2004 LJ Death Wobble
- Thread starter Toy4rnr
- Start date
Great idea, but unfortunately, all my buddies either have JKs or other Jeeps with different lug patterns.
John Scoggins
TJ Enthusiast
Well if everything is tight, tires balanced, front end aligned, then before you purchase new tires move the steering dampener back to the drag link. (I know, I know the steering dampener does nothing, it only covers up problems, I drive mine without the dampener and it is just fine, on and on and on lets not turn this into a dampener debate) In your case give it a shot, it will cost nothing but time and it seems that everything else has been covered except the tires.
Not to beat a dead horse and I apologize if I missed your answer but is this what you are experiencing?
I'll look into this. The steering dampener is mounted to the drag link in part due to the mounting location on the Dynatrac ProRock 44. The steering dampener doesn't really line up with the drag link. I'll look at it again.
MikenTurner19
New Member
Had the dreaded wobble happen in my '04 tj. Headed outside now to lower the tire pressure and hope it doesn't happen again.
Won't help IMO. DW is triggered most often by tires not being properly balanced. BUT IMO improperly balanced tires as it relates to DW only reveals that there are issues with other components. For me it was worn CA bushings. Once changed (mine had 90K miles on them) and with new tires DW is gone.
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A set of Centramatics would run you $200. Then you could eliminate the balance issue
Just as important as balance is that the tires are round. I have had at least one tire in my last 3 sets that required truing. Out of round tires = death wobble for me.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/wheels-tires/129-0210-4x4-truck-tire-truing-balancing-shaving/
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/wheels-tires/129-0210-4x4-truck-tire-truing-balancing-shaving/
Longhorn84
TJ Enthusiast
One more example which shocked me is I bought an 04 tj with some death wobble. I was upgrading so I changed all front end steering and suspension (control arms, shocks, coils, drag link, tie rod, track bar), all Currie heavy duty stuff, tires are at 20 I think. It happened again!! But, I had the rancho 9000 and they are adjustable, I had them soft as I could to test. Once I shifted them to tight as possible, no more DW. I also know my alignment is off after my upgrades but for me, the shocks actually fixed mine.
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Longhorn84
TJ Enthusiast
Also, maybe check ball joints? Alignment? Make sure track bar has zero play, and like I said, maybe change shocks?
And watch bleepin Jeep overview of DW
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And watch bleepin Jeep overview of DW
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Generally but not absolute. Also, I see mention of lowering tire pressure and I know for sure that isn't absolute. We had some BFG's on Kat's and we could tell when they got below 26 psi because that wobble would start that is the precursor to full blown DW if you don't change something. Quick stop to add some air always fixed it.
Jim King
TJ Enthusiast
Same thing with me. After reading some threads I reduced the pressure in my tires and got death wobble. Added air, gone.
Well, I had another local shop look at the Jeep. They said the drag link ends were a bit loose, so we replaced the Currie drag link with another Currie drag link as well as changed the caster from 2 degrees to 6 degrees. I've driven the Jeep on some of the same roads and speeds that would cause the death wobble and have not had it occur again. Maybe I'm still a bit gun shy, but I'm still not 100% confident that it's gone. Guess I'll keep driving it and see.
Side note, I had been corresponding with a customer service rep from Currie regarding the Currie drag link needing replaced after about 3,000 miles. He was very helpful at first with caster suggestions. I relayed information to him that the shop thought the drag link ends were loose and needed changing. He stated if I could get video proof, he would see what he could do to help me out. The Currie warranty was for 1 year and I've had the drag link about 1.5 years. I never demanded or even asked if they would help since I was out of warranty, so I was very suprised. Well, I had the local shop send me a couple of video clips and forwarded them to Currie. It's been over 2 weeks now and I've not heard back from the Currie customer service rep.
Side note, I had been corresponding with a customer service rep from Currie regarding the Currie drag link needing replaced after about 3,000 miles. He was very helpful at first with caster suggestions. I relayed information to him that the shop thought the drag link ends were loose and needed changing. He stated if I could get video proof, he would see what he could do to help me out. The Currie warranty was for 1 year and I've had the drag link about 1.5 years. I never demanded or even asked if they would help since I was out of warranty, so I was very suprised. Well, I had the local shop send me a couple of video clips and forwarded them to Currie. It's been over 2 weeks now and I've not heard back from the Currie customer service rep.
Have the shop pull the dust boot. Put the pin facing down in a deep socket so the body is supported. Put about a 9/16's or slightly larger socket on top where the grease fitting is and mash it in a shop press. That will tighten up the preload on the spring on top of the ball and I'll bet good money the play goes away. Do it all the time.
4/25/20 UPDATE:
Currie eventually did replace my Currie drag link; unfortunately, it was a couple of weeks after I had to purchase a new Currie drag link since the Jeep was apart at the shop and needed to get moved out.
Within the second or third drive on the replacement (2nd) Currie drag link, the death wobble returned. $600 spent and no cure.
Essentially, I was pissed off, tired of spending $ and the Jeep sat in storage for a year. Only driven 200 miles in 12 months.
About a month ago, I tried swapping different front tires. Same DW result. Swapped original KM2's back on. Another $100 spent, but marked tires off as being the culprit.
I can understand the possibility of the 1st Currie drag link / tie-rod end being bad. The chance of the 2nd Currie drag link / tie-rod end being bad is highly unlikely in my opinion. The chance of a 3rd Currie drag link / tie-rod end being bad is statistically unlikely.
When the steering wheel was turned back and forth, if you were grabbing the drag link, you could feel a slight 'clunk' or feel like some slop. So, since I had a new (3rd!) Currie drag link, we swapped that on today. Unfortunately, after a few short drives around town and a short stint on the highway, the DW returned.
REALLY not sure what to do at this point. I find it hard to believe 3 Currie drag links would be bad.
Thoughts?
Currie eventually did replace my Currie drag link; unfortunately, it was a couple of weeks after I had to purchase a new Currie drag link since the Jeep was apart at the shop and needed to get moved out.
Within the second or third drive on the replacement (2nd) Currie drag link, the death wobble returned. $600 spent and no cure.
Essentially, I was pissed off, tired of spending $ and the Jeep sat in storage for a year. Only driven 200 miles in 12 months.
About a month ago, I tried swapping different front tires. Same DW result. Swapped original KM2's back on. Another $100 spent, but marked tires off as being the culprit.
I can understand the possibility of the 1st Currie drag link / tie-rod end being bad. The chance of the 2nd Currie drag link / tie-rod end being bad is highly unlikely in my opinion. The chance of a 3rd Currie drag link / tie-rod end being bad is statistically unlikely.
When the steering wheel was turned back and forth, if you were grabbing the drag link, you could feel a slight 'clunk' or feel like some slop. So, since I had a new (3rd!) Currie drag link, we swapped that on today. Unfortunately, after a few short drives around town and a short stint on the highway, the DW returned.
REALLY not sure what to do at this point. I find it hard to believe 3 Currie drag links would be bad.
Thoughts?
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