DEATH WOBBLE : What it is, What it isn't and What You Can Do to Fix it

BlackBandit said:
Well the parts that are causes of death wobble are the trackbar, steering linkages, wheel berrings, upper and lower balljoints, upper and lower control arms and some times big tires tend to give a shakey feeling in the wheel because they have more weight and tend to wonder on the road. A steering stablizer fixes that. When I had death wobble I did all of the above and it fixed it. It was a combo of old and retarded parts. It's all moog now ;p
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A steering stabilizer never fixes anything rather it just merely masks a bigger problem. Find the problem and you can fix death wobble. Mask the problem and it will only be worse next time it rears its ugly head.
 
Great thread. I have been away from Jeeps for about 13 years. I bought a 2012 JK in August, and started getting the DW about a month ago. Balanced the tires, still there. Checked the ball joints and they were bad. Replaced them last night and had a new alignment this morning, took the jeep for a good long ride on my lunch break, and it drives like new.
 
Soup6029 said:
Great thread. I have been away from Jeeps for about 13 years. I bought a 2012 JK in August, and started getting the DW about a month ago. Balanced the tires, still there. Checked the ball joints and they were bad. Replaced them last night and had a new alignment this morning, took the jeep for a good long ride on my lunch break, and it drives like new.
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Good deal. Hope it stays fixed for you. DW sucks.
 
First forgive my inexperience and if this is a stupid question ... So I measured and it seems that after my 2.5 TF spring lift and Trackbar install my axle if off about 1/4 in more on the drivers side than the passenger side... Not having the axle centered would that cause DW? I just put an adjustable TF monster Trackbar on I got off a friend and after putting it on I was taking measurements so see if it was off with how ever he had it adjusted... I will be taking it into the shop for an alignment this week, I am sure I am having tire issues as well but I know the issues in the rig are a combo deal ... I was just wondering as I try to educate myself on the geometry of my JKU ... Rig only has 21k on it and the lift and 35's have been on for maybe a month and a half so I wouldn't think my ball joints would be an issue even though I know the stock ones will go quick under strain ... I have had the wheel balance about 4 times now , but wonder if the KM2's being on the stock wheels and how they call for at least an 8.5" rim might not be helping the situation ... I

I have been trying to read and learn about as much of this shit as I can...

Thanks in advance for the info...
 
bonedaddy said:
First forgive my inexperience and if this is a stupid question ... So I measured and it seems that after my 2.5 TF spring lift and Trackbar install my axle if off about 1/4 in more on the drivers side than the passenger side... Not having the axle centered would that cause DW? I just put an adjustable TF monster Trackbar on I got off a friend and after putting it on I was taking measurements so see if it was off with how ever he had it adjusted... I will be taking it into the shop for an alignment this week, I am sure I am having tire issues as well but I know the issues in the rig are a combo deal ... I was just wondering as I try to educate myself on the geometry of my JKU ... Rig only has 21k on it and the lift and 35's have been on for maybe a month and a half so I wouldn't think my ball joints would be an issue even though I know the stock ones will go quick under strain ... I have had the wheel balance about 4 times now , but wonder if the KM2's being on the stock wheels and how they call for at least an 8.5" rim might not be helping the situation ... I

I have been trying to read and learn about as much of this shit as I can...

Thanks in advance for the info...
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Being that jks have a solid axle there really isn't much you can do about your axle being off center. As soon as you put weight in your jeep it will shift again anyway. Also this will not cause death wobble.

What will cause death wobble is your tires being out of balance, bad ball joints, loose bolts in your trackbar/steering, geometry, etc. for tire balance I HIGHLY suggest a road force balance over a static balance. Also for an alignment you can do it yourself in the driveway for free.
 
Caster was my issue

The cause of mine was too neutral a caster angle and also likely geometry changes after I installed a 3 inch lift. I just installed a geometry correction kit and now she's rolling like a top.
 
Use a torque wrench!

I'm posting this here because I think it will be seen here the most. Eddie is constantly reminding members to use a torque wrench and thank God he is. Here's a perfect example of why. I installed a new axle with new track bar bolts. And new track bar bushings and bushing sleeves. For the last 500 miles or so, I have a slight shimmy and a lot of wandering. I tracked it down to a loose lower track bar bolt. Tightening it fixes both issues for a short time. I've tightened it about 10 times and within twenty miles or so, it loosens back up. Today, I decided to replace the bolt as I'm getting tired of this. And I found that right where the nut torqued down, the threads are flat and stretched. I never used a torque wrench and overtightened the nut and damaged the bolt threads. So with the new bolt I used a torque wrench. Drives awesome! 2nd tightest thing I've ever felt. Good learning lesson for me, every bolt has a torque spec for a reason.

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Glad you found your issue. A very good lesson learned to share. Im guilty of using my impact on my track bar also. Now I got to check mine out lol. Thx for sharing

It's half past f'it with the CAPS lock on!
 
I was having a slight steering wobble after putting in a 2.5” budget boost. After reading this write-up, I found all my control arms and lower trackbar hardware out of torque specs. Haven’t gone for a test ride yet but everything is tight now. Thanks for the info...


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I have had a few death wobble experiences since TDS this year. Thanks for making these Eddie, they're always helpful.
 
Thanks!!!!!!

I was out in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado this past January and February and started experiencing Death Wobble. Got back home and had it looked at, thinking it was wheel bearings. Was told the whole steering assembly was toast. $900 later, a new steering assembly. Drove it around town for a couple weeks and no Death Wobble.

Yesterday morning I was heading back out to Colorado, in a driving rainstorm I might add, pulling my TCTeardrop trailer. About 30 miles down the road BAM, Death Wobble. A couple miles later, again and then again and again. Finally got off the Interstate and headed back home. Talked to a tire shop that does all the 4WD work in town. And learned painfully there is no clear cause but a lot of things that might cause it.

Well, the steering was ruled out but they suggested ball joints and getting the tires balanced. I'm real close to needing new tires in the front too. I have an appointment in the morning to have it looked at. Then hopefully back on the road and headed to Colorado.

THANK YOU so much for this post and all the replies. A wealth of information here. I'm passing it on to my brother in law, he and I looked at a lot of things yesterday to try and tell what was going on.
 
DaveO said:
I was out in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado this past January and February and started experiencing Death Wobble. Got back home and had it looked at, thinking it was wheel bearings. Was told the whole steering assembly was toast. $900 later, a new steering assembly. Drove it around town for a couple weeks and no Death Wobble.

Yesterday morning I was heading back out to Colorado, in a driving rainstorm I might add, pulling my TCTeardrop trailer. About 30 miles down the road BAM, Death Wobble. A couple miles later, again and then again and again. Finally got off the Interstate and headed back home. Talked to a tire shop that does all the 4WD work in town. And learned painfully there is no clear cause but a lot of things that might cause it.

Well, the steering was ruled out but they suggested ball joints and getting the tires balanced. I'm real close to needing new tires in the front too. I have an appointment in the morning to have it looked at. Then hopefully back on the road and headed to Colorado.

THANK YOU so much for this post and all the replies. A wealth of information here. I'm passing it on to my brother in law, he and I looked at a lot of things yesterday to try and tell what was going on.
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Welcome to Wayalife. What all was included in the “steering assembly” and who did the work? Sounds like you got fed a load of crap from the shop and they screwed you. There usually IS a clear cause of death wobble.


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Death Wobble

I have not experienced the dreaded DW, but I have recently purchased and lifted a 2015 Wrangler JK with less than perfect tread on 35's. As of yesterday the jeep has a 3.5 Rubicon Express Sport Lift and a new dampener shock as well. I do not have the additional cash for a new set of tires and decided not to balance them because I will buy new tires in a couple of months. I cannot justify spending the cash on balancing, but should I? Thanks in advance for your advice :yup:
 
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