Death Wobble on 04 LJ

[AndyG]

You can check ball joints with a pry bar-

Your control arm bushings can be a factor especially the passenger side upper front

You can test it by toeing the vehicle out 5/8” and driving it - if it solves it replace the bushings. Normally bumps will set it off and the loose arms allow the DW. Hitting a bump in a sweeping left hand turn is a pretty good indicator of an issue.

 

[Cooper Smith]

I am having a bad death wobble, it is hard to pinpoint, I feel it mostly at around 45-50 if i let the steering wheel go, however this don't always happen. At times, I can go up to 65 miles without feeling it. Going over bumps seems to trigger it more. When it happens, the whole front end, and steering wheel would vibrate left and right badly as if things would come apart, very scary. have to step on brake.

The whole suspension is new, and all is tight. I was running the same wheels and tires on my 97 TJ with no issues. Tires are 35s.

Thanks

First of all, stop driving the Jeep. If you get DW, you need to park it until parts are replaced or tires are taken care of (whatever the issue is). I almost ended up in a ditch after work one night. That shit is no joke, and DW will destroy new parts. It looks like your steering gear and pitman arm might be older. Pitman arm has a joint on it that can get play in it over time. Another thing is, a lifted Jeep has different geometry than a non-lifted Jeep. So unbalanced tires or poorly balanced tires may have a larger effect.

I had DW BAD last year. I was broke back then and had literally ZERO dollars to my name to put towards parts. Turns out, the 13 year old tires took a shit and the belts likely broke inside. $600 in tires later, and a PERFECT balance at Discount Tire, the issue never came back. Do a dry steering test. Put a crowbar under the front tires and look for up/down play in the ball joints. Check for wallowing out at the hole on the axle mount.

Larger tires are harder to balance, and tire shops don't always do a good enough job (take it from me) the first time around. Especially on modified SFA vehicles. Insist on a perfect balance and see if the problem goes away.