death wobble???????

[fallx13xflights]

My buddy just bought some wheels and tires and now when he gets up to 45 mph it starts to wobble real bad..I dont know if its just a coincidence that it started when he got new tires...he went up to 31s from 235/75. Does anyone know what could be the problem?

[Triple-XJ]

It could be a few things.

What kind of Jeep is it?.?.?

[desertfabmotors]

My buddy just bought some wheels and tires and now when he gets up to 45 mph it starts to wobble real bad..I dont know if its just a coincidence that it started when he got new tires...he went up to 31s from 235/75. Does anyone know what could be the problem?


Get the tires balanced again. A tire out of balance can cause the DW.

[SHNIPE]

then try the trackbar at the axle mount

[fallx13xflights]

Jeep cherokee, I dont think an unbalanced tire would make the whole car wobble.

[SHNIPE]

it could be a combo of things. but the tires are teh only things that have changed to cause it. i had one throw weights and that plus a slightly loose trackbar ended up giving me BAAAD DW. In the meantime while hes waiting for the morning to have em rebalanced he can check the trackbar

[Triple-XJ]

Jeep cherokee, I dont think an unbalanced tire would make the whole car wobble.

You would then be suprised.... A tire thats a little out could set a worn front end into a wobble.

How old is it?

The reason I ask, is that there could be a # of bushings worn.

I would start with Todd and Shnipe's sugestions. And make sure the track bar is tight.

Then move on to uca and lca bushings...

[fallx13xflights]

its a 94. so its not to old yet and is in amazing condition.

[AZXJ]

in this order...

tackbar tighten (free)
inspect bushings (free)
instpect tie rod ends (free)
re balance tires
allignment
steering stabelizer replacement
upper and lower control arm bushing replacement
tie rod ends replacement

if it still shakes after all this... sell it... it's bent...

[Hunter]

One other thing, I am not sure if has been lifted or not, but his camber could be out of adjustment, or lacking it. Larger tire would also mean wider surface area contacting the street. If he is close to 0 caster, the tires can start wobbling, and wont stop. Usually somethign sets it off, and in this case, I would agree with the others, that might be the tires. If the camber to low, then the tire balance would be the trigger, not the cause

[Sedona Jeep School]

in this order...

tackbar tighten (free)
inspect bushings (free)
instpect tie rod ends (free)
re balance tires
allignment
steering stabelizer replacement
upper and lower control arm bushing replacement
tie rod ends replacement

if it still shakes after all this... sell it... it's bent...

x2

[fallx13xflights]

Thank you everyone.

[PapaChili]

Jeep cherokee, I dont think an unbalanced tire would make the whole car wobble.

I’ve always had problems with DW on my 01XJ, even when it was stock and recently really bad! Over the past four years I’ve had the front shock replaced twice along with periodic alignments and each time it helped for a little while. DW got worse as the tires wore.

About two months ago I was heading north on the 51 and hit a bump going 65mph. The DW was so bad I lost control and started dancing across the lanes! Fortunately, the other vehicles didn’t want to join in on my dance and got out of the way fast.

Wound up replacing the track bar (thanks Simon/Keith) and a front-end alignment from Network Alignment (thanks for the referral Nick) in Phoenix. I haven’t had DW since:) I bought the XJ new in 01 and this is the first time it has not strayed after hitting a pothole/bump in the road.

[1tuffxj]

then try the trackbar at the axle mount

The ball joint at the frame mount is a very common cause of DW, ad it's easy to check. Have someone start the vehical and shake the steering wheel as you watch that ball joint, if it starts popping or has a lot of play in it, it may be bad. But like evryone said it can be a # of things....

[SHNIPE]

The ball joint at the frame mount is a very common cause of DW, ad it's easy to check. Have someone start the vehical and shake the steering wheel as you watch that ball joint, if it starts popping or has a lot of play in it, it may be bad. But like evryone said it can be a # of things....
Good call richard. I guess it makes more sence to check BOTH sides but i hope it was understood as implied haha. Mine started to pop a little before i turned it into a pretzel. But the top mount never was loose. the axle end was annoying as it seemed to come loose almost as soon as i retightened it. The RK one you guys put in hasnt made a sound and its soo smooth. Never realized how bad it was till you guys put a new one on