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duel stabilizer caused death wobble?

Gren71

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2020 Sport S
2in IRO spacer lift
255/75/17 Dueler ATs (balanced easily on 17in MOPAR steel rims)
--> I had 285/75/17 on for a while but went back to a smaller size recently.
Core 4x4 adjustable track bar
MPP LCAs on the front
FOX single tube stabilizer on OEM mounts.
just had an "alignment" done at my dealership not long ago and they said everything was good. I didn't get a print out...rookie mistake.
new steel steering box installed, roughly 20,000 miles ago
currently 56,000 miles

NEVER had this problem before with this JT.

Ive been chasing a little loose feeling in my steering wheel over the last couple of weeks. Time has been tight so its been intermittent probing, but I havent found anything notable yet. I had a quadratec duel steering stabilizer sitting in my pile of jeep stuff to do so i decided to throw it on. I was feeling like the fox stabilizer just wasnt doing to job anymore, despite only having maybe 40,000 miles on it.

The slack in my steering wheel disappeared and the JT felt amazing again. Which I know means the duel stabilizer is just a band-aid until I find the real problem.

While driving home last night I hit a small, insignificant, bump in the road and had violent death wobble. The kind that I had to slow down to 10mph to get to stop. I'm thankful it was midnight and no one else was on the road because it could have been bad needing to slow down so fast in traffic. While driving in this morning I hit another random bump and felt a little wiggle, making me think the wobble was going to start. It did not, but now im more concerned...and confused.

I followed all install instructions and ensured each tube was measured properly and was equal length after the test drive, with the wheels straight.

So my questions are...

Has any one else had this happen with the duel stabilizer? Im thinking that is the cause some how since it never occurred once before it was put on.

Why wouldn't the duel stabilizer actually "solve" a bit of the death wobble...doesn't make sense to me that it was so violent.

What is another option for a stabilizer? If the duels system is somehow causing, or exacerbating, my problem than maybe going back to a single tube will make it "normal" again. Im a little disappointed with the $195 fox stabilizer since it only lasted 40k-ish...but thats better to deal with than the death wobble.

At a minimum Ill be driving home from work on it tonight. And maybe leaving it on as a bit of an experiment.
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Jeeperjamie

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Could of been. I've been considering one of the through shaft adjustable stabilizers for mine.
 

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Your single stabilizer may have been allowing just enough deflection to prevent an offending part from receiving the full energy from an impact. Now that you have the dual stabilizers, the bad or incorrectly adjusted part gets the full impact, initiating the wobble. Death wobble has so many possible causes it can be difficult to identify what the root cause is.
 

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Which Fox and Quadratec dual steering stabilizers do you have?
Can you cycle the Fox by hand off the JT? Does it feel worn out and loose.
 
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Gren71

Gren71

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Which Fox and Quadratec dual steering stabilizers do you have?
Can you cycle the Fox by hand off the JT? Does it feel worn out and loose.
Ill grab links later.

i can cycle the fox by hand yea. But to be fair I always could. I can’t remember what it felt like new
 

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Gren71

Gren71

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Im going to play with the toe and double check the torque on a bunch of stuff tomorrow. Fingers crossed I find something easy to correct.
 

RiverMtnBeach

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Im going to play with the toe and double check the torque on a bunch of stuff tomorrow. Fingers crossed I find something easy to correct.
Was just going to say this. Had a '95 Wrangler (totally different, I know) did same thing about 40K miles, turned out to be worn tie rod and drag link bushings. Could feel a little wiggle when pulling on them by hand. Replaced both completely and never had a problem again (and it actually drove straight for a change).
With the JT, had the wandering/dead spot issue fixed by Steering Gear TSB replacement, but Mopar lift seems to have given me less than ideal caster angle. Fox single SS took the "whoa!" out of it, but now I'm getting an occasional wiggle over cracks making me nervous. Been told several times that LCA relocation brackets both fix the caster angle and may prevent the wiggle. Not really a death wobble, but seems to make sense looking at how the LCA's were parallel and swing up and back with stock height, and now about 4" higher they angle down from the pivot and swing forward over bumps. Was offered a quick drive in a techs JLU (again I know, not quite the same) that had the LCA brackets and his steering feel was like a Porsche compared to my JT - so considering that.
 
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Gren71

Gren71

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Was just going to say this. Had a '95 Wrangler (totally different, I know) did same thing about 40K miles, turned out to be worn tie rod and drag link bushings. Could feel a little wiggle when pulling on them by hand. Replaced both completely and never had a problem again (and it actually drove straight for a change).
With the JT, had the wandering/dead spot issue fixed by Steering Gear TSB replacement, but Mopar lift seems to have given me less than ideal caster angle. Fox single SS took the "whoa!" out of it, but now I'm getting an occasional wiggle over cracks making me nervous. Been told several times that LCA relocation brackets both fix the caster angle and may prevent the wiggle. Not really a death wobble, but seems to make sense looking at how the LCA's were parallel and swing up and back with stock height, and now about 4" higher they angle down from the pivot and swing forward over bumps. Was offered a quick drive in a techs JLU (again I know, not quite the same) that had the LCA brackets and his steering feel was like a Porsche compared to my JT - so considering that.
Thanks for the intel!

Ive been wondering about my caster for a while now actually. I only have a 2in lift, but still ive wondered since a LOT of JT owners have steering issues with minimal lifts. Sorta makes me thing these things are just more effected by small changes in caster. I have a digtal gauge that is sitting in my to do pile as well. As im under there tightening stuff (until i poo a little....reference to another thread) I can throw it on and see what I have at the moment. I dont really have a flat place to use as my baseline though. I was hoping the MPP LCAs would correct the caster since theyre made for the MPP lift kit. But maybe it just wasnt enough.

Thank god i have access to a LOT of OT....and apparently lack of sleep wont kill me yet...this truck just keeps eating money.
 

bleda2002

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Trackbar bushings? Ball joints? Could just be a worn out part, I've heard the ball joints seem to not last if you've been on bigger heavier tirea. Could also be just a worn out trackbar bushing that's at its end. I'd still get under retorque everything and check for play in some of the bushings.
 

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RiverMtnBeach

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this truck just keeps eating money.
I think of it like a boat… It’s going to cost you money over and above a “normal” vehicle just for the fact it’s essentially a recreational vehicle and often custom built and/or modified in some way just for fun. Unless you keep it bone stock, it’s not going to be like owning a Camry. 🤣
So many people like the “idea” of owning and driving a Jeep, but don’t actual like driving and paying to play with a Jeep - and that’s where the complaints start.
 

Jaxmax

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Check the steering box output shaft, there were posts in other threads that the nut holding the Pittman arm, (I think that is what it is called) worked loose.....jack
 
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Gren71

Gren71

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I think of it like a boat… It’s going to cost you money over and above a “normal” vehicle just for the fact it’s essentially a recreational vehicle and often custom built and/or modified in some way just for fun. Unless you keep it bone stock, it’s not going to be like owning a Camry. 🤣
So many people like the “idea” of owning and driving a Jeep, but don’t actual like driving and paying to play with a Jeep - and that’s where the complaints start.
Hah yea, fortunately/unfortunately not my first jeep. I was just really trying to not embrace the money pit this round.
 
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Gren71

Gren71

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So I checked and re tightened the dual stabilizer. The center mounting point was a bit loose so i repositioned it and tightened everything down.

i also checked and my toe was equal front/rear of the front tires.
So i reset that to toe in, with 1/16th(ish) difference for the tow in.

Recented the steering wheel

double checked all my torqued bolts (none loose)

checked for loose ball joints (none)

greased my track bar ends (core 4x4 bar)

test drive felt pretty much the same. So my drive in to work will be the good test.

if no changes then im thinking MAYBE my caster is off. I have the MPP lcas on, but my wheel doesn’t return to center after a turn, so im assuming its off.
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