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

[Snowcavemike]

After 2 years with my JT Sport S - I finally pulled the trigger on a 2.5 lift.

Specifically - Teraflex 2.5 spacer lift. I also got the Teraflex front/rear adjustable track bar AND Teraflex front lower control arms. Also Bilstein 5100s front and back.

The lift was installed at a reputable 4x4 shop who I used before when I had a front level installed (also Teraflex).

The lift was installed last Friday and I never had any issues or complaints except today - I was on the interstate for a quick trip and roughly traveling 75mph I hit a small bump in the road and the front end and the steering wheel started shaking violently like it had extreme shivering/rigors.

I slowed down to around 55mph and it went away. Wondering if it was a random event, I drove over that same stretch and replicated the shaking/wobble which again went away when I slowed up.

I called the shop and they are going to take it back in Monday for an inspection.

What do y’all think? Something not torqued down right? I’ve never had this issue before in the 21k miles I’ve
If you want a lifted vehicle, the various lifts take into the geometry changes. The lift puts more stress on the components. Steer Smart and a sector

After 2 years with my JT Sport S - I finally pulled the trigger on a 2.5 lift.

Specifically - Teraflex 2.5 spacer lift. I also got the Teraflex front/rear adjustable track bar AND Teraflex front lower control arms. Also Bilstein 5100s front and back.

The lift was installed at a reputable 4x4 shop who I used before when I had a front level installed (also Teraflex).

The lift was installed last Friday and I never had any issues or complaints except today - I was on the interstate for a quick trip and roughly traveling 75mph I hit a small bump in the road and the front end and the steering wheel started shaking violently like it had extreme shivering/rigors.

I slowed down to around 55mph and it went away. Wondering if it was a random event, I drove over that same stretch and replicated the shaking/wobble which again went away when I slowed up.

I called the shop and they are going to take it back in Monday for an inspection.

What do y’all think? Something not torqued down right? I’ve never had this issue before in the 21k miles I’ve put on it.
I've heard multiple people have death wobble with spacer lifts. Buy a sector shaft brace and beefy steering parts and the death wobble should go away

Sponsored

 

[Jteakus]

I'd still like to see you balance your tires and see how bad (or good) the balance is,

 

[RubiNewbCB]

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

That's the plan, ordering it this weekend.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

Like some the others, I also think those Swaybar enlinks in the front are too long. With 3.5" of front lift I used the MC 12.25" front endlinks and my swaybar is almost parallel to the ground. Also your coils do look bowed out or bound, they're are coil correction pads that help with that.

Also, if your shop torqued all your control arms while on the lift with the suspension unsprung, that could be part of the problem.


When the dust settles from buying the steering dampner, maybe consider these...

https://metalcloak.com/jk-jl-sway-bar-link-extension-kit-12-25.html

https://metalcloak.com/jl-wrangler-jt-gladiaro-front-coil-correction-pads.html

 

[Sigz]

Just wanted to thank you all for the replies, tips, and advice.

Driving over the same highway with many “seams” I never had any issue with the wobble returning.

I also looked at the springs on both sides and both are vertically straight. I think the angle of the camera I had when taking the photo distorted the height of the sway bars and the angle of the springs.

I’m not sure about the sway bars - they should be the appropriate lengths on the front and back as they are the ones that came with the Teraflex lift

I am currently at discount tire getting a quick tire rotation and balance check.

I not it’s not a lot but getting my own 250lbs torque wrench and checking the torque on the bolts this weekend was a bit enlightening. At the end of day it is bolts and nuts. It has given me some light that I should pursue to work on my own JT.

I’d like to pursue that and slowly acquire a good impact wrench and floor jack / jack stands.

 

[Lunentucker]

 

[piroman683]

The photo the OP shared of the extra stablizer followed by an image of one of the front coil springs. That coil spring looks like it is bowing a bit which tells me your trac bar is not at the correct adjusted length.

I have seen this happen where the trac bars are adjusted too long or short which impacts thrust angle which can lead to DW. Based on that shop not properly fixing the actual issue I'd be surprised if they set the trac bar to the correct length. Be sure to take a tape measure and make sure both uppers are Exactly the same length (within 1/16) too.

 

[Charles 236]

I wouldn't sweat the combination of an aftermarket steering damper and an original equipment damper if it does what you want it to do. Back in the late '90s, Dodge issued a TSB for steering shimmy on the heavier trucks (2500s and 3500s) with straight axles. It told us to add an additional damper (If my memory is correct, it was a Rancho damper). We were instructed to leave the original damper in place. This worked well enough that nobody ever came back complaining about shimmy anymore.

 

[Sigz]

Am I going down the rabbit hole?

 

[Lunentucker]

Am I going down the rabbit hole?

I have twice as many tools as I did before I owned my Gladiator.

 

[Sigz]

I have twice as many tools as I did before I owned my Gladiator.

Already eyeing up an M18 high torque impact wrench to continue with my M18 line that I have at home.

 

[piroman683]

I wouldn't sweat the combination of an aftermarket steering damper and an original equipment damper if it does what you want it to do. Back in the late '90s, Dodge issued a TSB for steering shimmy on the heavier trucks (2500s and 3500s) with straight axles. It told us to add an additional damper (If my memory is correct, it was a Rancho damper). We were instructed to leave the original damper in place. This worked well enough that nobody ever came back complaining about shimmy anymore.

I think this is not ideal advice. There are no TSBs for "shimmy" for the JT, and almost any issue I helped others on was a result of things not properly torqued, aligned, and geometrically correct. The OP acknowledged being new to this so there's an opportunity to share information on how to properly diagnose these things, which are, unfortunately, a PITA.

I race and beat the shit out of my JT and don't have any issues with DW (or bent frame, but I won't stir that pot right now haha).

 

[Charles 236]

I think this is not ideal advice. There are no TSBs for "shimmy" for the JT, and almost any issue I helped others on was a result of things not properly torqued, aligned, and geometrically correct. The OP acknowledged being new to this so there's an opportunity to share information on how to properly diagnose these things, which are, unfortunately, a PITA.

I race and beat the shit out of my JT and don't have any issues with DW (or bent frame, but I won't stir that pot right now haha).

My intention was to inform the OP that there was a precedent for adding an aftermarket damper while retaining the original damper, and that it was from the factory. While there are no TSBs saying to add a damper to the one factory installed on the JT, it doesn't mean that it can't achieve the result he wants. It is not an ideal solution, it would be better to find the source of the shimmy, but it sounds like he has already had a couple of shops involved, with no results. It could be that there is a geometry issue, but without actually examining the vehicle we can't know.

Sponsored