“Death wobble”

[Wheelin98TJ]

I had the same issue on my 21 Sport. Went to multiple dealers and shops. No one could isolate the problem. In the end it was the damn stabilizer. $43 at the dealer, Swapped out in 5 min. Got 34k stress free miles then it started to pop up again. Replaced with a new one and 8k miles no issues. Start wit the simplest thing first..change the steering damper/stabilizer.

It popped up again because the problem wasn’t fixed. A steering stabilizer isn’t meant to prevent or stop death wobble.

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[Bucephalus]

It popped up again because the problem wasn’t fixed. A steering stabilizer isn’t meant to prevent or stop death wobble.

I couldn't drive 1/4 mile without getting death wobble. I was completely miserable. Whether it solves the under lying issue or not. $43 and 5 min under the truck grant me 30k+ miles of happiness. Worth it in my book.. I might add tire wear has always been uniform.

 

[Smatterchoo]

top of the page, second row, "search forums", type in death wobble and put on your seat belt.

I experienced the same issue with my 2022 Overland. It had 11,000 miles and it happened on the interstate at 77 miles. My issue according to the dealer was a steering damper. It ost less than $200.00 to repair. Crazy how something so little can cause such cayos.

 

[professorkx]

I have come to just accept that Death wobble is part of owning a Jeep. I lift my jeeps and they have 37’s. When I get a little wiggle in the steering every 3-4 years, it’s time for maintenance. I replace all of the ball joints, tie rod, drag link, trac bar and hubs, don’t bother checking for wear, everything goes and Problem solved/avoided. If the axle ujoints are getting long in the tooth during maintenance, they come out and new ones go in.

I only use my warranty for catastrophic failures in the motor, transmission or major electrical, as I have never found a Jeep dealer worth using. I am happy to fix everything else myself…just don’t need the stress of interacting with a service department.

 

[Bucephalus]

I experienced the same issue with my 2022 Overland. It had 11,000 miles and it happened on the interstate at 77 miles. My issue according to the dealer was a steering damper. It ost less than $200.00 to repair. Crazy how something so little can cause such cayos.

Why $200? Just fyi. You can change the Damper yourself. Just need a ratchet, socket and 5min of your time.

 

[CyberShanks]

I've always felt steering damper covers up true cause of death wobble. Most of the times I've found culprit, it's been track bar bushing that has worn or isn't tight enough. There's an awful lot of components in a live axle front end that all have components that wear out. Have someone cycle steering left and right while engine is running and look for things that don't move in unison. $.02

Jim

 

[rsan09]

thank you all for your responses this is all so helpful.

 

[rsan09]

I have come to just accept that Death wobble is part of owning a Jeep. I lift my jeeps and they have 37’s. When I get a little wiggle in the steering every 3-4 years, it’s time for maintenance. I replace all of the ball joints, tie rod, drag link, trac bar and hubs, don’t bother checking for wear, everything goes and Problem solved/avoided. If the axle ujoints are getting long in the tooth during maintenance, they come out and new ones go in.

I only use my warranty for catastrophic failures in the motor, transmission or major electrical, as I have never found a Jeep dealer worth using. I am happy to fix everything else myself…just don’t need the stress of interacting with a service department.

Thanks for your response. What brands do you normally purchase ball joints, tie rod, drag link, track bar and hubs from? Do you mind sending links if possible. Thanks!

 

[CyberShanks]

Non-trail/mild-trail use, I'd use MOOG, it's good stuff but it'll likely bend/fail on trail. Trail use I'd go with something like Clayton, GenRight, Rock Krawler, Synergy or your other favorite off-road brand. $.02

Jim

 

[professorkx]

My Gladiator is brand new, so this is the strategy I have followed on my JKs and will follow on my Gladiator. Except for the Drag Link, everything comes from Napa Auto, and I try to buy middle of the road pricing, not the cheapest. Drag link is a Rock Krawler unit, so bought an extra one from them and replace the old joints so I have a drag link staged and ready for the next ”maintenance” cycle.

I also buy my Baja Boss 37 inch tires from Discount tire so I get free balances and rotations every 3000-4000 miles to control any odd wear, as this can contribute to death wobble.

As I indicated, I’m not going to try to diagnose any death wobble cause, I just replace everything every few years and be done with it. Way too frustrating to chase the cause of death wobble….

 

[rsan09]

My Gladiator is brand new, so this is the strategy I have followed on my JKs and will follow on my Gladiator. Except for the Drag Link, everything comes from Napa Auto, and I try to buy middle of the road pricing, not the cheapest. Drag link is a Rock Krawler unit, so bought an extra one from them and replace the old joints so I have a drag link staged and ready for the next ”maintenance” cycle.

I also buy my Baja Boss 37 inch tires from Discount tire so I get free balances and rotations every 3000-4000 miles to control any odd wear, as this can contribute to death wobble.

As I indicated, I’m not going to try to diagnose any death wobble cause, I just replace everything every few years and be done with it. Way too frustrating to chase the cause of death wobble….

Do you have any wheels on your Gladiator or stock wheels on the Mickey Thompson tires?

 

[zxd9]

I was hundreds of miles from home when my 2021 Mojave with 75k on it started acting up. Took it to a 4x4 shop in the area and the steering dampener was toast. Put on an adjustable one from Teraflex. Got me home but they said the tie rod and drag link ends were getting sloppy as well so I replaced those with a RockJock Currectlynx setup. Been great ever since.

 

[Smatterchoo]

Why $200? Just fyi. You can change the Damper yourself. Just need a ratchet, socket and 5min of your time.

It was under warranty.

 

[professorkx]

Do you have any wheels on your Gladiator or stock wheels on the Mickey Thompson tires?

Planning to use KMC 549 wheel, but used method wheels on my 4 door that accepted a steel rock ring. I scratched the heck out of a set of wheels on the Rubicon trail…

 

[RedBearon]

FWIW/IMHO:
From someone that has spent a lot of money on Synergy parts, I would suggest going another route.
For very similar money, there are much better end links on the market.
Mine have worn out faster than I would have expected and the adjustments for a wide-track axle are at the very limits of the spec.
I wish I had gone a different route and will likely be replacing all of the front end components in the near future.

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