Terrible shake in the front end

I am wondering if I am a victim of the Death Wobble. My driveway is a long dirt road that is very bumpy. I tend to drive down it very fast.. I know.. BAD! I have noticed in the last few months a terrible rattle sound when driving down it. Also, when I go over bumps in the road, sometimes, it feels like the whole front end is going to fall out from under the body. It really feels like the front end is shaking itself out from under the body. The only cure is to slow down and let it settle down, then I can speed back up. My dad, my mechanic, drove it and listened and then got under it (with the help of my uncle) and neither one said that anything looked like it was the problem. My first thought was shocks, but dad said the shocks are good.

I have been reading over various XJ forums and learned about the dreaded Death Wobble... is this what is going on? I have a 2001 Cherokee and up until now, have had no problems with it after 3 years of ownership. It figures that just when I get engaged and need to save money to pay for a wedding that my car decides to crap out.

Also, another problem that just appeared, my turn signals quit working. I replaced the relay and checked the fuses.. all good. Flashers worked even when the blinkers did not. Even before I changed the relay. I replaced the turn signal and it still didn't work. After putting the old turn signal back in, about a day later the blinkers started working again. I'm worried that it's a problem in the wiring. I SO do not want to deal with electrical issues with this jeep. My first XJ had terrible electrical problems for the last 6 months I owned it. That was the reason I got rid of it. I would hate for this one to have problems too cause trading it in or otherwise getting rid of it is out of the question. Besides... I love it!

So does anyone have any words of wisdom to offer?
edit: This jeep is completely stock as far as I know. I have not lifted it or replaced any parts on it since I got it with the exception of the water pump last week. But thats not related to this problem! Well, I did replace the tires with some Walmart sale brand and it's time to replace them again I think cause I drive ALOT of highway miles every week.

For advice on words of wisdom, just let it be.

For your DW issue, I had the same problem, as many of us XJ owners have. I replaced my steering dampner and never had another problem with death wobble. Research shows this as a "band aid" fix, but it worked for me and only cost me 60 bucks for a beefier Rancho RSX dampner shock.

Others will tell you to check your ball joints, steering, and suspension components for wear. Good advice. Still others will tell you to "try the Search function." Tell them to pound sand.

Good luck with you death wobble fix.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think the steering dampner could be arranged at this time. It's also time for new tires, so I'll get them balanced and an alignment done at the same time, see if all that helps. Will come back and let ya'll know how it goes in a few weeks.

Death wobble can be caused by a LOT of things, some of which I'll list below. Mine was caused by a combination of a bad ball joint and a worn out steering stabilizer at 125k.

Track bar (including bushings!) This is a pretty common root cause
Control arm bushings
Ball joints
Alignment
Steering dampener (generally not root cause but in combination with other problems)
Basically any other front end/steering part!

These can be tricky things to find. Sounds like you are having the work done? If so, have the technician perform a very thorough inspection of all moving parts when you're getting the tires/dampener/alignment. If the dampener, tires and alignment don't fix it, best bet is to find a different shop who is familiar with the death wobble (trust me, not all shops are) and have the technician perform a very thorough inspection with your XJ on the hoist.

Good Luck and post back what you find

My husband and I will be doing the work. Since I got married three weeks ago, my dad has informed me that he is no longer my 'fixit' guy unless my husband just can't fix it. I'm not worried. My husband is a huge car guy and is always working on or fixing up something with wheels under it. Very very knowledgable and can figure most anything out when it comes to cars!