Violent front end shimmy

hey everybody, i just lifted my 2000 xj sport yesterday with a 3" Rusty's lift kit (full leaf in rear), and replaced the sway bar links with quick disconnects. everything is tight and nice but ONLY when i roll over bumps, even freakin small ones, the front end starts vibrating violently as if i had basket balls instead of tires. Today i changed the wheel joints which were in bad shape thinkin they might be binding and causing it to shake, but the shaking problem remains. I jacked up the front end with the steering wheel locked and noticed that both wheels have left and right play (about a 1/4in or so) but all my rods joints and bushings seem tight/normal. could the problem be my steering gear box? what do you think it could be?

Thanks

Its Death Wobble, do a search...
Could be anything in the front suspension or steering, check everything, get an alignment get the tire balanced. Check ALL bushings, bearings, bolts and joints for tightness, check Ujoints.

jeeper98xj said:

hey everybody, i just lifted my 2000 xj sport yesterday with a 3" Rusty's lift kit (full leaf in rear), and replaced the sway bar links with quick disconnects. everything is tight and nice but ONLY when i roll over bumps, even freakin small ones, the front end starts vibrating violently as if i had basket balls instead of tires. Today i changed the wheel joints which were in bad shape thinkin they might be binding and causing it to shake, but the shaking problem remains. I jacked up the front end with the steering wheel locked and noticed that both wheels have left and right play (about a 1/4in or so) but all my rods joints and bushings seem tight/normal. could the problem be my steering gear box? what do you think it could be?

Thanks

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What did you do about the trac bar? stock one still on? did you relocate it.check the bolt at axle end and make sure the TRE is good and bracket is tight..

All i have changed are the front coils and rear leaf springs, sway bar links and shocks. with the 3" lift you shouldnt have to change anything else, at least from what the kit, Rusty's and other people have told me. My last 2000 xj which is gone now, had the exact same lift kit and rode 2 and a half years with no problem. I do need an alignment. Whats a TRE?

it has the stock trac bar and location

That kit should come with shocks too. Which ones did you go with?

I had the same kit, very nice ride. I did go with the heavy duty 305 coils though, do you have the 300 or 305 coils?

i got the 305's last time i got the 300's and they sagged, i used the shocks they gave me

The tie rod end on the trac bar and check the bushing also, at axle end.and the bracket to make sure it's tight. what you have is death wobble and it's usually caused by something wrong with trac bar.. are your front wheels centered after lift.

start off with an alignment... then work from there... you shouldnt have bad death wobble with only a 3" lift. also try rotating your tires.

the wheels are pointed a little towards the passenger side if you put the steering wheel straight after lift, but there is no pulling while driving (if that makes sense) After lift the steering wheel is pointed left at about 10 o'clock when driving down the road, but the truck doesnt pull

ill have to look closer into the trac bar ends and the tie rod, etc, then get an alignment, thanks!

I don't know why the lift instructions aren't more clear about how necessary a post lift alignment is. It's not just to check that everything's on straight. A lift toes in XJ's around .75 inch!

Maybe it should go in a sticky. New lift drives like crap? Was it aligned?

Well his drag link needs to be adjusted and it sounds like he didnt relocate the trac bar or buy another. and he has death wobble bad. i am beetin his trac bar is worn out..

first, get an alignment or do it yourself.

if you get the alignment done at a shop, make sure they center the steering wheel and get a printout of the specs.

if you do the alignment yourself, you adjust the tierod for toe and to center the steering wheel, the collar on the draglink gets adjusted.

is there a need for an adjustable trackbar or drill mount or trackbar bracket? i say yes while other will say no. IMHO, something needs to be done about the trackbar when lifting 3" or more inches. the axle is supposed to be centered and at 3" of lift the axle does get pulled towards the drivers side. it gets pulled enough that i can see it with my eyes.

can it be driven with the axle not centered, yes, many people do. i drove mine for a few months until i had the money for an adjustable trackbar.

what are wheel joints? do you mean hub unit bearings or axle ujoints? wheel movement left to right is usually bad unit bearing hubs. when you replaced them, if you did, was the 36mm nut torqued to 175lbs?

steering stablizer worn out or not strong enough for tires?

gm tech said:

steering stablizer worn out or not strong enough for tires?

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Bite your tongue, man! After experiencing death wobble ONCE, I installed a stabilizer, which eliminated the wobble. I got so much crap from so many people on the forums... The wobble does indicate you've got bigger issues that need to be addressed. Could be something as simple as the track-bar mount holes getting egged out, allowing side to side play (which was the problem I'd had), worn bushings, ball joints, poor alignment, etc...
Take it in for an alignment - at the very least, they'll get you close to where you need to be and point out the problem areas. You may have some difficulty finding a shop that'll touch your rig - I know I did. The big chain shops out here won't touch my XJ due to the lift.
That said, my OPINION is that it's idiotic to run a lifted solid axle rig with oversized tires on the street without a stabilizer. It's cheap insurance against a serious accident. Even with a perfect alignment and fresh parts, you might bend or damage something out on the trail that would cause death wobble later on.
Steering, suspension and brakes are three areas you don't want to take chances, since the stakes are so high.
:soapbox:

Stabilizer was the cure for me. Quick fix and what a differance.arty:

I don't really think a stabilizer does anything. ESPECIALLY fixing death wobble.:doh:

bosco01xj said:

I don't really think a stabilizer does anything. ESPECIALLY fixing death wobble.:doh:

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It's not a fix, it's a band-aid. But a band-aid that could save your ass. If you're experiencing death wobble after installing a stabilizer, you've got some majorly worn parts (at the knuckle?). Even then, the stabilizer should prevent the oscillations from turning in to a violent enough affair that you'd lose complete control of your rig.