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Steering box and D/W

rysam

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Paradise, Ca.
I've searched for an answer but only found 1 post that gave any thing like what i wanted to hear.
I have had progressively worse Deathwobble over the last few weeks and i need to get it fixed. my issue is that i cant find where it's coming from. i have done the ball joints, sway bar bushings, steering stabilizer,shocks, trackbar and balanced the tires and im sure more in the last 6 months. this thing is a $$ hole.
The only 2 things I see are a bit of movement at the axle end of the TB from the rubber bushing, the bolts are tight just the bushing. also my steering box leaks fluid with about 1/8" to 1/4" of play from the shaft.
Could either/both of these two things cause dw at 50+ mph? im on very limited funds right now like the rest of us and i just cant afford to throw more $ at this thing.

its a stock 92, aw4, 4.0, 235/75/15's and a big ass dent in the door.
 
Could either/both of these two things cause dw at 50+ mph?

definitely. i'd deal with the track bar bushing first, mainly because it's cheaper if nothing else. also, if you haven't already, please check your alignment-toe and caster. toe should really be NO MORE than 1/16"-1/8". imo proper toe is very important at keeping dw at bay.
 
I've searched for an answer but only found 1 post that gave any thing like what i wanted to hear.
I have had progressively worse Deathwobble over the last few weeks and i need to get it fixed. my issue is that i cant find where it's coming from. i have done the ball joints, sway bar bushings, steering stabilizer,shocks, trackbar and balanced the tires and im sure more in the last 6 months. this thing is a $$ hole.
The only 2 things I see are a bit of movement at the axle end of the TB from the rubber bushing, the bolts are tight just the bushing. also my steering box leaks fluid with about 1/8" to 1/4" of play from the shaft.
Could either/both of these two things cause dw at 50+ mph? im on very limited funds right now like the rest of us and i just cant afford to throw more $ at this thing.

its a stock 92, aw4, 4.0, 235/75/15's and a big ass dent in the door.

It's probably the dent in the door. :)

Yes, both the steering box play and worn trackbar can/will cause DW. If you're handy with tools, and have the right tools you can rebuild the steering box for about 30 bucks.

You didn't mention Tie rod ends. Did you replace the tie rod ends on the drag link and steering linkage? Those will cause DW also.
 
definitely. i'd deal with the track bar bushing first, mainly because it's cheaper if nothing else. also, if you haven't already, please check your alignment-toe and caster. toe should really be NO MORE than 1/16"-1/8". imo proper toe is very important at keeping dw at bay.
where can i find a poly bushing? its just the rubber bushing squishing. its not worn, the trackbar is only a month old. i havent checked the alignment yet, but i havent done anything to throw it off, no wheeling,curbs,etc..


It's probably the dent in the door. :)

Yes, both the steering box play and worn trackbar can/will cause DW. If you're handy with tools, and have the right tools you can rebuild the steering box for about 30 bucks.

You didn't mention Tie rod ends. Did you replace the tie rod ends on the drag link and steering linkage? Those will cause DW also.

its cheaper and easier just to get a JY box (35$) and i think thats my weekend plan before the rain starts back up. The tre's look good. theres no visible slop when i look at them as the kids turn the wheel and the tires are solid when i try to move them by hand

thanks for your help.
 
I replaced everything tracing this issue and it turned out to be the LCA axle end bushing (passenger side) had deteriorated in just 2 years since it was replaced last time. I attributed this to the lube leak at the CAD, the lube had broken down the rubber and the bushing had compressed making the actual distance between the 2 holes on the control arm closer together shortening the LCA. I had a slight pull to the right as well. I replaced the LCA with one from another XJ that had been lifted shortly after it was new so the arm was in new condition. That fixed the DW and pull to the right. The factory bushings seem to last longer as well.

Try to find a LCA from the drivers side of a XJ that is in good shape and someone has pulled out and replaced with adjustable LCA's and put that in, its a easy cheap fix and the drivers side LCA's do not seem to wear out as fast as the passenger sides do.
 
Have somebody push up and down on the front bumper while you look for play in the steering box. I just went through this. You'll either hear it creaking or see it.
 
I jacked it up yesterday to get the load off of the steering and pretty much found the issues. the steering box clunks and slops all over,much worse than when on the ground, and the passenger side LCA bushing is so worn that i can move it easily by hand. the drivers side is not much better. TRE's all look solid. As soon as the wifey gets home from work im off to the JY for a new box at least, the bushings may have to wait a week or 2


Is there any special box to look for? I assume a newer box will bolt right in place. what about durango boxes? what i've read indicates that some need to be modded and its random as to which ones need it. i would rather not do that if i dont have to.
 
well, i replaced the box with a JY one from a 91 with 105K. man what a difference. it tracks straight and the dw is down to a slight vibe at 65-70. i think the rest of the vibe will go away with control arm bushings.
 
Any updates? I'm tracking a deahtwobble issue.

I had real deathwobble at lower speeds, mainly because my caster was 11 degrees (I followed YuccaMan's website for the lengths of the control arms corresponding with so many inches of lift, etc)

So I adjusted the caster. I'm probably in the vicinity of ~6 degrees now.

It drives alot better now. No real deathwobble. However I haven't gotten really past 50mph so far. If I hit a bump at 40-45 mph I get a wobble in the front. Not as bad as deathwobble....almost like the START of deathwobble, but it "quiets" down real fast in the front instead of progressing into full-fledged deathwobble.

My steering box has a bit of play with the shaft...not so much, just a little.

Steering is new, had it aligned, all control arms are new, tracbar and tracbar bracket are new as well. Balljoints are new, and so are hubs. I'm kind of at a loss now. The last thing would either be to continue to fine tune the caster or replace the steering box. Although I heard pinion angle > caster in terms of having too little caster vs. too much....aka a more correct pinion angle would be more important than point-on caster.

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I ended up doing the LCA bushings and a JY box. it took most of the wobble away, i think i just tightened up the front end a bit. i can still feel it wanting to shimmy over 55 and has once already after an expansion joint at a bridge. I need a balance and an alignment still though, I have been way too busy to dick with it for the last few weeks. i put a tape quickly across the tires and came up with 1/4" toe in, so if thats the case that may be the issue. but its very possible its not an accurate reading, i didnt spend a whole lot of time doing it. as soon as the family leaves and i get caught up with the honey do's i'll get back under it.
 
Hm, everything is tight on mine. I'll probably replace the steering box bolts and see if that helps. I don't mean to "steal" your thread but if your issue is most likely sweeped away under the carpet, I mind as well post here :)
 
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