It happened to me: Death Wobble after spacer lift. Help!

[Sigz]

Thanks for all of the replies. I slept on it overnight and the best play is to let the 4x4 shop look at it - like they will tomorrow (Monday). I'm hoping that they will be open about the situation, and realize that the problem occurred AFTER the lift was installed.

I do want to understand the spec torquing numbers - related to the front track bar.

Can someone explain why Teraflex has the specs @ 52llbs + 155° (REF: 200 Ft Lbs) vs the Mopar 1110lbs?

Does that mean the final torque weight will be around 200# per the Teraflex? I mean - if that's so.... Wouldn't the 110# that the track bar is torqued to be to loose?

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[Pismo61]

Like you said in your initial post: you contacted the shop and they will take a look at everything on Monday. You're going to get yourself stressed out coming here to look for help. Like almost everyone said, it could be any number of things. Personally, I wouldn't start doing anything to it, unless you absolutely have to for drivability, because the shop may say you did something that changed something after the fact. My advice: Just chill and wait till Monday.



Let us know what they find.

I understand what Discount Tire said and trust them, I have been using them for years without issue. But I don't think I ever had a tire & wheel mounted without any weight.
I have a 285/70-17 KO2(of all tires) now with no weights Road Forced by Discount/Americas Tire now.I was scratching my head on that one.Another tire has what looks like a lot of weight.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

I'm gonna wager it's Track Bar bushings and or bolts, plus torque specs. NAPA sells Grade 8 Gold dipped bolts, 9/16 x 3" 12 pitch plus Nylock Nuts and washers.

 

[Sigz]

I'm gonna wager it's Track Bar bushings and or bolts, plus torque specs. NAPA sells Grade 8 Gold dipped bolts, 9/16 x 3" 12 pitch plus Nylock Nuts and washers.

Thanks for the reply.

Do you think the bushings would be shot on a brand new Teraflex front track bar?

 

[Sigz]

Here’s a video I shot today of the wobble.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

Thanks for the reply.

Do you think the bushings would be shot on a brand new Teraflex front track bar?

Did you reuse the factory bolts?

 

[Sigz]

Did you reuse the factory bolts?

I didn’t install - but they appear to be the factory bolts.

By the way - I torqued the bolts to 130# yesterday before I decided to quit and let the shop deal with it.

But I’ve read on the JL forums that Teraflex advised people to crank them to 150#s.

 

[drexotic]

I'm betting it's a geometry issue caused by the lift. It appears (but I may be wrong) that the new lower control arms are not adjustable (common with many lift kits). This would explain why the wobble starts with the bumpy section of road and not the specific speed.
The answer is often geometry correction brackets (such as those made by AEV) or going to adjustable lower control arms.

 

[Sigz]

I'm betting it's a geometry issue caused by the lift. It appears (but I may be wrong) that the new lower control arms are not adjustable (common with many lift kits). This would explain why the wobble starts with the bumpy section of road and not the specific speed.
The answer is often geometry correction brackets (such as those made by AEV) or going to adjustable lower control arms.

Thanks for the reply and suggestion.

https://teraflex.com/jl-jt-sport-control-arm-kit-front-lower-1-5-3-5-2-5-3-5.html

These are the control arms that fit specifically with that lift. I know they are not adjustable, but they are the recommended for this specific lift to correct caster.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

Thanks for the reply and suggestion.

https://teraflex.com/jl-jt-sport-control-arm-kit-front-lower-1-5-3-5-2-5-3-5.html

These are the control arms that fit specifically with that lift. I know they are now adjustable, but they are the recommended for this specific lift to correct caster.

I'm running those control arms now. With AEV SC 2.5" Springs and the TereFlex 1" Spacer and 37s. With the MetalCloak shock extensions. I just installed the MetalCloak front Track Bar and thicker bolts yesterday and it tightened everything up. I had a shimmer at 40mph if i hit a bump.


I will be installing the MetalCloak Geo Brackets this coming weekend too.

 

[Sigz]

I'm running those control arms now. With AEV SC 2.5" Springs and the TereFlex 1" Spacer and 37s. With the MetalCloak shock extensions. I just installed the MetalCloak front Track Bar and thicker bolts yesterday and it tightened everything up. I had a shimmer at 40mph if i hit a bump.


I will be installing the MetalCloak Geo Brackets this coming weekend too.

Thanks for the reply. Did you use those bolts on the LCA's as well? Or just the track bar.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

Thanks for the reply. Did you use those bolts on the LCA's as well? Or just the track bar.

(Of course my toddler is woke up sick so I don't think I'm going to get it to the 4x4 shop today to get this taken care of).

I bought the MetalCloak bolt on Lower Control Arm skids guards and they had Grade 8 bolts in the kit so axle side has those bolts, frame side has factory.

MetalCloak sells an improved Bolt Kit but it's pricey. Like $244. You could probably source all of those bolts through NAPA for at least half of that.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

https://metalcloak.com/jt-gladiator-grade-8-stock-hardware-upgrade-kit.html

 

[Lunentucker]

I'm running those control arms now. With AEV SC 2.5" Springs and the TereFlex 1" Spacer and 37s. With the MetalCloak shock extensions. I just installed the MetalCloak front Track Bar and thicker bolts yesterday and it tightened everything up. I had a shimmer at 40mph if i hit a bump.


I will be installing the MetalCloak Geo Brackets this coming weekend too.

Get their sector shaft brace too.
It's the best out there.

 

[Sigz]

Welllll I was able to get it into the 4x4 shop.

The guys re-checked/torqued all of the bolts of the new parts, and did a look over of the rest of the front suspension and re-checked the alignment.

They summarized that everything checked out - and recommended the seemingly universally hated and dreaded "band aid fix' - a new steering stabilizer. He had the Falcon Nexus EF 2.2 in stock and ready to install.

Listen, I didn't want to offend the shop/mechanic as I have used them before without any issues - and again, they are very highly recommended. And my knowledge level goes as far as what I read on forums. So I went ahead and let them put on the stabilizer. He actually didn't charge me for labor which was cool... and the part was like $385.

I know, again I'm sure a lot of you are shaking your heads.

All I kept thinking in my head is - my wife is probably wanting to strangle my neck at the moment for putting a lift on my JT that I really only wanted for aesthetics, but now that I've done that I have allowed something to screw up to the point where if we take a trip on the interstate and I'm going 70mph and I hit a bump - my Jeep goes in death wobble mode as my three year old and three week old are in the back... Oh, and I let a 4x4 shop do the work on my slightly over two year oldish JT and not the "official" dealer who wanted to put on an incomplete MOPAR lift for like $4k total.

I know, I know. The real problem is not fixed apparently. But I drove home, went over the same line/seam in the road bridge where I kept getting the DW, sped up to 75mph and drove right over it without the shakes.

The one thing I am super confused about, and have to call the 4x4 shop back is.... it looks like the OEM MOPAR steering stabilizer is still..... on? Along with the new Falcon Nexus....

Is this right? I don't know. Again, I'm a noob when it comes to this stuff. Driving it, it felt right... but why is the old one still on along with the new?

Then I started watching a few youtbe videos and it looks like there are multiple ways of mounting these things..

It's Monday late AM and I think I need a drink or a reset to the point where I just go back to my JT with the simple 1.5 level.

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