the toe adjustment when the alignment was done?

[@alandzhabiev3599]

@@mtplanman Thanks for the response. They did not want to do an alignment because they said it would not fix the wobble. I think the alignment was ok before the death wobble first started, because the car drove perfect. I measured the lengths of the tie rod and drag link and made sure the replacement parts matched that length. I see that the control arm bushings are worn, can that be the cause?

[@mtplanman]

Alan Dzhabiev If they are worn enough that they are loose, allowing significant movement, that could be a contributor. Here is the inspection write-up I did for TJs: www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-tj-version-2359089/ Here is the inspection write-up I did for JKs: www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-1052221/

[@alandzhabiev3599]

@@mtplanman Thank you so much for your help.

[@mtplanman]

safenders, What you describe wouldn't be death wobble. What you describe typically happens if your transfer case output shaft bearings are worn, the nut has backed off the output shaft, the front axle pinion bearings are worn, or the pinion nut has loosed up.

[@emedina791]

Planmann were are u located

[@Xcaliber111]

Excellent

[@jeffjarvis9486]

I got a 2015 jk 2 dr with pro comp 4 inch lift without the steering stabilizer it's got the DW just installed a new RC adjustable trac bar would u have a list of all the torque specs so I can go over everything before I go any further

[@mtplanman]

Jeff Jarvis This one is as good as any: www.extremeterrain.com/wrangler-jk-suspension-torque-specs.html A 4" lift for a 2 door should at the very least include front lower adjustable control arms to adjust your caster alignment specs, an adjustable front trackbar, rear lower coil mount degree correction wedges to prevent the rear coils from bowing back far enough that they rub on the rear passenger side trackbar, and a number of other things. What I have often found is that when a 4" lift is installed that doesn't include enough components to cost in the $2,000-$2,500 range, it is too incomplete and ends up causing a bunch of problems--from failed stock driveshaft joints on 2 does due to the sharp driveline angles, to poor steering characteristics without a drag link flip steering correction kit, to the front driveshaft on 2012+ not clearing the exhaust, etc. You can incrementally fix what is missing with it though. I'd certainly start by loosening all the control arm and trackbar bolts, vigorously rocking the vehicle side-to-side and forward-and-back to make sure all the relatively soft stock runner bushings are not twisted/binding/preloaded to the wrong ride height (do this with the vehicle on the ground), and then re-tighten all the bolts to the proper torque specs, and then take a torque wrench to them for maintenance at every oil change interval.

[@jeffjarvis9486]

Planman 4x4 when doing the flip kit what kit are good?an which kits to stay away from

[@mtplanman]

Jeff Jarvis I like the Synergy and Rock Krawler flip kits, but I am sure that you'd be happy with either the Off Road Evolution (EVO) one too.

[@safenders]

can any one tell me why when I switch into 4 wheel drive the wobble goes away

[@eiu.]

when i put a 4" lift in my tj i had death wobble then i replaced my track bar and it went away. then when i put 35's on i started getting a steering wheel shimmy around 50mph but if i went slow it was gone and if i went faster it also went away. but death wobble has come back and im starting to get frustrated.

[@mtplanman]

+Dillon Smith If it is a speed dependent wobble, it is nearly always tire/wheel related. Either your wheels/tires need to be rebalanced, or you have a bent wheel. Here is my writeup for TJs: www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-tj-version-2359089/

[@philschreiber4128]

I have been searching thread after thread and video after video. I cannot seem to figure out what is the cause of my Death Wobble. I have 1 ton tie rod ends on my tie rod and drag link. all are brand new, I have a flip kit for the Drag Link, I just installed all new upper and lower ball joints. replaced the bushings in my track bar, bought new grade 8 shanked bolts for them that fit the brackets and sleeves snugly and torqued the snot out of it on both ends. Still, DEATH WOBBLE. Im on 4.5" metal cloak dual rate springs, metal cloak upper and lower control arms, metal cloak adjustable track bar, it has had an alignment and my caster is just greater than 7. I NEED HELP and everywhere I have looked seems to say reach out to you.... What am i doing wrong here that I am missing?

[@mtplanman]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Do you have a front trackbar relocation bracket that came with your drag link flip kit?

[@philschreiber4128]

@@mtplanman YES. it was actually installed. The difference in Geometry between my track bar and drag link is minimal

[@mtplanman]

Phil Schreiber Have you completed the inspections I show in the 2 videos?

[@philschreiber4128]

@@mtplanman I had. I ended up discovering that it was all in the alignment. The shop that did the first alignment apparently did not do it, or do it correctly. I was severely toe'd out and my caster was at 7,,, to the point of when I would back up with the wheel turned it rubbed the inner side of the rim. the shop that just completed a computer alignment did it correctly and now I only have a small amount of bump steer. I can deal with that

[@wyattflanagan4717]

How does one go about placing the steering stabilizer in a higher position? Would that entail getting a different axle? Also, I noticed that the bracket on the axle/frame (I can't remember) on my jeep is slightly bent. If the components work properly should I worry about it being slightly off?

[@mtplanman]

+Wyatt Flanagan You can buy a bracket from Teraflex or other manufacturers to relocate the steering stabilizer to the top of the tie rod. If your bracket is slightly bent, it's not a big deal as long as the welds have not cracked and if you have adjusted your steering components to compensate.

[@wyattflanagan4717]

+Planman 4x4 Awesome, thank you very much!

[@Drizzy214]

My 08 jeep wrangler only does DW when i brake or hit a bump. What can it be??

[@mtplanman]

Watch the two part videos and then read the first two posts in this thread: www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-write-ups-39/write-up-diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-260145/

[@tyc4945]

Couldn't I just shake the suspension side to side to watch for up and down play in the ball joints??

[@mtplanman]

No.

[@ImInUrHd]

He basically did that when he shook the tire, and you could see no movement from the ball joints, despite the fact that he showed earlier up and down movement with his "shovel method".

[@mtplanman]

The weight of the tire and knuckle need to be suspended in order to properly check the ball joints. If the tire/knuckle and joints have 2000+ lbs of the front of the vehicle pushing down, you won't be able to check for side-to-side and up-and-down play.

[@mtplanman]

John Doe, read the first two posts of this thread: www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/diagnosing-death-wobble-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-wobbles-tj-version-2359089/

[@alonzosamaniego6424]

Would it be ok to just replace the tie rod ends?

[@mtplanman]

Alonzo Samaniego There is not much benefit to replace tie rod ends if they aren’t worn or damaged.

[@alonzosamaniego6424]

Planman 4x4 I have a 2008 jk and I'm trying to avoid buying a whole tie rod and drag link kit unless I have to. I just put 33 inch ko2's and got some serious death wobble.

[@alonzosamaniego6424]

Planman 4x4 What I meant is would it be ok to replace just the tie rod ends instead of buying a whole new tie rod kit? Mine are pretty worn.

[@mtplanman]

Alonzo Samaniego If both ends are worn on a stock tie rod, you’ll end up replacing the entire thing. Same thing for the drag link. There is a short end and a long end. You can replace only one end, but if both are worn, you’ll end up replacing the entire drag link.

[@alonzosamaniego6424]

Planman 4x4 I took it to a local mechanic and this is what he told me I needed. 2- track bar bushings 1- tie rod end at pitman 1- tie rod end at steering arm 1- RH outer end 1- LH outer end 2- lower ball joint 2- upper ball joint 1- steering damper

[@Bri_Wess]

Did the fixes rid the DW?

[@mtplanman]

Brian Wesson That jeep had periodic wobbles and clunks, and the repairs I recommended fixed those problems.

[@Bri_Wess]

A big "THANKS" to you brother for this video.. The Ball joints were my culprit, specifically the lowers.. I replaced both upper and lowers but the old lowers can rattle around with just shaking them.. Crazy that I couldn't tell how bad they were until taking the knuckle apart.. But they did move like in your Vid.. Death Wobble FIXED..! ;)

[@danielesilvaggi]

I sure hope you were using jack stands because I didn't see any. That jack setup is so unsafe man, especially when you have somebody pushing side to side. Sorry I just don't like to see anybody get hurt.

[@mtplanman]

When we did the test, one side/tire had the full weight of the vehicle on the ground and the other tire was suspended approximately 2-3". Had the axle slid off the floor jack, the extent of the fall would have one tire dropping 2-3" to the floor. You are correct that it is preferable to use a jack stand instead of a floor jack. We did the test in my friend's garage, he did not have floor jacks.

[@Derek-yf7ii]

How about buying a light so we can see

[@gunzmith29r]

good video

[@gunzmith29r]

i dont see why you cant put a big washer on the ball joints to make them stop moving uo and down.instead of having to buy new ball joints and having them installed which cost a lot of money.

[@mtplanman]

They aren't built that way. Once they fail, they need to be replaced. Google search: ball joint diagram.

[@gunzmith29r]

and how come jeep is the only vehicle made i have ever had death wobble in and ive been driving since i was 14 in 1966....ive drove all kinds of trucks and cars and this jeep xj is the only one thats had the death wobble....in fact ive had a couple of wranglers back in the 70s and never had that happen on them..somebody at jeep factory should design a good steeroing system....best steering system i ever had was on a 63 custom cab ford pickup...but i guess vehicles are built to fall apart after 10 years these days...better off with a good horse or mule..much easier to steer then an xj jeep.

[@mtplanman]

Death wobble is most common on solid front axle vehicles that have a trackbar and coil springs. It happens with jeeps, Ram/Dodge trucks, Ford trucks, etc., that are built with coil springs, control arms, and a trackbar. The bushings in the suspension components wear over time with use. If the suspension bolts are not periodically re-torqued, the vibrations from operations and flexing of the suspension end up working them lose, and that increases risk of death wobble. Ball joints and steering end joints are wear items too over time. In some cases, even new vehicles come off the factory line without the suspension bolts being sufficiently torqued to spec, and that can result in death wobble sooner rather than later.