Steering Shake

[Chedder2002]

some times when I take a left turn on surface street/Hwy's or go over a bumpy road at 40+ MPH my steering wheel shakes pretty good. I have a 4 in faptech lift with 32 in BFG ATKOs. Any Idea what i can do to fix this or a product i need to get to help. Thanks


Bert USAF
Alamogordo, NM

[theyeti1775]

Death wooble?

[05warrior]

Balance your tires, check every nut/bolt you took off/loosened when your lift was installed for tightness. Also check every nut/bolt in your steering system for tightness, check your ball joints, and tie rod ends. that should get you started

[miljeep]

I have the same issue, sort of. When I hit a bump, my right tire shakes like hell and it does get pretty scary at higher speeds.

Here is something that was posted on this board for another post, but rather than pointing you to another post, I will just copy and paste it here. but ditto on checking the tightness of everything. Make sure everything is torqued as stated in the installation instructions.


Read all about it....

As you have already found out, Death Wobble, the horrible front end vibration that starts when one wheel (usually the right) hits a bump around
40~50mph, is the worst possible downside to having a coil-sprung vehicle with a track bar setup such as the WJ, XJ, ZJ, and TJ use. Death Wobble is also extremely difficult to try to diagnose, because it is actually caused by slop in the entire steering system as a whole, not by one component. To diagnose correctly, one needs to look for "play" everywhere there is something that could have "play" in it. It's time consuming, and downright dangerous while you are in "test phase", trying to exorcise this demon from your Jeep.
The thing I tell people to start with is a visual inspection. Spend 10 minutes under the front end and visually inspect each one of the steering
components for shiny steel, which would be indicative of metal that's moving around when it's not supposed to be. Pay careful attention to the track bar, as it's usually the culprit in most cases. If any of your bolts are even the least bit loose, Death wobble can manifest itself and make your life a living hell.
If everything looks to be "normal" and you've checked bolt tightness on the
track bar, the next thing to do is to start with an alignment, making sure
that caster is set correctly as well as toe-in. If you have been offroading
and have bent your tie rod even slightly, it'll throw off the alignment. Plus,
it's only $40 or so.
If you are certain that it's set correctly and you've not replaced any other
front end components recently that may have caused the oscillation to
begin, I tell people the next most suspect thing is the factory front track bar.
Over time, the tie rod end on the upper portion of the bar develops "play" in
it, and the lower end has a rubber isolator bushing in it that allows the
oscillation to occur. Aftermarket bars generally come with urethane bushings that allow much less "play" in the way of movement than the factory rubber bushings do.
The problem with most aftermarket track bars for the Jeep is that they also
come with either a heim joint, Johnny joint, or tie rod end on the upper end of the bar, which works fine for a while, but wears out over time, leaving you right back where you started, with a mess in your shorts, a temporarily deaf right ear from the wife screaming, and the frustration with your entire Jeep in general...NOT good. The reason why I created my Track Bar Conversion for XJs and ZJs is to eliminate that problematic (and expensive to have to replace when it wears out) joint as well as for the additional flex benefits. If you are running an XJ or ZJ with more than 3" of lift, I highly recommend you check it out. Another product we have found to work VERY well in getting rid of Death Wobble is our exclusive SuperDurometer Track Bar Bushings, which are also available for the Track Bar Conversion. They are about twice as hard as the typical polyurethane bushings that come in most aftermarket track bars, which are typically made by Daystar or Energy Suspension. They are also one of the least expensive replacement parts in the steering components, so they make sense to try first. Many aftermarket track bars as well as the stock track bar are
completely ineffective in managing Death Wobble due to their "effective
angle of operation" if you are above 3" of lift. Bear in mind that another
alignment is necessary after replacing any front end components if Death Wobble still remains. Sometimes you get lucky and don't need one...but be wary.
The next thing to check is your steering stabilizer. I recommend replacing the stabilizer along with whatever worn components that you find under the
front end, as the combination-punch is typically more effective than the parts alone, since DW shakes EVERYTHING, and loosens up other components at the same time.
I've found that replacing the stabilizer alone often times doesn't eliminate
death wobble directly, but that it usually helps with some additional poor
handling characteristics that cause the onset of Death Wobble, such as
wandering, and a new one seems to tighten up the entire steering system.
I ONLY recommend the OME SD40 stabilizer because it seems to be tighter than the other models on the market. It's also the most heavy duty. This stabilizer is something that I recommend to everyone who is having trouble with DW because it's one of the least expensive parts to replace.
Here are some other components to check over for looseness or improper
movement:
Tie Rod Ends, ball joints, Track bar mounting bracket bolts, steering box
bolts, and track bar ends. Another product that we've made due to a need, is our ZJ Steering Box Brace, which holds the steering gear box tightly, allowing the additional stresses of running larger-than-stock tires be directed to the frame rails, rather than to the three little bolts that hold the gear to the frame, which get loose and if they do, will snap and leave you stranded. I don't currently make one for the 6cyl ZJ, but if you have an XJ, you can find one at www.barnettperformance.com (http://www.barnettperformance.com/).
Another source of Death Wobble is over-inflated tires (you should have
around 30psi in stock tires and far less the larger your tires are. See Boyle's Law and consider how much more volume of air you have in your 33" tires compared to stock. I run around 18psi in my 37" tires).
The last thing that I can mention that has caused Death Wobble in the past is hub bearings. If there is a little slop in them over the years and miles, they MAY indeed help to cause the oscillation as well. I mentioned them last because they are the most expensive to replace and least likely to be the root of the problem. While you have the front end apart, you should consider adding some offset upper ball joints to your Jeep to return the caster back to what a stock Jeep would be if you are running say 4" of lift or more. I don't necessarily recommend this for the '93~'95 full-time 4x4 (NP249 transfer case) ZJ models, though, because it tends to add more vibration to the front drive shaft since you are also turning your pinion angle downward in conjunction with the caster angle improvement...you can't have one without the other.

Hopefully this short checklist gets you started on the right foot and helps to cure your Death Wobble.

Very Sincerely,

-=Kevin=-

[Scooter LJ]

If just the steering wheel shakes when you hit the bump, and then it smoothes out as you continue driving then I can actually say I know the answer. You're looking at the wrong thing to fix this gaurenteed. Welcome to Alamoghetto NM. :D IT"S THE ROAD. Even my wifes Highlander doesthat sometimes. And my LJ does it in the same spots everyday to and from work. The roads on and off base here suck. I found that if you have enough :beer::beer:, you don't notice the shaking as much, J/K.

But if it's more than that, maybe you should go over the suspension and steering looking for loose components.

[miljeep]

If just the steering wheel shakes when you hit the bump, and then it smoothes out as you continue driving then I can actually say I know the answer. You're looking at the wrong thing to fix this gaurenteed. Welcome to Alamoghetto NM. :D IT"S THE ROAD. Even my wifes Highlander doesthat sometimes. And my LJ does it in the same spots everyday to and from work. The roads on and off base here suck. I found that if you have enough :beer::beer:, you don't notice the shaking as much, J/K.

But if it's more than that, maybe you should go over the suspension and steering looking for loose components.

you two know each other?

[Scooter LJ]

Nope, just got a PM from him today saying he was new to the base and wanted to hook up with some guys to go wheelin. Have to see what we can do.

[Hitechredneck]

99% of the time it is the trac bar. ALOT of lift kits comes with a new trac bar and tells you to use the stock bolt on the axle side of the trac bar. BUT the metal sleeve inside the lower bushing 90% of the time is set up for a 7/16th bolt but the stock is not that. i think it is a 3/8. so it allows the bushing to move around on the bolt. you dont notice it right off the bat when you put the lift kit on cause you torque the shit out of it and it smashes the bracket down onto the bushing. but after a while things stretch and the bracket starts loosen up from the bushing. This creates slack and "wiggle room" that is what will get the death wobble started. I dont know why kits dont address the problem, i think it is cause they dont wanna pay to have a nut welded onto a little piece of steel to stick back there. I have fixed about 10 tjs with this problem. i hope you get it worked out. best way to tell is pull the track bar of the bottom bracket and see if the bolt has wiggle room inside the bushing.

[Truck]

Nope, just got a PM from him today saying he was new to the base and wanted to hook up with some guys to go wheelin. Have to see what we can do.

That is MJ at work right there...the reason it was formed.

Truck

[Scooter LJ]

99% of the time it is the trac bar. ALOT of lift kits comes with a new trac bar and tells you to use the stock bolt on the axle side of the trac bar. BUT the metal sleeve inside the lower bushing 90% of the time is set up for a 7/16th bolt but the stock is not that. i think it is a 3/8. so it allows the bushing to move around on the bolt. you dont notice it right off the bat when you put the lift kit on cause you torque the shit out of it and it smashes the bracket down onto the bushing. but after a while things stretch and the bracket starts loosen up from the bushing. This creates slack and "wiggle room" that is what will get the death wobble started. I dont know why kits dont address the problem, i think it is cause they dont wanna pay to have a nut welded onto a little piece of steel to stick back there. I have fixed about 10 tjs with this problem. i hope you get it worked out. best way to tell is pull the track bar of the bottom bracket and see if the bolt has wiggle room inside the bushing.
See, if you go with a Rubicon Express kit, it addresses that issue...no wobble on mine. ( yet, knock on wood)

[Hitechredneck]

i just got rid of the front trac bar all together. hehe no worries about that anymore :)

[4X4R8D]

I just went through this and finally got it resolved.

1) A few weeks ago I swapped out my front shackles. And noticed my front right tire was wobbly after I had mounted the wheel. Come to find it was a bad hub assembly. That issue did not resolve the shaky steering, but it helped a little.

2) I got the wheels aligned and turned out it was off a 1/4". After we fixed that, then I finally lost the shaky steering wheel.

So, definitely take a chance to check those steps out on your Jeep.

Good luck..

[miljeep]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wj9PNNChVm4

[muddyluxury]

what you are truely describing is called bump steer, but bump steer can set off DW like a mother....

In order to correct bump steer you must look at the angles of your drag link and front track bar, if they are not parallel to each other when the axle travels on one side it will cause the other side to move outside of the normal pattern.

the only way i can think to illistrate this is to use four lego pieces two long and two short arange them so they can pivot in a box, then tilt it like your sterring is done, push up on the bottom and watch how the two bars stay parallel, but if you change the angle of one of the long cross beams to the other and push up you will see the changing dynamic that can bring on death wobble.

rule of thumb if you use a drop pitman arm you must use a drop trak bar bracket and vise versa

[Hitechredneck]

im glad i dont own that truck. Imagine what that feels like behind the wheel.

[miljeep]

im glad i dont own that truck. Imagine what that feels like behind the wheel.

Same thing that some jeeps feel right before the person posts something like "I thought I was going to die"

[Hitechredneck]

i have had the death wobble before and my seat looked like a tee pee after it was all said and done. But i dont think it ever looked that bad.

[miljeep]

05warrior (andrew) had some death wobble heading back from the last ride. We were on a crappy narrow road, on a turn and he had a car that looked like it was going to pull out from a side road in front of him. We were right behind him and my wife had never seen death wobble in person, only heard it mentioned. When his tires started going, I am pretty sure my wife said something like "oh shit....." and then after that we kept the pace slow enough that it did not really happen again (from what I can recall) before we could get to an auto parts store and he checked his rig out. Scared the hell out of me and I was not even in the jeep. I know his a driver probably crapped himself.

[4X4R8D]

05warrior (andrew) had some death wobble heading back from the last ride. We were on a crappy narrow road, on a turn and he had a car that looked like it was going to pull out from a side road in front of him. We were right behind him and my wife had never seen death wobble in person, only heard it mentioned. When his tires started going, I am pretty sure my wife said something like "oh shit....." and then after that we kept the pace slow enough that it did not really happen again (from what I can recall) before we could get to an auto parts store and he checked his rig out. Scared the hell out of me and I was not even in the jeep. I know his a driver probably crapped himself.


What caused his DW? What did he fix?

[05warrior]

Loose tierod ends was the culprit, and brad almost cried.

[muddyluxury]

umm yea i was like 2 car lengths behind you and it looked like a damn bucking bronc at the rodeo. your rear tires hoped a good 5 foot side to side while your front end was all over the place.

buckin bronc is the only way to describe the violent nature of that one

[E5EDDIE]

I was three Jeeps back from 05Warrior, and nearly peed too, I could see his front left tire flapping like a fish, I was sure they were gonna roll, kudos to Andrew for some bad ass recovery skills!

05warrior (andrew) had some death wobble heading back from the last ride. We were on a crappy narrow road, on a turn and he had a car that looked like it was going to pull out from a side road in front of him. We were right behind him and my wife had never seen death wobble in person, only heard it mentioned. When his tires started going, I am pretty sure my wife said something like "oh shit....." and then after that we kept the pace slow enough that it did not really happen again (from what I can recall) before we could get to an auto parts store and he checked his rig out. Scared the hell out of me and I was not even in the jeep. I know his a driver probably crapped himself.

[05warrior]

I like to consider myself an experienced "death wobbeler" and it scared me pretty bad, it wouldn't of been bad except the car was right in front of me.

[muddyluxury]

I like to consider myself an experienced "death wobbeler" and it scared me pretty bad, it wouldn't of been bad except the car was right in front of me.


i thought the whole issue got set off b/c it looked like she was going to run the stop sign, if you had rolled b/c of it, i had planed to inflict serious damage upon her car in avoiding you to make sure stops at stop signs in the future:cool:

[CJ Chet]

X2 on the "bump Steer". I had that myself 'til I rebuilt my suspension. Here's how it looks now. Large angle on the drag link = Bump steer!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/CJChet/PICT0374.jpg

[4X4R8D]

I like to consider myself an experienced "death wobbeler" and it scared me pretty bad, it wouldn't of been bad except the car was right in front of me.

Good job on the recovery :cool:

[theyeti1775]

I was right behind him when it happened. It wasn't pretty.
That and me trying to hop on the CB to tell the buys behind us what happened and trying to shift gears while watching it all.

[brown-man]

mmm so im not gonna talk about caster and camber adj.