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Can the infamous dead spot cause death wobble?

88trailcrawler

88trailcrawler

NAXJA Forum User
Location
OC SoCal
I am getting intermittent and inconsistent death wobble. Occasionally kicks in at off ramp deceleration or if you hit a pot hole just right.

I put a wrench on everything from control arms to steering box, drag link, tie rod, etc. only thing I found loose was the steering stabilizer at the axle end.

I put the front axle on jack stands and moved, cycled and shook the tires and steering, only real movement was in the tie rod roll.

What about tire wear/balance?
 
Tires can/will definitely affect DW. How old are your TRE's? Those can be part of the problem also. Stock steering or aftermarket?
I would rotate tires front to back and see if anything changes. How long has it been since tires have been balanced?
 
Thanks, I'll swap tires front to rear and see what happens.

Tires have only been rotated a couple times and never rebalanced since install maybe 6 years and 20k miles. (It's my kids high school car - 2nd kid)

TRE's might be 4-5 years old, but only maybe 15k miles and a handful of trail runs. They are JCR 1-ton and only running 33x10.5 AT's - should last a long time.

I'll focus on tires, they still have tread, but are getting dry and have some trail chunks out of them.
 
A rebalance may be in order As the tires wear they can/will become out of balance. Especially with the chunks out.
Have you done anything with the poly spacer? Not sure how long those last.
 
I either installed my JCR steering before they offered the poly spacer, or I just missed that part.

The dead spot was manageable for my use, wondering if can contribute to DW or wear to the point it contributes to DW.
 
whitexj98 said:
You need to do the turining the wheel inspection with the vehicle on the ground NOT on jack stands... So have someone turn the wheel back and forth while you look at all tres and especially the track bar ends.
Click to expand...

Have done that numerous times. Nothing but tie rod roll.

Tires do make most sense considering the mileage on components installed and lack of tire maintenance.
 
If fresh tires dont fix it keep looking

Any slopwill contribute to dw, tie rod roll included. Will jcr sell you a spacer??
 
souske said:
If fresh tires dont fix it keep looking

Any slopwill contribute to dw, tie rod roll included. Will jcr sell you a spacer??
Click to expand...

Yeah, they sell em individually. It's on my list.

Trying to milk a little more time out of the tires, I'll rotate them and see what happens. Tires seem most logical since the set up has worked good and tires have not been maintained.
 
it *shouldn't*

I ran inverted T without a SS for a while and it did not have any DW... it had horrible roll, but not DW.

I would start with your tire balance.

if that doesn't help, try setting your toe 1/8" to 1/4" OUT. if it goes away, then your problem is in your trackbar or draglink, or both. (Obviously you would not leave it toe'd out for long, it will wear your tires pretty good.
 
I'd say it can definitely contribute. I think that's what has been causing my DW as well. I don't have tie rod roll, but I think there is play in my steering box, meaning I can turn the wheel back and forth a tad without the tires moving. So when I hit a bad bump (no stabilizer) the tires can kinda turn side to side a little without the steering wheel moving. Yours is technically doing the same with with the roll.
 
Tie rod roll can definately contribute to DW. Many people put urethane bushings under the tie rods on both sides to limit roll.
 
4 years with this am i never had DW because of it.Now i do get with these newer tires being out of balance.So you should spend a few bucks and get that fixed first before you go to far.Like you said they haven't been done.
 
old_man said:
Tie rod roll can definately contribute to DW. Many people put urethane bushings under the tie rods on both sides to limit roll.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what happened to me with my Rugged Ridge kit. That tie rod roll screws everything up. I Had a HUGE dead spot in my steering and the Death Wobble would start immediately after accelerating out of a turn. I got an alignment, rotated the tires, tightened every single bolt twice - nothing worked.

I'd have to slow down to stop the DW, and only accelerate when going straight.

It was like clockwork:

Corner. Dead Space. Accelerate. Death Wobble.

I didn't want to fiddle with it, so I scrapped this whole system and went with Ruff Stuff heims. No dead space. No death wobble. Just awesome and it was 1/2 the price. Should have done it from the get-go.
 
Keep in mind, I have had this steering on for years and was OK with the dead spot (for my intended use).

My DW is fairly recent and very random (no clock work). Everything else has remained tight, so unless the tie rod roll has killed the TREs (no detectable wheel to wheel slop). I think my case of DW is likely tire balance and/or alignment related (especially since both have been neglected over the years)

"I think" the dead spot is a matter of individual experience and acceptance based in use. For me with 33x10.5 and a fairly tall narrow stance, the steering work fine.
 
I would definitely check your TREs and Track Bar before you go and spend the time and money on balancing your tires. I know my RR kit killed the TRE's within 5000 miles, so that could definitely be your issue. Harbor Freight sells a $10.00 clamp tool that will allow you break the mechanical weld without destroying your grease boots. You'll undoubtedly use that tool again in the future so it's money well spent IMO.

Dead spots are downright scary and dangerous to have. If you're set on keeping that kit, I would suggest getting a poly/metal spacer even if that isn't the cause of the DW.

Chasing down steering ghosts are a pain in the ass, aren't they? Grrrrrr :shiver:
 
SeeingSpots said:
This is exactly what happened to me with my Rugged Ridge kit. That tie rod roll screws everything up. I Had a HUGE dead spot in my steering and the Death Wobble would start immediately after accelerating out of a turn. I got an alignment, rotated the tires, tightened every single bolt twice - nothing worked.

I'd have to slow down to stop the DW, and only accelerate when going straight.

It was like clockwork:

Corner. Dead Space. Accelerate. Death Wobble.

I didn't want to fiddle with it, so I scrapped this whole system and went with Ruff Stuff heims. No dead space. No death wobble. Just awesome and it was 1/2 the price. Should have done it from the get-go.
Click to expand...

are you still running inverted T?

SeeingSpots said:
I would definitely check your TREs and Track Bar before you go and spend the time and money on balancing your tires. I know my RR kit killed the TRE's within 5000 miles, so that could definitely be your issue. Harbor Freight sells a $10.00 clamp tool that will allow you break the mechanical weld without destroying your grease boots. You'll undoubtedly use that tool again in the future so it's money well spent IMO.

Dead spots are downright scary and dangerous to have. If you're set on keeping that kit, I would suggest getting a poly/metal spacer even if that isn't the cause of the DW.

Chasing down steering ghosts are a pain in the ass, aren't they? Grrrrrr :shiver:
Click to expand...
a BFH will do the same thing. no need for a fancy tool.
 
rockclimber said:
are you still running inverted T?


a BFH will do the same thing. no need for a fancy tool.
Click to expand...


Negative. I went with a Crossover style. Night & Day compared to my old inverted T setup.

20130217_170429_resized_zps0c175ab1.jpg
 
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