Death Wobble Question
- Thread starter taylormade73
- Start date
OP
No worries. I'm putting it on the rack tomorrow to see what the computer says all the specs are.
OP
When taking it out for a test drive just now, I heard a noise coming in and up my driveway. It was almost like a click.
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OP
I just went back and forth in and out of my driveway and I can hear something loose. I just cant figure out what.
What I'm asking is if there is a specific event that triggers it. Like the same pothole hit with the drivers side tire. If you can replicate it like that, it can point to a ball joint. But be aware deathwobble can and will wear out other parts very quickly as well. Tie rod ends, control arm bushing etc.
OP
Yes. There is one bump on a bridge that triggers it every time. It's a 3-4" drop off from the road to the bridge that goes over the highway. Both tires hit it. Potholes don't really trigger it consistently on either side. It does not trigger it coming from the other direction going up the bump.
I bought a jeep and it had the death wobble issue. Mine was caused by a set of cupped tires that were on it. The suspension parts checked good. I replaced the tires and no death wobble for over a year now. This might not be your issue but I posted it to help anybody that's fighting it.
@taylormade73 , all the best. You’ll figure it out. Mine was bad tires. I was running Goodyear MTR Kevlar’s back in the 31 days. Had them balanced multiple times to no avail. Changed trackBar and tie rods, same. Went up to 33’s and everything was perfect.
OP
Putting it on the rack yielded no new info. Everything tight: rod ends, bolts, etc. Set the alignment with the machine while on the rack just because. At this point, I'm just going to take it back apart and "redo" the axle swap. This time going very slowly and focusing on installing and torquing everything properly. I'm also going to check the tapers on the knucks while im at it. Laters for now...I've got a shit ton of work to do. Wish me luck.
OP
Took everything apart, inspected and retorqued for nothing. Still DW.
Then I did the 5/8" toe out test. Thank you @mrblaine . I tried to hit every bump i could on my way to "the bump." No DW there...then I held my breath and mashed the gas...hit the bump, it started briefly then went away after a couple shakes without me letting off the gas or stopping.
So, what now @mrblaine ? If its the upper control arms, what do I do? I have Savvy double adjustables with less than 5k miles on them. They are torqued to 60 ft lbs per spec. The only change from my other axle set up is this new RJ44 has JJs on the axle side. Could those be causing the DW? Do I need to go back to a rubber bushing? Please advise...
Then I did the 5/8" toe out test. Thank you @mrblaine . I tried to hit every bump i could on my way to "the bump." No DW there...then I held my breath and mashed the gas...hit the bump, it started briefly then went away after a couple shakes without me letting off the gas or stopping.
So, what now @mrblaine ? If its the upper control arms, what do I do? I have Savvy double adjustables with less than 5k miles on them. They are torqued to 60 ft lbs per spec. The only change from my other axle set up is this new RJ44 has JJs on the axle side. Could those be causing the DW? Do I need to go back to a rubber bushing? Please advise...
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Get under there and loosen the jam nuts on one upper arm. Crank it out a bit longer to put the uppers in a bind and see what happens.
OP
Yes, put the toe back, put the uppers in a bind and try it again. It isn't common but I have seen a few cases where the smaller JJ's are just not enough to control the axle on DW prone rigs. Assuming all else is good.
OP
After I corrected toe, I put driver side upper control arm in a bind but by hand. Took it out hit a bump and death wobble. Do I need to put it in more of a bind with a wrench?
What kind of shape are your front tires in and when is the last time you had them balanced?
That's a good looking Jeep. You shouldn't be having trouble with death wobble. I follow death wobble threads and when they get to the point that there is no obvious solution, I like to suggest that the wheels of your Jeep may be mounted off-center. Also, if the wheels have been off-center for 10,000 miles or so, now the tires may be out of round. This issue shows up on Jeeps that have aftermarket wheels where the center hole of the wheel is bigger than the guiding edge of the hub (hub centric vs lug centric). Lug centric wheels will center if you use this procedure to mount them on your jeep.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/hub-centric-wheel-questions.26958/
Here is the procedure:
Here is how you should mount your aftermarket rims, after a rotation, new rims or tires, or a good old cleaning
1. Jack car up and secure it with a jack stand (Safety First
)
2. Loosen all lug nuts and either put on rim, rotate or whatever the hell you need to do.
3. Thread on all the lug nuts, but DO NOT tighten to where you can not move them.
4. Rotate the tire/rim until one of the 5 lugs is at the 12 o clock position.
5. Tighten lug nut with thumb and forefinger to the point that you can not do it anymore.
6. Rotate the tire clockwise, skipping one lug nut.
7. After skipping the one nut, put the 3rd nut in the 12 o clock position. Tighten this one the same as Step 5
8. Skip one more nut, and repeat Step 5. This last nut will be right next to the first one.
9. Let the truck down to where the tires barely touch the ground. Use a wrench and tighten all bolts with about 25% of your strength. Just enough to grab.
10. I then let the truck down all the way and torqued the bolts to 90.
11. Repeat all steps above for the rest of the truck and throw a couple of beers in there
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/hub-centric-wheel-questions.26958/
Here is the procedure:
Here is how you should mount your aftermarket rims, after a rotation, new rims or tires, or a good old cleaning
1. Jack car up and secure it with a jack stand (Safety First
)2. Loosen all lug nuts and either put on rim, rotate or whatever the hell you need to do.
3. Thread on all the lug nuts, but DO NOT tighten to where you can not move them.
4. Rotate the tire/rim until one of the 5 lugs is at the 12 o clock position.
5. Tighten lug nut with thumb and forefinger to the point that you can not do it anymore.
6. Rotate the tire clockwise, skipping one lug nut.
7. After skipping the one nut, put the 3rd nut in the 12 o clock position. Tighten this one the same as Step 5
8. Skip one more nut, and repeat Step 5. This last nut will be right next to the first one.
9. Let the truck down to where the tires barely touch the ground. Use a wrench and tighten all bolts with about 25% of your strength. Just enough to grab.
10. I then let the truck down all the way and torqued the bolts to 90.
11. Repeat all steps above for the rest of the truck and throw a couple of beers in there
OP
They have less than 5,000 miles on them. And when I first experienced the DW, I switched the front with the rear. I just had them rebalance yesterday.
OP
That is exactly how I mount them.That's a good looking Jeep. You shouldn't be having trouble with death wobble. I follow death wobble threads and when they get to the point that there is no obvious solution, I like to suggest that the wheels of your Jeep may be mounted off-center. Also, if the wheels have been off-center for 10,000 miles or so, now the tires may be out of round. This issue shows up on Jeeps that have aftermarket wheels where the center hole of the wheel is bigger than the guiding edge of the hub (hub centric vs lug centric). Lug centric wheels will center if you use this procedure to mount them on your jeep.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/hub-centric-wheel-questions.26958/
Here is the procedure:
Here is how you should mount your aftermarket rims, after a rotation, new rims or tires, or a good old cleaning
1. Jack car up and secure it with a jack stand (Safety First
2. Loosen all lug nuts and either put on rim, rotate or whatever the hell you need to do.
3. Thread on all the lug nuts, but DO NOT tighten to where you can not move them.
4. Rotate the tire/rim until one of the 5 lugs is at the 12 o clock position.
5. Tighten lug nut with thumb and forefinger to the point that you can not do it anymore.
6. Rotate the tire clockwise, skipping one lug nut.
7. After skipping the one nut, put the 3rd nut in the 12 o clock position. Tighten this one the same as Step 5
8. Skip one more nut, and repeat Step 5. This last nut will be right next to the first one.
9. Let the truck down to where the tires barely touch the ground. Use a wrench and tighten all bolts with about 25% of your strength. Just enough to grab.
10. I then let the truck down all the way and torqued the bolts to 90.
11. Repeat all steps above for the rest of the truck and throw a couple of beers in there
