Death Wobble, DW, Death Wobble, DW, Death Wobble, Shimmy, Wander, Drift, Bump Steer

[BlueJT]

A stabilizer is a stock item. They're replacing the one that your core problem killed with another just like it, because it's a cheap temporary "fix" that gets you out of their hair and back on the road thinking everything's fine again.
It isn't.
Whatever issue that worked the original stabilizer to death until it failed will immediately begin working on the new one.

Watch the video in the original post. Everything's covered.

You can ask the dealer to go over everything with a torque wrench, but time is money, and I'm betting that they won't, or worse yet, they'll lie and tell you they did.

Do it yourself if you have the capabilities and tools.
If not, get it to a reputable 4xr4 shop and pay them to do it.

Thank you! I did watch the video, which is what made me question the stabilizer since it wasn’t even mentioned. I called dealer this am and they said everything was tight and that a seal went bad on stabilizer (that’s what he said…not saying I believe him). Do I let them replace that since under warranty and then push them to double check everything else when installed?

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[Lunentucker]

Thank you! I did watch the video, which is what made me question the stabilizer since it wasn’t even mentioned. I called dealer this am and they said everything was tight and that a seal went bad on stabilizer (that’s what he said…not saying I believe him). Do I let them replace that since under warranty and then push them to double check everything else when installed?

There are numerous videos in the first post.
Time is money.

 

[Sting-Gray Neutral Pres.]

Death Wobbler reporting in. Here's my situation, need some advice:
Has happened a few times, worst when I was lightly towing with some sandbags near the tailgate. Hit joint while straight-ish or in right hand curve each time at 70+ mph, had to slow down to 35 mph each time to get the steering wheel shake to stop. Not fun or safe when on a freeway in the wrong lane.

Setup: Diesel, 0.5" front spring "lift" to eliminate bumpstop problem, 46k miles. Tires 265/75 (stock-ish). Stock everything else.

Tires are fairly new lightweight winter tires. Had the tire shop rebalance the fronts, they said they were a little off. I just checked all the torques last night except:
Pitman arm (I missed it)
Anything with a castle nut and lock pin.
Gave everything a shake when up on the stands, when wheels are flat across the drag link has some fore-aft play in it but no side to side play.

Q1: Don't know if the drag link has a ball joint connection and that is normal play, or if it should never move? I'll post a video from my phone in follow up post.

Q2: Is the next step an alignment? I've read in here that caster angle may be important for shop to check, and the truck has never been aligned.

Q3: Is it worth checking the steering stabilizer or is that something to only check and replace after verifying the DW is gone? (I do have some bump shimmy that precedes the DW and has been present for a while).

 

[Sting-Gray Neutral Pres.]

I'll post a video from my phone in follow up post.

Wiggling back and forth first. The pause in action in the video is me trying to move the drag link side to side.

 

[Free2roam]

You play seems pretty normal. Mine does the same thing. This is my issue. Although I have the Clayton Overland 2.5 kit on mine and it's also a diesel.

 

[Lunentucker]

Death Wobbler reporting in. Here's my situation, need some advice:
Has happened a few times, worst when I was lightly towing with some sandbags near the tailgate. Hit joint while straight-ish or in right hand curve each time at 70+ mph, had to slow down to 35 mph each time to get the steering wheel shake to stop. Not fun or safe when on a freeway in the wrong lane.

Setup: Diesel, 0.5" front spring "lift" to eliminate bumpstop problem, 46k miles. Tires 265/75 (stock-ish). Stock everything else.

Tires are fairly new lightweight winter tires. Had the tire shop rebalance the fronts, they said they were a little off. I just checked all the torques last night except:
Pitman arm (I missed it)
Anything with a castle nut and lock pin.
Gave everything a shake when up on the stands, when wheels are flat across the drag link has some fore-aft play in it but no side to side play.

Q1: Don't know if the drag link has a ball joint connection and that is normal play, or if it should never move? I'll post a video from my phone in follow up post.

Q2: Is the next step an alignment? I've read in here that caster angle may be important for shop to check, and the truck has never been aligned.

Q3: Is it worth checking the steering stabilizer or is that something to only check and replace after verifying the DW is gone? (I do have some bump shimmy that precedes the DW and has been present for a while).

1. Normal
2. There's no caster adjustment on these in the factory configuration. You can add geometry brackets or adjustable control arms to gain more positive caster.
3. A properly setup Jeep will not DW with no stabilizer installed. Tell me you didn't watch the video without telling me you didn't watch the videos.

 

[Sting-Gray Neutral Pres.]

Tell me you didn't watch the video without telling me you didn't watch the videos.

There’s a kind way and a rude way to suggest a particular reference amongst a plethora of available resources, not sure why you felt the need to choose the latter today.

 

[Lunentucker]

There’s a kind way and a rude way to suggest a particular reference amongst a plethora of available resources, not sure why you felt the need to choose the latter today.

Everything in the original post is relevant.
There are a number of possible causes for shimmy, wander, wobble, and you should address them all, if you want a safe vehicle that handles properly.
You could get lucky with trying just one thing, but peace of mind comes from going over everything methodically.

Sorry about your feelings. I can be terse at times.

 

[Free2roam]

Apologies for the obvious redundancies in the thread title, but DAYUM!, does anyone search before they post?

1. Shimmy is not death wobble. Shimmy can be tires, alignment, loose components, driveline issues, and a host of other scenarios.

2. Death Wobble is the VIOLENT shaking of the steering wheel back and forth. The wheel moves inches at a time and cycles back and forth several times per second.




3. Wander and Wind Drift - Poor alignment or loose steering components. Lifts reduce caster. You can correct that or you can live with it. Adjustable control arms or geometry correction brackets.

4. Bump Steer - Poor alignment or loose steering components. (See above)


Copy & Paste

Stabilizers (Dampers) do not cure death wobble. They help to mask the symptoms.
When your underlying issues overwork your stabilizer enough it will fail, and "suddenly" you have death wobble.

Stock stabilizers are junk. Get Falcon or Fox pass-thru adjustable and never look back.
A slight toe OUT will help to mitigate death wobble (Steer Smarts)
Those are the better symptomatic reliefs. Now for the cause...

Check ball joints, tie rod ends, drag link, track bar, sway bar links, wheel bearings, steering gearbox bolts, pitman arm nut, and every other nut and bolt you can see for proper torque.

Death Wobble: Identified, Explained, ELIMINATED! - YouTube

JEEP DEATH WOBBLE - Find and Fix Death Wobble - YouTube

Rancho | Control Arm Geometry Correction Brackets for Jeep Wrangler JK/JL - YouTube

https://metalcloak.com/sector-shaft-brace-jl-wrangler-jt-gladiator.html

https://www.amazon.com/TeraFlex-09-02-22-110-000-Stabilizer-Falcon-Nexus/dp/B07GTQTNZJ/

Steering Components and How They Relate to DW / Shimmy

Another Good Video on Drop Brackets, Geometry, and Anti-Dive

Are Drop Brackets Bad?

Scrub Radius in Relation to Backspace (Poke)

Does the tie rod end nut = the nut on the ball joint that is on the end of the tie rod that goes to the steering?

 

[Lunentucker]

Does the tie rod end nut = the nut on the ball joint that is on the end of the tie rod that goes to the steering?

Yes.

 

[Pilsner]

Wiggling back and forth first. The pause in action in the video is me trying to move the drag link side to side.

Looks normal. I had DW and just got it all dialed back in and feeling right. Got tires balanced, alignment done, replaced the steering stabilizer with Falcon 2.1 and flipped mount, and replaced the drag link. Drag link was the last piece of the puzzle. It finally got bad enough I could feel the rod end clunk in the steering wheel and I could see the play when the wheel was turned. It was noticeable at that point, but I think it had been bad enough to cause issues for a while and just not as prominent from underneath.

 

[Free2roam]

So on a lifted Gladiator. I've heard two different things. One says a little toe in to eliminate DW the other says the opposite. Toe out. Any experience on these? I've looked at the videos.

 

[Lunentucker]

So on a lifted Gladiator. I've heard two different things. One says a little toe in to eliminate DW the other says the opposite. Toe out. Any experience on these? I've looked at the videos.

I have tried both, and currently remain at a very very slight toe out.
I think toe out helps to mask other issues and keep DW at bay, but it's not a proper fix.
If you have everything else torqued correctly, and nothing's worn out, a very slight toe in or out are both going to be negligible.
The toes setting should really be about the last thing you check, after you'd made sure you have tight components and decent caster.

 

[AXISJT]

I have been suffering from it for a while now. I have a diesel with a 3.5-inch Clayton lift and 38s. I just got it back from my shop who did a full nuts and bolts check, checked and set the caster and toe rebalanced the tires, etc. It lasted a day, and now it is even worse. I will take it in and have the Cavfab 2.5-ton steering installed and a new stabilizer set up at the end of the month. I think I will also be replacing my tires as I think they are a big issue as well.

I was getting death wobble even before the lift and tires. After the lift and tires it was gone for a long time then came back.

I'm hoping after this steering setup upgrade and new tires things will start to get better. I love my Jeep more than anything but this is wearing on me after dealing with it since back in my TJ days and constantly throwing money at it just for it to come back. It's making me contemplate possibly moving over to the new Tacoma Trail Hunter when it comes out or something else that doesn't deal with this issue. Having to constantly worry while driving and having to pull over all the time on the highway is driving me nuts.

 

[Lunentucker]

I have been suffering from it for a while now. I have a diesel with a 3.5-inch Clayton lift and 38s. I just got it back from my shop who did a full nuts and bolts check, checked and set the caster and toe rebalanced the tires, etc. It lasted a day, and now it is even worse. I will take it in and have the Cavfab 2.5-ton steering installed and a new stabilizer set up at the end of the month. I think I will also be replacing my tires as I think they are a big issue as well.

I was getting death wobble even before the lift and tires. After the lift and tires it was gone for a long time then came back.

I'm hoping after this steering setup upgrade and new tires things will start to get better. I love my Jeep more than anything but this is wearing on me after dealing with it since back in my TJ days and constantly throwing money at it just for it to come back. It's making me contemplate possibly moving over to the new Tacoma Trail Hunter when it comes out or something else that doesn't deal with this issue. Having to constantly worry while driving and having to pull over all the time on the highway is driving me nuts.

3.5" lift and it looks like you have quite a bit of negative offset. You've moved a lot around.
That said, if it was an issue before the lift and tires, then I'd be looking at components again.
Steering gearbox bolts, Pitman arm nut, ball joints, trackbar, bearings... literally everything from the steering column the where the tires meet the road.

Did they give you a printout of your final alignment?

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