2004 LJ Death Wobble

[Toy4rnr]

Hello all. I'm having an issue with death wobble and would like some input.

I have read the steering and death wobble FAQ, but I seem to have optimized everything and still have the death wobble. I do get a little feedback in the steering wheel when driving on rough secondary roads at slow speed (aka, around town), but I have experienced death wobble several times when I'm at highway speed. The death wobble appears to be initiated when I'm on the highway (55 - 70mph) and I cross a bridge that has a seam or bump that is not perpendicular to the road.

A little about the Jeep mechanicals and what I've done to attempt to cure the death wobble.

2004 Jeep Unlimited with 76,000 miles, 4" Currie suspension system (front AntiRock, 8 adjustable arms, adjustable front track bar, etc) & Currie steering w/OME SS, stock pitman arm, Dynatrac ProRock HP44 front w/RCVs, ARB, 4.56s and a Dana 44 rear w/ARB, 4.56s, 35x12.50/15 BFG KM2s on 15x8 Method Double Standard wheels.

My local 4x4 shop has gone over the front end to check everything is tight and all the above parts have less than 4,000 miles and do not have any damage. My caster has been adjusted multiple times as well with no improvement. My local shop states they have seen several TJ's with BFG mud-terrains have driving issues and suggest different tires. Unfortunately, I do not know anyone local that has 5x4.5 bolt pattern wheels with larger tires for me to swap and see what happens. I did not have any death wobble or driving issues when the Jeep was stock.

Thoughts, comments or suggestions??

Thanks.

 

[Daryl]

Have a shop check your tires for radial runout and if okay have them balanced. Your 4x4 shop is right, it’s most likely the tires. Either bad or not balanced well enough. Also, post a picture of your front end far enough back so we can see the entire steering system.

 

[Toy4rnr]

Have a shop check your tires for radial runout and if okay have them balanced. Your 4x4 shop is right, it’s most likely the tires. Either bad or not balanced well enough. Also, post a picture of your front end far enough back so we can see the entire steering system.

Thank you. I did have the shop check the wheels and tires for balance, and everything came back good. I'll get a pic of the front end in a bit.

 

[Daryl]

Thank you. I did have the shop check the wheels and tires for balance, and everything came back good. I'll get a pic of the front end in a bit.

Here’s the issue. What does “good” mean? It’s a subjective term. Large oversized tires on a TJ need to be perfectly balanced, not just good. Have you tried swapping the front tires with the rear?

 

[AndyG]

He’s right .

 

[Toy4rnr]

Here’s the issue. What does “good” mean? It’s a subjective term. Large oversized tires on a TJ need to be perfectly balanced, not just good. Have you tried swapping the front tires with the rear?

"Good" meaning the wheels and tires where balanced to "0" on their tire machine. The wheels and tires where purchased and balanced elsewhere, and verified as "good" or "balanced" according to the balance machine.

Yes, the tires have been swapped front and rear with the same result.

I've attached a couple of pics of the front axle.

 

[Chris]

Check this out:
Is Your Jeep Wrangler TJ Experiencing Vibrations or Death Wobble? READ THIS!

Is it REAL death wobble, or vibrations? People are very commonly using "death wobble" to describe a vibration and don't even realize it. Read that post as it clearly defines what true death wobble is. It also gives some very good things to check.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

My local Discount Tire store told me twice they had balanced my tires perfectly to '0'. That was all in one day. I still had a shimmy and only on their 3rd try that day did they get rid of the problem. Three balance jobs in one day to get the problem resolved, and after they said the tires were balanced to '0' the first two times.

Also do this to double-check the work of the mechanic who said he checked your front-end for tightness. With the tires on the ground, have a helper repeatedly quickly turn the steering wheel back & forth slightly while you watch both ends of the track bar, the drag link, and the tie rod. Look for side-to-side play/slop where they're bolted in place. There should be none.

Know that the tie rod, drag link, and track bar are mounted on ball joints. So while they should not have any side-to-side play, it is normal and required for them to have rotational play.

 

[Toy4rnr]

Check this out:
Is Your Jeep Wrangler TJ Experiencing Vibrations or Death Wobble? READ THIS!

Is it REAL death wobble, or vibrations? People are very commonly using "death wobble" to describe a vibration and don't even realize it. Read that post as it clearly defines what true death wobble is. It also gives some very good things to check.

Thank you for the link. I have read that link info before; very informative.

Unfortunately, what I am experiencing is definitely death wobble and not vibrations.

 

[Toy4rnr]

My local Discount Tire store told me twice they had balanced my tires perfectly to '0'. That was all in one day. I still had a shimmy and only on their 3rd try that day did they get rid of the problem. Three balance jobs in one day to get the problem resolved, and after they said the tires were balanced to '0' the first two times.

Also do this to double-check the work of the mechanic who said he checked your front-end for tightness. With the tires on the ground, have a helper repeatedly quickly turn the steering wheel back & forth slightly while you watch both ends of the track bar, the drag link, and the tie rod. Look for side-to-side play/slop where they're bolted in place. There should be none.

Know that the tie rod, drag link, and track bar are mounted on ball joints. So while they should not have any side-to-side play, it is normal and required for them to have rotational play.

Thank you; I will do this check this afternoon.

 

[Chris]

Thank you for the link. I have read that link info before; very informative.

Unfortunately, what I am experiencing is definitely death wobble and not vibrations.

In that case, do as Jerry suggested. That was my next suggestion!

 

[Blackjack]

Are any of the shops using a road force balancer? If not try to find one that is. While not easy to check make sure you do not have a sticky ball joint. While you are trying to diagnose this you may find it helpful to remove the steering stabilizer. It can mask some of the smaller symptoms causing the larger problem.

 

[Toy4rnr]

Thank you; I will do this check this afternoon.

Quick follow-up.

I had my wheels & tires balanced for a 3rd time as well as triple checked my front end / steering components while someone was turning the steering. Tires all "balanced" and front end / steering all looked and checked out as tight and no slop.

Unfortunately, this has not corrected my death wobble issue. So, all that is left is tires.

I am currently running 35x12.50/15 BFG KM2s. As I mentioned before, my local 4wd shop stated they have had issues with TJs running BFG mud-terrains and death wobble. So, do I replace the KM2s with KM3s (same tire but new version) or go a completely different tire route? I really like my BFG mud-terrains and don't really want anything else, but if I need to go to a different tire to cure my problem I will. Whatever tire I get will be the same 35x12.50/15 size.

 

[mots]

Quick follow-up.

I had my wheels & tires balanced for a 3rd time as well as triple checked my front end / steering components while someone was turning the steering. Tires all "balanced" and front end / steering all looked and checked out as tight and no slop.

Unfortunately, this has not corrected my death wobble issue. So, all that is left is tires.

I am currently running 35x12.50/15 BFG KM2s. As I mentioned before, my local 4wd shop stated they have had issues with TJs running BFG mud-terrains and death wobble. So, do I replace the KM2s with KM3s (same tire but new version) or go a completely different tire route? I really like my BFG mud-terrains and don't really want anything else, but if I need to go to a different tire to cure my problem I will. Whatever tire I get will be the same 35x12.50/15 size.

What is your tire pressure? If it is too high, it can induce an event to occur. I didn't see that mentioned before, but sorry if I missed it. You definitely don't want to use the pressure found on the side of the tire. For 35's, guys are likely to running 23-25 PSI most likely. Stock tire pressure is 29 PSI for 30" tires. If the tire volume goes up, the PSI should come down.

 

[Toy4rnr]

What is your tire pressure? If it is too high, it can induce an event to occur. I didn't see that mentioned before, but sorry if I missed it. You definitely don't want to use the pressure found on the side of the tire. For 35's, guys are likely to running 23-25 PSI most likely. Stock tire pressure is 29 PSI for 30" tires. If the tire volume goes up, the PSI should come down.

25 front and rear.

 

[mots]

25 front and rear.

Good man, worth a check!

 

[Toy4rnr]

Any last suggestions before I purchase new tires??

 

[Blackjack]

Any last suggestions before I purchase new tires??

Anyone have a set of tires you could try to see what changes?

 

[mots]

Anyone have a set of tires you could try to see what changes?

Better yet, a set of wheels and tires already known to be balanced.

 

[jimsmith29841]

Any last suggestions before I purchase new tires??

Did you rotate or move front to back and back to front yet?
Maybe I missed that.