seanof30306@yahoo.
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Tulsa, Ok
OK, so in 2010, I bought a Death Wobble Kit from Kevin's Offroad. It consisted of a tubular adjustable track bar with polyurethane bushings, a heavy-duty track bar mount, and a heavy-duty steering damper.
When I installed it, not only did the DW disappear, but the handling improved, too. Going down the highway, it just felt much more solid.
So, it's 45,000 miles later. I'd begun to see DW again at 42,000 miles later, but kind of expected it. The Bridgestone Duellers, which I put on when I put the KOR Death Wobble Kit on, are about at the end of their life.
The steering damper was leaking a little fluid, so I replaced it. I was initially looking for a beefier one, but someone on here suggested going with a stock-replacement damper from Monroe with a lifetime warranty. He said it might not last as long as a beefier one, but if it failed, all you have to do is pull it off, take it to the parts store, and get a new one under warranty.
At the last minute, standing at the counter at O'reilly's, I couldn't help myself. Instead of buying the 24.95 stock replacement damper with the lifetime warranty, I bought the 69.95 heavy duty damper with the lifetime warranty. It's been about 3,000 miles with no more DW.
The steering box went out recently, so we replaced it. After we did, I was up under the Jeep while someone turned the steering wheel lock-to lock. The steering box was fine, but at full lock, the steering damper mount was flexing like crazy!
We pulled the damper off. The mount had failed, and the bushing was so jammed up in the end of the bar that we could not get it out, no matter how much BFH work we did.
I thought about getting the mount welded and taking the track bar to the machine shop to have the bushing pressed out, but I was pretty disgusted with Kevin's Off Road last year when I tried to get answers if the extreme-duty steering damper failing at 42,000 road-only miles was the use I should expect out of it, and now the track bar was screwed up.
I decided to buy a Rugged Ridge adjustable track bar w/mounting bracket. http://www.ruggedridge.com/hd-adj-front-track-bar-18205-05.html
It's on, and going down the road, the Jeep drives as good as it ever has. There are a couple of issues.
The first are bumps. My Jeep has a pretty firm ride. Hitting bumps going down the road feels about normal, but when you hit a sharp bump, even at really low speeds, it's "WHAM!" It never did that with the factory trackbar, and it never did it with the KOR bar.
The second is braking. Normal braking is fine, but the other day I hit a bump while braking, and the front wheels hopped pretty bad. I've had this Jeep 19 1/2 years, and it's never done that.
I went into an empty parking lot, got up to about 30 a couple of times, and jammed on the brakes. Not exactly sure how to describe it, but it just didn't feel right. The wheels didn't exactly hop, but it felt like they were wanting to.
When I first got the Jeep, I did that 30 mph panic stop thing quite a few times to teach myself how the ABS felt and to learn how to steer while braking. I've done it a number of other times over the years as I taught my nieces and nephews and my girlfriend's kids to drive. It's always felt sure and under perfect control.
Now, it feels mushy and strange. A couple of times, there's been a clunking sound.
I got up under it and checked everything for tightness, I can't find anything wrong.
The only things that have changed are the trackbar and mounting bracket, and the steering box and hoses.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
When I installed it, not only did the DW disappear, but the handling improved, too. Going down the highway, it just felt much more solid.
So, it's 45,000 miles later. I'd begun to see DW again at 42,000 miles later, but kind of expected it. The Bridgestone Duellers, which I put on when I put the KOR Death Wobble Kit on, are about at the end of their life.
The steering damper was leaking a little fluid, so I replaced it. I was initially looking for a beefier one, but someone on here suggested going with a stock-replacement damper from Monroe with a lifetime warranty. He said it might not last as long as a beefier one, but if it failed, all you have to do is pull it off, take it to the parts store, and get a new one under warranty.
At the last minute, standing at the counter at O'reilly's, I couldn't help myself. Instead of buying the 24.95 stock replacement damper with the lifetime warranty, I bought the 69.95 heavy duty damper with the lifetime warranty. It's been about 3,000 miles with no more DW.
The steering box went out recently, so we replaced it. After we did, I was up under the Jeep while someone turned the steering wheel lock-to lock. The steering box was fine, but at full lock, the steering damper mount was flexing like crazy!
We pulled the damper off. The mount had failed, and the bushing was so jammed up in the end of the bar that we could not get it out, no matter how much BFH work we did.
I thought about getting the mount welded and taking the track bar to the machine shop to have the bushing pressed out, but I was pretty disgusted with Kevin's Off Road last year when I tried to get answers if the extreme-duty steering damper failing at 42,000 road-only miles was the use I should expect out of it, and now the track bar was screwed up.
I decided to buy a Rugged Ridge adjustable track bar w/mounting bracket. http://www.ruggedridge.com/hd-adj-front-track-bar-18205-05.html
It's on, and going down the road, the Jeep drives as good as it ever has. There are a couple of issues.
The first are bumps. My Jeep has a pretty firm ride. Hitting bumps going down the road feels about normal, but when you hit a sharp bump, even at really low speeds, it's "WHAM!" It never did that with the factory trackbar, and it never did it with the KOR bar.
The second is braking. Normal braking is fine, but the other day I hit a bump while braking, and the front wheels hopped pretty bad. I've had this Jeep 19 1/2 years, and it's never done that.
I went into an empty parking lot, got up to about 30 a couple of times, and jammed on the brakes. Not exactly sure how to describe it, but it just didn't feel right. The wheels didn't exactly hop, but it felt like they were wanting to.
When I first got the Jeep, I did that 30 mph panic stop thing quite a few times to teach myself how the ABS felt and to learn how to steer while braking. I've done it a number of other times over the years as I taught my nieces and nephews and my girlfriend's kids to drive. It's always felt sure and under perfect control.
Now, it feels mushy and strange. A couple of times, there's been a clunking sound.
I got up under it and checked everything for tightness, I can't find anything wrong.
The only things that have changed are the trackbar and mounting bracket, and the steering box and hoses.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
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