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

[yoda13]

Well I went out and checked/re-torqued the:

Front track bar @ 110#

Lower Control Arms @ 190#

Took it for a test drive and still have the same wobble hitting the same bump at 70mph.

Damn.

If everything is torqued properly, I would check your ball joints, tire PSI, and tire balance.

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[ross neill]

Tie rod ends can cause that

 

[Sigz]

Did you check the front wheels for missing wheel weights?

Ya know, I just took a look..... I can't say what were on there before but this is what I found:


LF had multiple weights

LR had three or four weights

RF had zero weights?

RR had a few less then the LF it appeared


Hmmm.... Is that odd for the RF to have zero weights?

Would an imbalance in tire weights cause a wobble at speed in general? This wobble happens when I hit a bump at at least 70mph.

 

[Sigz]

If everything is torqued properly, I would check your ball joints, tire PSI, and tire balance.

Ball Joints? Don't know how to check that. The 4x4 shop will hopefully check them over. Although, like I mentioned - I had this lift on for a week and have had zero issues with a wobble before then..


Tire PSI? Was at 34psi.

Tire balance? See other post regarding weights.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Ya know, I just took a look..... I can't say what were on there before but this is what I found:


LF had multiple weights

LR had three or four weights

RF had zero weights?

RR had a few less then the LF it appeared


Hmmm.... Is that odd for the RF to have zero weights?

Would an imbalance in tire weights cause a wobble at speed in general? This wobble happens when I hit a bump at at least 70mph.

They normally need some weight. Unless that one was perfect. I’d rotate the tires and try hitting that bump again.

 

[Lunentucker]

Ball Joints? Don't know how to check that. The 4x4 shop will hopefully check them over. Although, like I mentioned - I had this lift on for a week and have had zero issues with a wobble before then..

It's all covered in the thread I linked in my first reply.
Keep ignoring it. Who knows? Maybe it will fix itself.

 

[Sigz]

They normally need some weight. Unless that one was perfect. I’d rotate the tires and try hitting that bump again.

Yeah I called discount and asked and they said if the tire was installed at the time and balanced - it doesn’t necessarily mean they all should have weights.

 

[Sigz]

It's all covered in the thread I linked in my first reply.
Keep ignoring it. Who knows? Maybe it will fix itself.

Thanks. Yes I don’t mean to forget a lot of the info you posted.

I am not mechanically savvy so a lot of this is information overload - especially for a guy who is trying to figure out why his JT shakes while keeping a 3 year old toddler company, while also trying to support my wife who is busy nursing our three week old.
Just sucks to have this vehicle in this state - it is now not dependable to drive my family for the current time.

 

[Lunentucker]

Thanks. Yes I don’t mean to forget a lot of the info you posted.

I am not mechanically savvy so a lot of this is information overload - especially for a guy who is trying to figure out why his JT shakes while keeping a 3 year old toddler company, while also trying to support my wife who is busy nursing our three week old.
Just sucks to have this vehicle in this state - it is now not dependable to drive my family for the current time.

LOL. I'm fully retired and the JT was too high-maintenance for my tastes.

I learned a LOT about them in two years, mostly from these forums and YouTube.
Torque specs are posted as well. They are for stock components.
Aftermarket will either use stock hardware or they'll replace and publish their own specs accordingly.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/-2020-2023-jt-gladiator-torque-values-all-of-them-in-one-place.67915/

There are also some mods and tips from my own experiences in my build post, linked in my signature.

 

[Sigz]

What about the tie rod / drag link? Could those be a cause for the DW? I didn't check / torq those.

 

[audibahn]

What about the tie rod / drag link? Could those be a cause for the DW? I didn't check / torq those.

Possibly. Look at the play in my drag link clamp before tightening it further. Enough for a full on wobble.

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

 

[Sigz]

Possibly. Look at the play in my drag link clamp before tightening it further. Enough for a full on wobble.

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

Thanks I will check that tomorrow!

Also I will check the ends of the tie rod and drag link.

 

[Hootbro]

Did the install shop sell you on that spacer lift and all the other stuff? Just seems weird to go through all that work and not forego the spacers for a proper set of lift springs.

 

[Reddout99]

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.

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.

Let us know what they find.

 

[Sigz]

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.

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.

Let us know what they find.

You are probably right. Thanks. I think I should hold tight from here on out.

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