horrible wobble

My 97 cherokee has developed a horrible wobble in the past couple of months.
It has a 4.5 RE kit w/ 32" bfg m/t. I have had it aligned, tires balanced and one trued. It seems to be comming from the rear b/c I have no real feedback from the steering wheel. About 50mph it develops the wobble, worsens about 55-60, then fades out but never completely. I know it is not death wobble b/c I have ridden in a jeep w/ that b4. So if anyone could help I would really appreciate it b/c I have to drive it to the beach in 3 days!

My death wobble went away when I replaced the steering stabilizer. Track bar could be an issue too, although those wouldn't affect the rear.

have you checked u-joints? do you have a SYE?

Possible bent rear axle flange??? Bent wheel??? Tire out of round????

All these things are fairly easy to check for. Just jack it up & put it on some axle stands & spin the wheels. Visual inspections are cheap & easy!

yea I have an sye and the u joints seem fine. Also I just had them balanced and one trued up so im pretty sure im ok there. I do hear a squeal when i drive throughh downtown sometimes

so do i need new wheel bearings?

mattyj said:

Possible bent rear axle flange??? Bent wheel??? Tire out of round????

All these things are fairly easy to check for. Just jack it up & put it on some axle stands & spin the wheels. Visual inspections are cheap & easy!

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X2, Just jack it up and spin the wheels first.

While your in there make sure your U-bolts and spring hangers are tight.

The squeal could indicate a U-joint or bearing going bad. You said the U-joints "seem" okay, but when they start to go, they look just fine. Check them for play, but pull your e-brake and put the tranny in neutral first, to make sure there is no pressure on the joint.

My experience says to go over a long checklist. As Mattyj suggest when wobble seems to come from the rear wheels need to be inspected visually. Also try to make an accure measuring on a "geometric table" (so is it called in my country. Also a driveshaft balance should be considered as it may trigger the death wobble. I would not forget that it could also be a result from a front problem.
I guess it is also important that you point that the wobble is increasing. I don't know how long your kit is on the jeep, but it may be the result of already "tired material" of the rear leafs that can change angles. Make different tests lowering front tire pressure and making rear higher.
Regretfully it is always suggestable TRY and FAIL method.
Good Luck from Chile.
(PD: my front DW, very heavy for moments, went out by itself)
Mike

replace the bolt that holds the stablizer to the axle . It's to small no matter how tight you get it there is still play in in the center of the bushing. I've done it to both of my jeeps and no more wobble. I run 31's on one and 34's on the other and none of them are balanced


Good luck

bigwillxj said:

I know it is not death wobble b/c I have ridden in a jeep w/ that b4.

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LOL!! That would be my Jeep he's speaking of....and if I remember his exact words when I got it to wobble for him, it was "damn dude, thats crazy!"

But anyways, I remember you showing me a slight wobble back in December, and mine did the same thing....and i've still got a bit of a shake that comes in b/w 50-55. Had the tires balanced last week, and they told me my wheel that had just been replaced from the accident about 3 months ago I was telling you about last week was bent. So I got the body shop to warranty a new wheel, have it on now, and still have the wobble.

Yours sounds worse than mine though. I know you're at the beach right now (wish I was there myself). When you get back let me see what it's doing and maybe we can figure it out....give me a call when you get back.

Voluster said:

replace the bolt that holds the stablizer to the axle . It's to small no matter how tight you get it there is still play in in the center of the bushing. I've done it to both of my jeeps and no more wobble. I run 31's on one and 34's on the other and none of them are balanced


Good luck

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!!!1 Steering stabilizers will neither cause or stop wobble. They can only mask the problem. If all other components are in good condition, properly installed and maintained, and everything is at the correct angles, no steering stabilizer is needed.

If you have wobble, put a new stabilizer on and the wobble went away...........get ready---it will be back!

!!!1 Jess, you're propagating an internet myth. Stabilizers are indeed necessary as the posts above clearly indicate. If you end up redesigning your rig in such a way that it doesn't need one, great. But from the factory they do, whey else would it be there? Enough with this OWT.

JJacobs said:

But from the factory they do, whey else would it be there? Enough with this OWT.

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They still aren't a source for DW. I've driven mine without a stabilizer with stock steering. It wanted to pull if you turned it sharp, but no DW.

Either way, he said it seems to come from the rear. Plus if it was in the steering, there would be feedback in the steering wheel. He says there is none, read the post people!

steering stabilizers are as necessary as sway bars

TRAILREADYXJ said:

They still aren't a source for DW. I've driven mine without a stabilizer with stock steering. It wanted to pull if you turned it sharp, but no DW.

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That's really great. So based on one vehicle you're qualified to offer advice on this? I've been a front end tech for 15 years and my advice on the subject is based on working on hundreds of these issues.

Quick test Jess: worn swaybar bushings cause tire wear, true or false?

JJacobs said:

That's really great. So based on one vehicle you're qualified to offer advice on this? I've been a front end tech for 15 years and my advice on the subject is based on working on hundreds of these issues.

Quick test Jess: worn swaybar bushings cause tire wear, true or false?

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So I guess since your a "front end tech" you know everything there is to know about lifted XJs :roll: .

You have no idea what experience I have, so you have no right to make these claims. I have many years of experience working on MODIFIED vehicles, and I have probably worked on many more lifted rigs than your standard front end shop will ever see. I own a small off road shop and diagnose these problems all the time!

Anyone here that actually knows what they are talking about will tell you a properly setup steering system doesn't need a stabilizer. And when related to actual death wobble, the stabilizer won't be the actual problem. Stabilizers are just there to dampen your steering when hitting bumps etc... You may feel it in the steering wheel if it is bad, but it won't cause true death wobble. It may mask it some, but DW is caused by multiple things creating an oscillation in the front end. Worn bushings (not sway bar) are usually the cause, and the track bar is the first thing to check. Many people mistake death wobble for your standard vibes, but it's definitely not the same!

So a question for you mr JJacobs, do you even know what true death wobble is???

come on folks....is the bickering really necessary? As Trailreadyxj mentioned, the issue at hand here appears to be coming from the rear end of the Jeep, so a stabililzer has nothing to do with it.

Yeah, it's when you think you're going out the side window, rolled up or not.

I suggest you look up Ford tsb 07-10-10, then try and tell me the same thing about stabilizers. No, it doesn't cover Jeeps, but a different coil sprung, track bar equipped solid front axle truck with shimmy issues.

JJacobs said:

I suggest you look up Ford tsb 07-10-10, then try and tell me the same thing about stabilizers. No, it doesn't cover Jeeps, but a different coil sprung, track bar equipped solid front axle truck with shimmy issues.

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Fords have a different suspension, yeah it has coils, but it's radius arm. The steering is also different and somewhat poorly engineered, therefore it needs them. Your comparing two different vehicles, both solid axle or not.

Either way, this isn't relevant to the thread so I digress...