• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

More death wobble

Luigi1285

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NY
So i picked up a 2001 cherokee sport a few weeks back. It has a 4.5 rough country x lift. The front end was noisey, a little loose, and had some wheel vibration... so i replaced the following this weekend

-upper control arm x joint with johnny joints
-new lower control arm bushings
-new upper control arm bushing
-new rubicon express track bar
-new rubicon express track bar bracket
-new rubicon express track bar brace
-new crown automotice hd steering set up

The truck didnt have death wobble before just noisy and loose. Now its quiet and tight until i hit 40 then all hell breaks loose. Im at a loss. Went over all the bolts everything is tight. No play on anything. Any help would be appreciated


every thing is tight no
 
Check:

Tire balance
Unit bearings
 
tie rod ends are all new. Also to add i removed the rc double steering stabilizer. when the wobble happened there was no stabilizer. i know its not a cure all but i ordered a new one.

what is the best way to check caster? i have been searching and cant find the answer....
 
I would be "leary" of any Crown steering parts!
You can p/u a angle finder at your local hardware store for less than 10$.
 
what is the best way to check caster? i have been searching and cant find the answer....

Angle finder on the machined flat surface of the axle "C". This is where the ball joints are mounted.

Don't forget to account for the grade you are parked on. Most driveways and garages have a slope for drainage.
 
Gotcha gonna grab one and check later. I’m hoping that’s all it is because it drove so nice until 40 lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ball joints seem tight no play. I’m thinking caster hopefully after work I get a few minutes to check. I’ll keep you guys posted


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
tie rod ends are all new. Also to add i removed the rc double steering stabilizer. when the wobble happened there was no stabilizer. i know its not a cure all but i ordered a new one.

what is the best way to check caster? i have been searching and cant find the answer....

Just because the joints are new doesn't mean they are right. ESPECIALLY if it says "Crown" on the box.

I'd stick with Moog joints, personally. I am fighting this same fight at present, myself. Brand new parts house joints already have a little play in them, and I greased them well last month when I installed. Wife's 94 ZJ has the same problem but much worse- I used the same joints on it last year. You can get Moog for the same or near same price as parts-house parts if you shop on the Internet. Amazon Prime is super handy here.

Use an angle finder on the flat bottom of the steering knuckle, with the vehicle on a flat surface.
 
FYI- you want caster to be around 6 degrees positive (top of knuckle inclines back toward the driver)

Check the toe as well. 1/8-1/16" of toe-in (front closer together than back). Best to do with the axle on stands so the wheels are off the ground. Color a block on each front tire with a crayon and use those as your measuring points so you ensure you are getting a good read.

Camber should be fine. It's not trivial to adjust anyway- involves special balljoints.

What is the "upper control arm x joint"??

Get under the vehicle with the wheels on a hard concrete surface. Have someone turn the key to Run, without starting the engine. Grab the steering wheel at 10 and 2 and shake it energetically back and forth, and slowly back and forth. You need to look at *EVERYTHING* that moves to see if it's loose or making noise.

My money is on your new joints not being as tight as you'd expect.
 
I did pretty much the same things as you did, replaced the whole front end. It needed it anyway but still had death wobble..... In the end I had to get my tires balanced and get an alignment..PROBLEM SOLVED. I would suggest getting your tires balanced before anything else.
 
Checked tonight I’m at 8 degrees. Looked at the lower control arm adjuster I’m all the way back. I set the arm length to the instructions for that lift. It said 15 1/2 for upper and 16 1/2 for lower. now I have to shorten the lower control arm to allow for some adjustment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Adjusted arms at about 6 deg. Installed new stabilizer. Made sure everything was tight and no unnecessary pressure on the bushings. Drove good thank god now I can move on to the next thing lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Great work!
 
always make sure to compare track bar angle with drag link angle , if they are too far off it will cause aggressive bump steer which most people get confused with death wobble
 
Define 'too far off'?
 
Back
Top