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wicked vibe - need help!!

1998xj1985

NAXJA Forum User
getting a fairly substantial vibration from the front.
specs.

98 4x4 aw4 np 242
4.5" rubicon lift + sye/new ds
33" bfg at's

just started a few weeks back. tried changing out worn steering parts - no good. seems to happen at fairly specific speeds every time i drive - 27-30mph, 35-40mph, 47-50mph. seems to be the same driving or coasting, independent of gear selection on the transmission and the front shaft is already out. the rear shaft is good and tight, and the angle is good. i'm thinking ujoints in the axles or maybe hubs, can't seem to tell if turning makes a difference in the vibration. all other suspension components appear to be tight. anyone have any experience/ideas so i'm not just throwing money at the problem till it goes away?
 
You say this just happened recently, so I don't know if my test will help since it may be something completely different.

Try jacking up the front tires one at a time. Grab a tire with both hands at a 12:00 and 6:00 position and see if there is any play. Now grab it at 3:00 and 9:00 and see if there's any wiggle in the tire.

Hope this makes sense... It's one way to check for problems. I had trouble with my wheel bearings and the aforementioned test helped me. They are easy to fix, but mine were really expensive.
 
Chris @ GATR said:
How is the pinion angle?

about a degree and a half below the ds. if the angle was off though wouldn't the vibes have been there all along? also, i was able to get on a smooth flat road, vibes seem to be lessened by turning left. worsened by turning right. left front hub/ujoint?
 
4LowandGo said:
You say this just happened recently, so I don't know if my test will help since it may be something completely different.

Try jacking up the front tires one at a time. Grab a tire with both hands at a 12:00 and 6:00 position and see if there is any play. Now grab it at 3:00 and 9:00 and see if there's any wiggle in the tire.

Hope this makes sense... It's one way to check for problems. I had trouble with my wheel bearings and the aforementioned test helped me. They are easy to fix, but mine were really expensive.

haven't been able to jack it up yet, but i wanted to check that once i got some time/space - it will be a good time to test my new hi lift :clap:
 
no apparent play when rocking the tire from top/bottom or sides. seems to spin smoothly, no really odd sounds. i have a set of u joints ordered, any other easy tests you guys can think of?
 
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