Death wobble despite trying (almost) all solutions

[BrokenXJ]

OK, I am assuming that we have ruled out the trackbar, ball-joints, tierod ends etc...
Get four big guys. Two on each side of the jeep. Get them pushing back and forth on the front-end of the Jeep and really get it rocking side-to-side. Now do a visual inspection of the front-end something has got to be moving.

I've even seen the factory tapered-hole track-bar mount on frame get ovaled out. Also check for ovaled holes on axle end of the trackbar. Check for narrowed bolts do to wear on the LCA/UCA.

 

[xjbubba]

Well, I'm glad that you came to a good conclusion! The Urethane bushings seemed like a good idea, and for a rarely driven, mostly off-road vehicle, they are probably useful. But, daily driving on less-than-perfect roads is not the best use for the little red buggers. Like I said earlier, the handling they offered was amazing! No more of the usual Jeep wander. Point the wheel, and that's where you'll go. Just don't hit a bump! Somehow, there's got to be an acceptable compromise, and I hope I find it before I get tired of this game.

Now, if I could find a sure-fire prevention and cure for rust.......Ray.

I never say never, but I seriously doubt using urethane (red or black) will be the ROOT cause of, or contribute to, "death wobble". Many people use them without issues. In my case, and in many cases, people use heim joints in place of rubber, or urethane, without encountering the front-end instability referred to as "death wobble"; heims do not allow for any movement or absorption of vibration.

 

[heyhar]

I tried a set of RE adjustable uppers and lowers. Each arm has that swivel joint at the rear, and what looked like a factory type bushing at the front. They were better than the 'reds', until the sleeves started to rotate within the rubber. It got noticeably loose, as the rubber was now not resisting the rotational action as the suspension cycled. Like I've said, the OEM type arms cured it for me, and apparently the OP. One thing I think we can all agree on, is that there are a few different, distinct causes of DW. No one thing is going to work for everyone, but if we pool our ideas and results, a solution is usually found!

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

I never say never, but I seriously doubt using urethane (red or black) will be the ROOT cause of, or contribute to, "death wobble". Many people use them without issues. In my case, and in many cases, people use heim joints in place of rubber, or urethane, without encountering the front-end instability referred to as "death wobble"; heims do not allow for any movement or absorption of vibration.

I was gunna ask the exact same thing.

If bushings being too hard can cause death wobble then how come guys running links don't (normally) get death wobble?

 

[br1anstorm]

I can see that this debate will keep going! Like heyhar says, if we pool our ideas and results, that ought to be helpful. People are right to be cautious about finding a single "magic" solution - it is very clear that DW is a complicated problem.

I'm not a physics expert, but the root cause of DW is clearly some kind of oscillation, triggered by a combination of speed and (uneven) road surface, and initially affecting the wheels. It's impossible to avoid hitting bumps in the road. The key question is how and to where the resulting oscillation/wobble is transmitted, and how effectively it is absorbed.

So any or all of the various "solutions" are essentially about how the oscillation is transmitted and then how it is either made worse or damped out.

So.... tired shocks, worn bushings, loose trackbar mounts or TREs will all fail to absorb the movement or in worst case will wobble in harmony making the DW worse. Similarly, hard non-absorbent bushings will transfer an incipient wobble from wheels or axle to chassis, and perhaps set up an "equal and opposite" movement between the two - which is what shakes your tooth-fillings loose.

(I suppose that in theory there's a parallel with those noise-cancelling headphones which actually generate noise equal but opposite to the frequency of the external noise, therby counteracting and quietening it. But maybe we ought not to pursue that notion too far...)

Anyhow, all I can say is that when DW strikes it is very nasty .... and when it is cured, there's a huge sense of relief!

 

[bert01xj]

I heard PennDOT is supposed to stop spraying the roads with the Magnesium Chloride solution prior to a plowable snowfall because it's corroding THEIR equipment! Makes me feel good to pay tax to ruin MY stuff...

they are going to use white beet juice.

 

[heyhar]

And then when all the road-side critters come out onto the road to lick up the sugary substance, the roadkill will be immense! The body shops will rejoice! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!

 

[BrokenSockets]

I thought White Beat Juice was just an expression. If that's what they're using, they are going to need to hire a lot more guys.

 

[heyhar]

I assumed white beet juice would be a sweetener, as if from a sugar beet. Unless, of course, it's a concoction to help you with regularity, like the juice of a shriveled plum...

Such talk will help us discover the root causes of Death Wobble, as we un-constipate our minds!

 

[muduck18]

This is one of the most comprehensive and (surprisingly civil) discussions on DW I've seen in all my searching for DW.

I've solved it in two of my rigs so far, one time being LCA bushings.
The other being shocks (and maybe steering stabilizer)

I can see that this debate will keep going! Like heyhar says, if we pool our ideas and results, that ought to be helpful. People are right to be cautious about finding a single "magic" solution - it is very clear that DW is a complicated problem.

I agree 100%
Glad to hear you got yours solved.

 

[br1anstorm]

I assumed white beet juice would be a sweetener, as if from a sugar beet. Unless, of course, it's a concoction to help you with regularity, like the juice of a shriveled plum...

Such talk will help us discover the root causes of Death Wobble, as we un-constipate our minds!

Shock! Horror! Root cause of DW revealed to be beet(root).

But when the DW strikes unexpectedly, it's not so much constipation as the opposite (change-yer-trousers-time).

Either way, it's a great relief when it stops.

I fear this serious thread is in slight danger of getting a bit silly...