Care to help diagnose my death wobble?

[Subby1]

2021 JT Rubicon. 2” Mopar lift with Tereflex adj track bar and 37 BFGs on factory rims since 3K miles. First DW hit around 14K. Retorqed all the fasteners. No change. I knew a new stabilizer was a band aid but needed to drive it a few hundred miles that weekend so I bought a factory unit and installed it. “Fixed” the DW for about 2K miles. Next found very slight play in the drag link. Replaced with factory long and short (only avail unit on a Sat). No change. Finally Tereflex ball joints. Fixed. And even tho we used a 4’ bar, no play was perceptible on the factory units (17K). 21K now and all good.

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[Chadnutz]

I need to correct the record. It seemed as though my DW was gone, but it's just less prevalent. I still get it once a week or so. Today it was so bad I had to swerve to the shoulder and drop from 70 to 45. This particular spot is a known issue, but I let my guard down today while passing in the fast lane. What's next?

 

[JTB12]

Absolutely anything on the front steering/suspension area can be a contributor to DW. If your lucky, you will find something very obvious causing the issue. But often it is a combination of smaller things that when conditions are just right....DW appears.

I suggest getting under the front end and have someone get in drivers seat and slowly move the steering wheel back and forth as you observe and feel for excessive play at every single steering component joint. Sometimes even the slightest amount of play in a slightly worn bushing could be the culprit. The Track bar is also a primary source of DW so maybe start there.

From this point things can be a little tough to figure out, ball joints could be bad, control arm bushings (both frame side and axle side). Too much or even too little caster could cause the issue. Also, check the toe. A setting that is toe out tends to mitigate DW. Also if you have adjustable control arms, you may want to dial in a little more caster while toeing out a little as well. Just be careful as towing out too much will lead to excessive tire wear, so keep this under 1/4".

Also, a worn stabilizer can also cause DW, and if you have had frequent DW it will quickly destroy the valving in a stabilizer as they are meant to dampen slight bump steering and resonance. They are not designed to withstand the massive forces applied during DW.

Keep in mind that any combination of these things can cause DW. Good luck.

 

[ttn333]

You still on the same set of tires? I think it's time to try a new set, assuming you're at about 60k miles now. That's a lot of miles on off road tires.

 

[Chadnutz]

I am. I bit the bullet and bought SteerSmarts tie rod, drag link, track bar, and steering stabilizer a few days ago. If it still happens after that I'll get new tires, but I did have the tires balanced and that did not solve the problem.

 

[Chadnutz]

When removing the steering linkage, three of the four tie rod ends just popped out without having to use a pickle fork or beat on the knuckle. Only the pitman arm held its end tightly. Is that normal?

 

[JT1]

When removing the steering linkage, three of the four tie rod ends just popped out without having to use a pickle fork or beat on the knuckle. Only the pitman arm held its end tightly. Is that normal?

That's pretty normal.. the pitman arm joint is a bear to get off..

 

[Chadnutz]

I replaced the tie rod, drag link, track bar, and stabilizer with Steer Smart stuff. Death wobble is gone. I'm going to run my tires a little longer because they're $300 each!

 

[Wags1965]

97k miles. Rubicon with 2" Mopar lift. 35x10.50 tires on factory wheels. Tires have 57k miles on them.

First time I got death wobble was around 79k miles. I had tires balanced and rotated and it went away. This time I tried the same path and it didn't fix it. It happens mostly with a hard shot to the left front at highway speeds. I'll have to slow down to around 50 mph to make it stop, which is quite annoying to me, and even more so to the people behind me that have no idea why I'm braking.

It both fronts take a shot it won't do it. I also don't know if most bumps are on the left or what because I don't recall taking a shot to the front right and getting DW.

Here's the kicker... I hit a deer a few weeks ago and I don't recall if DW was occurring before or after that. Deer did no damage that I can find. I can't be sure if it hit the bumper (which doesn't cover the tire), the RIGHT front tire, or both.

It still tracks well. I haven't seen any difference in that.

Any ideas?

Check that the upper track bar bolt isn’t loose, most wobbles I have seen is because of this and it elongates the hole. If gone unchecked it will be the end of you and the jeep.

 

[Chadnutz]

The hole was so tight the bolt had to be spun out of it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

When removing the steering linkage, three of the four tie rod ends just popped out without having to use a pickle fork or beat on the knuckle. Only the pitman arm held its end tightly. Is that normal?

Not really - it's a tapered joint. I know people see it, but it's supposed to be a standard interference fit, meaning that if you take the nut loose, it should take at least a "pop" to the joint to knock it loose.

Whatever you do - find and use the torque values posted in a thread here for everything. Some of the numbers floating around here are just too loose. There's a thread "torque values all in one place" or similar - use that.
Follow it.
One example is people keep following the old "190 ft/lb" for the control arms while the real spec is a torque plus degrees and in the end, that puts the torque well over 200.
If the bolts are tight as they are supposed to be, then the clamping force holds them, not the shank of the bolt. IF the hole is worn, the bolt wasn't as tight as it should be to begin with. Cause and effect.
If the joints are tight, there can be no popping or movement. If someone wiggles the steering wheel back and forth- engine off - while you hold each joint, you should feel no popping, etc. - just smooth movement.

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