ShadowsPapa
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Bill
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2019
- Threads
- 180
- Messages
- 29,526
- Reaction score
- 35,128
- Location
- Runnells, Iowa
- Vehicle(s)
- '22 JTO, '23 JLU, '82 SX4, '73 P. Cardin Javelin
- Occupation
- Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
- Vehicle Showcase
- 3
What most are talking about is NOT what you experienced - in fact you are the first JT I've heard talk about the "death wobble". Most are talking dead space in the steering at center point - more like a loose steering sector thing.Thanks for the reply..
When the DW happened, it was at 70 mph and I thought something had broken underneath, it was that violent..I initially didn't know what was going on..I immediately thought the new stabilizer snapped somehow..
Why would Mopar allow this to go out like this?..If this has been an ongoing problem, why wasn't it addressed?..I mean WTF?
If I had done my due diligence properly, I would have never bought this "truck" knowing this problem..Hell, just having to put in a new stabilizer just to keep the thing running straight would've been a deal breaker..
I'm gonna try and re-torque the bolts on all the hardware..but I have a feeling I'm f*ucked like everybody else.
Not looking forward to 1800 miles in this inferior vehicle..
Thanks again..
Your's is a different issue. More like a serious caster thing, not like a worn sector or dead spot.
Negative caster will cause wander, light steering, and the vehicle to want to go left or right and need correcting. Try a grocery cart with the front wheels turned forward of the point of rotation for the caster - move ahead and the wheels will to to the side, either side.
Positive caster gives a lot of correction torque - it wants to set the steering dead ahead, like shopping cart front wheels. After a turn positive caster puts the wheels straight again. It increases force needed to turn, but makes it stable. So I'd have that thing checked for alignment, too - and assume you have made NO changes to the design - no lift, no wheels with a greater or lesser offset from stock, that sort of thing.
Again, the others don't have a wobble so much as having to move the wheel too far from center to get a response. I bet you could drive every Gladiator on a dealer lot and not get one that does what you are talking about. You might find one with wander, not wobble.
This just doesn't seem to be a general Gladiator issue for the most part. The one I test drove was stable as anything I've ever driven before - and I've driven some crap in my life as a mechanic - scary stuff for sure.
What's the 1800 miles about?
Sponsored