Hey guys, i have no life and decided to try and help some of the noobs out. Hopefully we can sticky this or put it in the NAGCA tech section. Enjoy and feel free to comment:
Death Wobble – a violent shaking at a certain speed or after hitting a bump which vibrates the entire front end viciously. Almost feels like the front end of the Jeep is going to fall off. The only way to stop the Death Wobble (from now on will be referred to as DW) is to slow down to a lower speed. Should not be confused with warped rotors causing a slight vibration in the brake pedal and steering wheel. DW is VERY apparent, and you will know you have it when it happens. It is important to slow down carefully when you have DW, pull to the shoulder carefully. DO NOT SLAM ON THE BRAKES!!
DW can be due to a number of things, lift height is not one of those. Here are a list of causes of DW:
1) Worn out tie-rod or draglink ends
2) Worn out steering stabilizer
3) Warped front rotors
4) Worn out lower control arm or trackbar bushings
5) Loose suspension bolts/components (LCA bolts, trackbar bolts, trackbar bracket)
6) Wheels out of balanced
7) Tire tread uneven
8) Alignment out of whack
9) Improper driveline angles due to improper caster
These aren’t all the causes of DW, and there may be others, but these are the major contributors to DW itself. Important: Lift height does not cause DW, but improper parts or installation can cause DW to happen.
So here are some solutions, ranging from easiest/cheapest to hardest/most expensive:
1) Get an alignment, balance tires, check pressure in tires. Make sure toe (the difference of distance between the front two tires and the rear two tires) is at least 1/8” in, no more. Castor should be set close to stock, remember, most alignment shops don’t even bother to add shims to lower control arms since it takes a lot of time and effort. Make sure you ask them to do a full and complete alignment to specs.
2) Replace stock steering stabilizer with an Old Man Emu steering stabilizer from Kolak@aol.com
3) Check if rotors are warped, replace if necessary
4) Make sure all suspension components (LCA’s, trackbar, trackbar
bracket, shocks, swaybar) are all tightened to spec. Sometimes components get loose or out of whack after a couple hundred miles or a wheeling trip. The bolts that need to be checked most are the lower control arm bolts, the trackbar bolts, the jam nuts on the adjustable components, etc)
5) Check/Replace worn tie-rod/draglink/balljoints. Park next to a curb with the tires along the curb, turn the steering wheel towards the curb and have a friend watch and see if any steering parts have slop or play.
6) Replace stock suspension components with after-market products (adjustable lower and upper control arms [JKS, Rubicon Express, Teraflex, etc] and adjustable trackbar [JKS, ORGS, etc])
7) Dial in pinion angles by adjusting the lengths of the upper control arms
8) Get a new trackbar bracket from www.Kevinsoffroad.com
9) Check steering box for damage or stress, replace if necessary
10) Buy new tires/rims
11) GO LONGARMS!!! 90% it fixes DW. www.claytonoffroad.com
Death Wobble is not the easiest thing to get rid of, nor is it the easiest thing to find and cure. It can be an expensive venture, and is not the same for every Grand Cherokee. I personally spent fifty dollars on an alignment and it cured everything for me when I put on a Budget Boost. But when I went to 6”, I didn’t have a single issue with DW. Other people have taken off lifts to try and get rid of DW to no avail, so it is not lift height that matters. It is important to be persistent with DW, but remember, it’s not worth spending too much money on unless you definitely want a lift and know what you are doing.
If you do have a case of DW, it is important to check your steering components and suspension components. The violent shaking can sometimes ruin tie-rod ends, bushings, and loosen bolts.
Please contact me if this write-up contains any mistakes or you disagree with anything or if you just want to add or comment. This write-up is not a sure-fire way to cure DW, but it is a HUGE step towards finding the problem and fixing it. I would say around 95% of the time, the list above cures DW.
Patrick Chung
Alloy171@ucla.edu
AIM: alloy171
Death Wobble – a violent shaking at a certain speed or after hitting a bump which vibrates the entire front end viciously. Almost feels like the front end of the Jeep is going to fall off. The only way to stop the Death Wobble (from now on will be referred to as DW) is to slow down to a lower speed. Should not be confused with warped rotors causing a slight vibration in the brake pedal and steering wheel. DW is VERY apparent, and you will know you have it when it happens. It is important to slow down carefully when you have DW, pull to the shoulder carefully. DO NOT SLAM ON THE BRAKES!!
DW can be due to a number of things, lift height is not one of those. Here are a list of causes of DW:
1) Worn out tie-rod or draglink ends
2) Worn out steering stabilizer
3) Warped front rotors
4) Worn out lower control arm or trackbar bushings
5) Loose suspension bolts/components (LCA bolts, trackbar bolts, trackbar bracket)
6) Wheels out of balanced
7) Tire tread uneven
8) Alignment out of whack
9) Improper driveline angles due to improper caster
These aren’t all the causes of DW, and there may be others, but these are the major contributors to DW itself. Important: Lift height does not cause DW, but improper parts or installation can cause DW to happen.
So here are some solutions, ranging from easiest/cheapest to hardest/most expensive:
1) Get an alignment, balance tires, check pressure in tires. Make sure toe (the difference of distance between the front two tires and the rear two tires) is at least 1/8” in, no more. Castor should be set close to stock, remember, most alignment shops don’t even bother to add shims to lower control arms since it takes a lot of time and effort. Make sure you ask them to do a full and complete alignment to specs.
2) Replace stock steering stabilizer with an Old Man Emu steering stabilizer from Kolak@aol.com
3) Check if rotors are warped, replace if necessary
4) Make sure all suspension components (LCA’s, trackbar, trackbar
bracket, shocks, swaybar) are all tightened to spec. Sometimes components get loose or out of whack after a couple hundred miles or a wheeling trip. The bolts that need to be checked most are the lower control arm bolts, the trackbar bolts, the jam nuts on the adjustable components, etc)
5) Check/Replace worn tie-rod/draglink/balljoints. Park next to a curb with the tires along the curb, turn the steering wheel towards the curb and have a friend watch and see if any steering parts have slop or play.
6) Replace stock suspension components with after-market products (adjustable lower and upper control arms [JKS, Rubicon Express, Teraflex, etc] and adjustable trackbar [JKS, ORGS, etc])
7) Dial in pinion angles by adjusting the lengths of the upper control arms
8) Get a new trackbar bracket from www.Kevinsoffroad.com
9) Check steering box for damage or stress, replace if necessary
10) Buy new tires/rims
11) GO LONGARMS!!! 90% it fixes DW. www.claytonoffroad.com
Death Wobble is not the easiest thing to get rid of, nor is it the easiest thing to find and cure. It can be an expensive venture, and is not the same for every Grand Cherokee. I personally spent fifty dollars on an alignment and it cured everything for me when I put on a Budget Boost. But when I went to 6”, I didn’t have a single issue with DW. Other people have taken off lifts to try and get rid of DW to no avail, so it is not lift height that matters. It is important to be persistent with DW, but remember, it’s not worth spending too much money on unless you definitely want a lift and know what you are doing.
If you do have a case of DW, it is important to check your steering components and suspension components. The violent shaking can sometimes ruin tie-rod ends, bushings, and loosen bolts.
Please contact me if this write-up contains any mistakes or you disagree with anything or if you just want to add or comment. This write-up is not a sure-fire way to cure DW, but it is a HUGE step towards finding the problem and fixing it. I would say around 95% of the time, the list above cures DW.
Patrick Chung
Alloy171@ucla.edu
AIM: alloy171
