Could a worn steering damper cause shimmy?

[Rattle Trap]

I have a 93 XJ with 277k miles on it. I never replaced the steering damper. I have a shimmy at around 60 mph but it doesn't happen all the time. It will go away. It got better when I had tires balanced and rotated but it will still shimmy at times. Not a death wobble but a shimmy or shake. I looked underneath and noticed that the bushings are worn on the steering damper. From what I have found from researching them, they are not really the cause of shaking or shimmying. Some jeep owners don't even find them necessary and take them off completely. Should I bother to replace it or is the problem more likely being caused by something else? I appreciate any advice you can provide.

 

[foreveryoung001]

I would start with checking all the tie rod ends and ball joints. If they are all good, then I would suspect it is either slightly out of alignment, or your tires have an issue. A broken belt in a tire can easily cause your issue.

 

[Rattle Trap]

It was a bad winter here in NJ and I did hit a lot of really bad pot holes! I will check those parts you mentioned when I get a chance to get underneath again and take a better look. Thanks for the information, I will keep you updated on what I find.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

A worn steering damper will exacerbate a shimmy. I would
also check the track bar bushings for looseness.

 

[md21722]

Shimmies and vibrations are usually caused by rotating parts but can be worsened by loose or worn non-rotating parts. You really need to check the suspension and driveline out. Tires, wheels, u-joints, and bearings are all common sources of vibrations. If there is rust around the caps of the axle u-joint its shot. Non rotating parts such as worn ball joints would feel like the wheel is moving around on rough roads. Worn steering linkage would show up as steering slop.

 

[WB9YZU]

In addition to all of the above, the answer to the question in the title is "Yes".
Not exactly the "cause", but the steering Dampers job is to kill those oscillations before they get out of control. If it's bad, and at 227k what isn't ,it probably is 'worn'
-Ron

 

[Truckedup]

Mine had a moderate shimmy at around 50- 60 mph over rough pavement. A new steering stabilizer cured the problem. But the lower ball joints are getting loose and I suspect that's the real problem.
My daughter's XJ was undriveable over 50 MPH because of a severe shimmy. A new track bar fixed it.

 

[93gc40]

A new stabilizer might HIDE or lessen the shimmies.... It will not fix them.

 

[hot_rod_hooligans]

Just did a 4" lift on my 96 w/226k on it and factory ball joints, I replaced all the steering and new track bar, but didn't put a stabilizer back in, no steering issues with the exception of it being a little darty from the caster being off(fixed LCA, factory UCA), this should be fixed when I do my long arms this summer.

 

[JWheeler]

A new stabilizer might HIDE or lessen the shimmies.... It will not fix them.

What he said. I haven't had a stabilizer in for a year. Drive it everyday. If everything else is right, you don't need a stabilizer. There are other problems.

 

[Hoooper]

In addition to all of the above, the answer to the question in the title is "Yes".

the answer to the title question is "no". A worn steering damper cannot cause a shimmy. A damper that is worn, or even missing cant cause the steering to shimmy, it can only make the shimmy less dampened than it would be with a good damper. If you take the damper off, a properly set up and maintained steering setup still doesnt shimmy.

 

[yossarian19]

The engineers who designed the XJ suspension regarded a damper as necessary to dampen oscillations caused by acceptably worn parts. A bad damper will allow things that the engineers regarded as normal / acceptable to develop into shimmy / death wobble.
That said, those oscillations are starting in other components - not the damper.

 

[93gc40]

Cause Shimmy, NO. Reduce or prevent shimmy - YES.

 

[5-90]

I have a 93 XJ with 277k miles on it. I never replaced the steering damper. I have a shimmy at around 60 mph but it doesn't happen all the time. It will go away. It got better when I had tires balanced and rotated but it will still shimmy at times. Not a death wobble but a shimmy or shake. I looked underneath and noticed that the bushings are worn on the steering damper. From what I have found from researching them, they are not really the cause of shaking or shimmying. Some jeep owners don't even find them necessary and take them off completely. Should I bother to replace it or is the problem more likely being caused by something else? I appreciate any advice you can provide.

It won't cause it, but it won't cover it up anymore, either.

Concur with advice previously given - check your steering linkage and suchlike while you're planning on replacing the damper (it's nice to have - but it's not strictly necessary, and it's just "along for the ride" if everything is working properly.)

I've detailed how to check the tie rod ends and ball joints elsewhere, it can be done with minimal equipment (big pair of channel-lock pliers, floor jack, long bar.)

This may seem like a stupid thing to check - but I would also suggest breaking loose all lugs and tightening them down properly, using a torque wrench. With oversized tyres, uneven application of clamping force from lugs "torqued at random" gets magnified, and can cause problems with light trucks that wouldn't happen with passenger cars (it's uncommon, but I have known it to happen. This is why there's a torque wrench with the torque spec labelled on the handle tucked under the back seat, with the OEM tyre-changing gear...)