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Death Wobble Question after WJ Swap/ 1 Ton Steering.

Jeez, yea I had to ream knuckles and pitman arm for the drag link I checked the inserts and they haven't moved. I also get no movement out of them when I check them having someone else shake the crap outta the wheel. I know my caster isn't right but I am kinda on the fence if it's actually causing anything like this. All the rod ends were re torqued to 45 ft lbs the other day.
 
If the steering box doesn't fix your problem, then, as Cal was saying, most DW is caused by track bar issues. I had a very similar problem with my WJ set up, wiggled everything down, and I found the track bar was loose at the axle a very tiny bit. Fixed my issue. Thought I would chime in.
 
Yeah, it doesn't take much. I have Russ Pottengers jeep sitting in my yard now for death wobble problems. Turned out the rubber bushing at the axle end of his trackbar was worn and moved 1/8" or so under stress. That was enough..
 
Well I tightened the drag link way more then it's supposed to be at pitman are just for heck of it. I removed track bar to look at it and noticed on the axle end of track bar the bushing hole size was bigger then the jks mount it fits into. So the bolt was too small for the bushing.

So I re drilled it to 7/16 like the track bar is and tightened to 90 ft lbs both ends with new 7/16 bolt.Was sure that was doing it but after test drive it still does it. I ordered a steering stabilizer that I'm gonna try to hook up onto my 1 ton steering just for hell of it. Specially with a crappy steering box it should help some.

Also ordered adjustable upper control arms since my caster seems crappy. It's so crappy that my trackbar fits into the mounts at a slight angle. Makes putting In bolts a pain.

I will also rotate tires front to back and see if that does anything. I swear this started to happen around when I lowered tire pressure they had these 35 mtrs at like 35-40 psi. Only the center was contacting road. I lowered to 30 then 27 for good road contact and around that time the shaking appeared not sure if related or not. I got them through Goodyear so if they are crap they should replace them. Other then that I'm clueless. Caster, tires or steering box is about the only possibilities I see.
 
Just ordered Stuff from IRO as well, a new bushing for the axle side of my TB ( even though its not old the caster might have ruined it) heavy duty spring retainers since 1 side is stripped and their nice trackbar flex joint for the frame side. Also my steering setup.

 
This was a fun read. Your stock upper arms are too short. Your caster is way off. I ran into the same exact problem when i added my 4.5 springs from clayton. I personally chose to build my own LA kit to realign everything as well as do the WJ brake/steering swap. You just need to get your adjustable arms on so you can rotate the axle back into position. If you look at a before/after comparison, it's pretty crazy how much 4.5" will rotate your axle.
 
I have the exact same set up as you but with ruffstuff's trackbar. I think I figured out that its a combination of my steering box plus one of ruffstuff's heims. and the DW hits at 50-55 mph as well. I ended up tightening the screw on the top of the steering gear AS A TEMP FIX ONLY. and it helped to a point. so im hoping the new box and heims will fix the issue. keep us updated.
 
I can tell you that on ANY xj with 4.5"or more lift, your stock uppers are too short and they will cause wobble. The wobble will be different at lower psi's. You cannot raise an xj that much with the stock uppers. All it is, is the arms. Also that is not exactly a correct method for measuring caster, at the ball joint, like you did. you're better off removing the knuckle, centering a rod through the C, and measuring the angle of said rod. Also, measuring your pinion angle willl get you close.
 
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Yea thanks a bunch for the input, i have had stock uppers with 4.5 for few years but i guess after bigger tires and more axle work it made it do this, specially when i lowered tire psi i assume. I have adjustable uppers on the way that will work all the way for 8 inch lift. I figure loose steering box, caster and my track bar being slightly tweaked sideways is where my DW is at. I hope im right, ill have a new trackbar axle side bushing put in and a trackbar flex joint from iro also just incase the bushings got tweaked from my incorrect caster.

I knew the balljoint method of caster wasnt the best way but i knew it would get me a ballpark and 14-15 is horrible it should probably be like 5-8 when measured from there. Im kinda unsure what to do about steering box dilema. I dont wanna adjust it and void warranty i honestly wanna see if i can get a refund and maybe just suck it up and get an AGR or PSC, not sure if anywhere else sells ones that arent so crappy. Ill have a steering stabilizer possibly put on also to make up for this crappy box. Ill keep everyone posted.
 
Cburb88XJ said:
Yea thanks a bunch for the input, i have had stock uppers with 4.5 for few years but i guess after bigger tires and more axle work it made it do this, specially when i lowered tire psi i assume. I have adjustable uppers on the way that will work all the way for 8 inch lift. I figure loose steering box, caster and my track bar being slightly tweaked sideways is where my DW is at. I hope im right, ill have a new trackbar axle side bushing put in and a trackbar flex joint from iro also just incase the bushings got tweaked from my incorrect caster.

I knew the balljoint method of caster wasnt the best way but i knew it would get me a ballpark and 14-15 is horrible it should probably be like 5-8 when measured from there. Im kinda unsure what to do about steering box dilema. I dont wanna adjust it and void warranty i honestly wanna see if i can get a refund and maybe just suck it up and get an AGR or PSC, not sure if anywhere else sells ones that arent so crappy. Ill have a steering stabilizer possibly put on also to make up for this crappy box. Ill keep everyone posted.
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What's up with the box? Is it just loose from the frame? Also your Trac bar is tweaked because your axle is rotated so much, unless I've got the wrong idea of what you're saying. Make sure you do your arms before you do the bar. It'll be easier.
 
Krawler_92 said:
What's up with the box? Is it just loose from the frame? Also your Trac bar is tweaked because your axle is rotated so much, unless I've got the wrong idea of what you're saying. Make sure you do your arms before you do the bar. It'll be easier.
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Yea thats what i was saying, my caster is so off it makes my trackbar tweaked some in the mounts. Both boxes ive had were durango cardone boxes and they both seem to have alot of slop, worse then my factory box and i know its not helping with my wobble probably. Id rather get a good box and be done with it then taking a gamble at these crappy boxes you get at bubba zone and whatnot. The mounting is solid though i have a winch bumper with unibody tie ins and a creepy fab steering box spacer that work well together.
 
I would suggest getting a steering box brace as well. They're pretty cheap and they help a significant amount. Otherwise, I think you're on the right track with getting a reliable and good quality box. It's not like they're something that is high maintenance so 2 with slop sounds kinda cheap if that is the actual issue. Good luck with doing all the work. Let us know how it turns out or if you run into any snags.
 
Yea thanks I have a spacer, piece that goes against frame. Unless you are talking about the actual brace that bridges across to other side of frame.
 
Well i got the new IRO coil spring retainers and track bar bushing with additional frame side flex joint, a stabilizer kit that ill mess with later if i cant get a better box soon and i got my crappy uppers from ebay that im probably going to return to them. I believe im going to get the serious long arms and just do it right and be done with it. its like 797 to the door with discount so thats not too bad i guess.

I would be able to adjust axle perfectly and itll ride and flex better with more stability so...someone help talk me into buying these, haha. Itll be probably a week or so before i buy them if i do so until i get that done i wont know for sure if i got the DW cured.
 
Cburb88XJ said:
I would be able to adjust axle perfectly and itll ride and flex better with more stability so...someone help talk me into buying these, haha. Itll be probably a week or so before i buy them if i do so until i get that done i wont know for sure if i got the DW cured.
Click to expand...

I built long arms for my xj about 3 weeks ago and they're amazing. Buy some and throw em on on, man. They're great.
 
Cburb88XJ said:
I would be able to adjust axle perfectly and itll ride and flex better with more stability so...someone help talk me into buying these, .
Click to expand...

I (like everyone who owns long arms) have had zero regrets buying them. Even if you don't crawl that often, the on road handling and ride make it feel like a stock height jeep again.

Not saying this will fix your DW problem, but if you're sure everything else is tight, then I would say that would be your next move.

Seriously though, long arms rock!
 
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