Death Wobble at 14k miles

[Rockaholic]

Hello everyone,

After reading everything I could and watching many videos, I thought it was time to post my question here.

I purchased a 2021 JTR 3.6 a few months ago. It had a dealer installed Mopar lift and almost new 37in BFG K02s. It has been a lot of fun but I have had intermittent issues with death wobble and cannot figure out the cause. I usually experience issues between 45-55mph on a gentle curve after hitting a bump in the road. I always have the sensation that it's coming from the right front but I know that feelings can be deceiving with a solid axle. All the tires are equal in pressure (36 in the front and 38 in the rear), I had the tires balanced AND rotated, got a professional alignment, and have torqued up everything that YouTube says I should, paying close attention to the track bar and tie rod. The caster angle is 6 degrees on both sides. I have very slight play to the track bar and tie rod but they do not feel loose, just move maybe 1/32 or 1/16 of an inch when they are rotated. Any thoughts?

The previous owner never took the rig off roading and I believe them as there was no evidence anywhere that it had been on more than a dirt road. I have taken the truck off roading a handful of times but have only done slow rock crawling a few times. I have overall treated it very gently.

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[Gizmo]

Death wobble is from a worn part or parts , something has play in it . Very easy to find. with car not running lay under the front with it sitting on the ground. Have someone move steering wheel back and forth rapidly between 10 and two Oclock. listen and feel each connection on draglink , tie rod and track bar ends ( dry steering test ) . Could be ball joints but I bet you will find it before you get to the BJ's

 

[JT1]

Hello everyone,

After reading everything I could and watching many videos, I thought it was time to post my question here.

I purchased a 2021 JTR 3.6 a few months ago. It had a dealer installed Mopar lift and almost new 37in BFG K02s. It has been a lot of fun but I have had intermittent issues with death wobble and cannot figure out the cause. I usually experience issues between 45-55mph on a gentle curve after hitting a bump in the road. I always have the sensation that it's coming from the right front but I know that feelings can be deceiving with a solid axle. All the tires are equal in pressure (36 in the front and 38 in the rear), I had the tires balanced AND rotated, got a professional alignment, and have torqued up everything that YouTube says I should, paying close attention to the track bar and tie rod. The caster angle is 6 degrees on both sides. I have very slight play to the track bar and tie rod but they do not feel loose, just move maybe 1/32 or 1/16 of an inch when they are rotated. Any thoughts?

The previous owner never took the rig off roading and I believe them as there was no evidence anywhere that it had been on more than a dirt road. I have taken the truck off roading a handful of times but have only done slow rock crawling a few times. I have overall treated it very gently.

36psi in a 37 is too much. Drop them to 31 and try it. At 14K it's unlikely you have completely dead ball joints, so look at your toe setting, confirm your steering box is tight on the frame, and make sure your trackbar is tight (to spec) on the frame and axle end.

 

[Gvsukids]

and have torqued up everything that YouTube says I should,

To spec?

 

[Rockaholic]

To spec?

Yep I got the torque wrench out and checked

 

[mountainpass]

What brand tires? The Kendas I had were my problem. Could not keep them balanced. New Toyos solved my problem.

 

[Rockaholic]

What brand tires? The Kendas I had were my problem. Could not keep them balanced. New Toyos solved my problem.

BFG K02. They have been balanced twice, one by a tire shop and another time by the alignment shop

 

[Gizmo]

stop throwing money at it and get under it

 

[kevman65]

Best first guess, ball joints.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Death wobble is from a worn part or parts , something has play in it . Very easy to find. with car not running lay under the front with it sitting on the ground. Have someone move steering wheel back and forth rapidly between 10 and two Oclock. listen and feel each connection on draglink , tie rod and track bar ends ( dry steering test ) . Could be ball joints but I bet you will find it before you get to the BJ's

I agree. Dry steering test is the place to start. You want to create abrupt changes in steering input so you can observe the stability of the front end.

36psi in a 37 is too much. Drop them to 31 and try it. At 14K it's unlikely you have completely dead ball joints, so look at your toe setting, confirm your steering box is tight on the frame, and make sure your trackbar is tight (to spec) on the frame and axle end.

Agreed, too much PSI for a 37.

Yep I got the torque wrench out and checked

You mentioned you checked what YouTube said to check. Did you check the control arms, both upper and lower? And I assume you checked both ends of the track bar?

 

[Rockaholic]

I spent a few hours under it a few days ago and tried the dry steering test. Nothing jumped out. I am admittedly a newby when it comes to Jeeps but still, there wasn't a smoking gun. I felt every joint that I could.

 

[JT1]

I spent a few hours under it a few days ago and tried the dry steering test. Nothing jumped out. I am admittedly a newby when it comes to Jeeps but still, there wasn't a smoking gun. I felt every joint that I could.

drop the pressure in your tires. It's free and you are driving on basketballs with them aired up to where they are. Then go drive the route that sets it off.

 

[audibahn]

Had the same thing happen to me a few weeks ago. I noticed play in the Drag Link Adjuster Clamp even though it was torqued to spec. May be worth checking:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/major-tire-wobble-and-cure.85884/

 

[RJ McAuliffe]

ShadowsPapa clued me in that the track bar not torqued or bolt otherwise not holding it solid has been found to be a cause of problems.

Lest anyone think "it's a Jeep thing" - think again! It's happened with other trucks, too.

Ford Motor Company), says the death wobble is caused by a defect linked to abnormal wear or loosening of the track bar bushing, damper bracket, ball joints, control arms, shocks or struts.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/ford-f-250-f-350-trucks-struggle-death-wobble/
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/what-is-the-dodge-death-wobble/

If you can't find it, you might have a Warranty claim if the stabilizer is the issue. Many say the stabilizer just masks systemic problems, but the design includes it for a reason and the manufacturer would jettison the $40 material expenditure at the factory to install it if it really wasn't necessary.

The Gladiator warranty was supposedly updated to extend coverage for all parts and labor related to the failed front suspension damper for eight years or 90,000 miles.

 

[LostWoods]

ShadowsPapa clued me in that the track bar not torqued or bolt otherwise not holding it solid has been found to be a cause of problems.

Lest anyone think "it's a Jeep thing" - think again! It's happened with other trucks, too.

Ford Motor Company), says the death wobble is caused by a defect linked to abnormal wear or loosening of the track bar bushing, damper bracket, ball joints, control arms, shocks or struts.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/ford-f-250-f-350-trucks-struggle-death-wobble/
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/what-is-the-dodge-death-wobble/

If you can't find it, you might have a Warranty claim if the stabilizer is the issue. Many say the stabilizer just masks systemic problems, but the design includes it for a reason and the manufacturer would jettison the $40 material expenditure at the factory to install it if it really wasn't necessary.

The Gladiator warranty was supposedly updated to extend coverage for all parts and labor related to the failed front suspension damper for eight years or 90,000 miles.

It's included to add weight to the steering over a bump so that a single hit doesn't cause a dramatic change in steering or the wheel. It's not normal for a vehicle to suffer rapid oscillations naturally so if replacing a damper eliminates your wobble, it's just covering up the source.

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