LOst....wobble diagnosis.

Ok First I searched and nothing came up with similar results

first off.....88 xj laredo,4.0, 2"bb, 215 tires.


I've had a wobble problem but I'm trimming it down.

Wheels are balanced, just tightened the track bar(solved pulling+popping sound)
Pulled front drive shaft to check that. (no avail)

My wobble doesn't start till about 55, but when it shows it's fairly noticeable.

Small shimmers in the steering, but more for the floor pan and pedal.

No popping associated with wobble. (only popping from UCA bushing that needs replacement but silences with water or grease application.)

Open for any and all suggestions.. I want to fix it if possibe before the lift goes on and complicates things...

TIA!!

I cured my wobble with LCA bushings.... you said the UCA was popping... I would hit UCA and LCAs

wilcharl said:

I cured my wobble with LCA bushings.... you said the UCA was popping... I would hit UCA and LCAs

Click to expand...

The frequency of the wobble is consistant with that of something in the drivetrain. I really don't want to replace the bushings scince I'm going to be lifting it soon.

Does it go away for the most part once you get up above 55 or does it keep up?

My 99 had a similar problem. Shook horribly starting at 52-55 then stopping above 55 for the most part, and sometimes like when running 70-80 on the highway sometimes it would look like the steering column is trying to fly into orbit. Balanced the tires a good 3 times, still didn't fix it. Got a new set of tires put on last weekend and wouldn't you know it, no more shaking! Turns out there was a bad belt in the right front tire of the old set.

I have an identical problem right now with my '96 XJ that has a 2" lift.

Broken belts can be very bad. I had the death wobble with 35" Baja claws figured it was just the nature of the beast. Put on 37" SSR's and it went away. Switched back to TSL's (bias ply) and it came back. Which resulted in replacing all the steering heim joints, track bar bushing and heim, UCA and LCA busings, and utilizing 2 rear shocks mounted inversely to each other as steering stablizlers. That took care of it.. So becarful when you lift it and get bigger meats.

well tomorrow I'm switching out tires and replacing u joints.


Hope it works!!!

Well a new development...

It now creaks on acceleration and decelleration!!!

I didn't get a chance to change u-joints but will be doing it tomorrow.

Any sugestions?

If wheel shimmy shows up at around 50 to 55 MPH and disappears when you get above about 65 MPH the cause is tire balance.

Doesn't matter if you just paid ten thousand dollars to have them balanced. A lot of guys on these fancy machines let the machine think for them, and if the machine thinks it's "good enough" the tech just slaps on the weights and calls it done.

The 55 MPH onset is your clue that the cause is almost certainly tire balance.

I'm going to put my new tires on today so hopefully it will eliminate the problem!!!!


Thanks Eagle!!!

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



EAGLE! (and everyone who said tires*L*)

Did a bunch of touchy feely on the jeep today.

Replaced ujoints, greased everything, did brakes, internally ballanced tires(Airsoft pellets)

took off the right front and tried to roll it to my buddy at the back of the xj and it decided to make a drastic right turn.

So, after chasing it into the neighbors yard we tried rolling it again with similar results. I guess the belt broke in the tire?

Anyways, got a small shimmy and a pull to the right now, but I'm sure that can probably be cured with a good alignment.

Next is the control arm bushings!!! Thanks guys!