Front Driveshaft Vibration / Death Wobble Issue

Arthurius

Arthurius

TJ Enthusiast
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Joined
Dec 14, 2021
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169
Location
Mesa, Arizona
I recently picked up my 06 LJR and it had been running solid. Its a relatively mild build with what looks like a 2" spring lift and bump stops, 265/75 Goodyear Wranglers and not much else. However i found the much ballyhoo'd angry sparrows sound started to show up about 2k miles after purchase. I removed the front shaft and had it sent to a local driveshaft shop to be rebuilt rather than purchase a new one.

After reinstall I've run into vibration issues above 65 mph, clunky sounds when turning at low speeds, and other odd noises here and there that make me fear either my transfer case or front diff are now minestrone. These warning signs were naturally ignored in a young and dumb decision to hit Box Canyon here in AZ. The trail went smoothly with no issues but the front end did take a few good rocks and knocks along the way. When I was driving home on the highway however, no such luck. When turning left on a large 2 lane freeway-to-freeway ramp at about 60-65 the Jeep went into a death wobble that lead me to have to slow to about 15-20 before it subsided. It was late in the day so there was no other traffic, but it was definitely a sketchy situation. I have since removed the shaft and today ran up to like 84 mph, as well as took the same curve and had no issues, to include the other vibrations and clunky noises I had heard with the rebuilt shaft prior to experiencing DW. So now i am left with a 2WD LJR, coin spent for a rebuilt shaft thats suspected to have given me death wobble, and a whole lotta questions.

My first finger always points to my own idiocy so my first question regards driveshaft orientation, as well as "how much did i break it". I did mark the shaft, but when it was returned to me the shop had heavily painted it and my index markings were long gone. Is it possible i got this exactly backwards and that would be the cause of all these issues? I dont suspect torque to be an issue because they were torqued to spec and were still tight upon removal. Could I have royally jacked everything by going wheeling with a compromised front shaft? Could the shaft itself be bent? I dont have reason to blame the shop for bad work besides covering my indexing, but failures happen. Should i take the shaft in? They mentioned a warranty but I fear they will turn me around because i installed it myself? Should I just resort to the original alternative and fork coin for a new shaft altogether? Thanks for any help, attached are some photos of the front end for reference (see anything? I'm a decent mechanic but relatively novice to Jeeps) and a photo of the shaft.
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Welcome to the forum. Driveshafts won't usually cause DW. DW occurs when a lot of things are out of whack at the front axle. This will take you some time to diagnose. I could give you the easy answer, but I think you'll learn more by researching this forum and reading. The "How To's" will offer several suggestions and you will gain more from your own research.

I will, however, give you the starting point. Most DW leads to track bar issues. I see you or the previous owner redrilled a new hole at the bracket end of your axle side, track bar mount. This is generally a no-no because you're reusing the stock track bar and it's compensating (or re-centering) the front axle after the lift. You have a mild lift, so for now it'll be fine, but long term it will be best to buy yourself an adjustable track bar and use the OEM hole. In the meantime, make sure that axle side bolt for the track bar is tight! This bolt likes to loosen. Then it'll wallow out the hole, leading to DW. Once you've completed that little track bar check (make sure the joints are not worn at either end too)

Last, have someone sit in the driver's seat, engine running, and have them turn the steering wheel back and forth. As they are doing that, check each joint for side to side movement. The culprit is sometimes easy to see (track bar, upper or lower control arm bushings, ball joints on the drag link/tie rod, etc). Remove and replace worn parts from there and use this forum on best practices and parts to buy. It may be a little frustrating to narrow it down (and expensive). Then go WHEEL!
 
1904-06LJR said:
Welcome to the forum. Driveshafts won't usually cause DW. DW occurs when a lot of things are out of whack at the front axle. This will take you some time to diagnose. I could give you the easy answer, but I think you'll learn more by researching this forum and reading. The "How To's" will offer several suggestions and you will gain more from your own research.

I will, however, give you the starting point. Most DW leads to track bar issues. I see you or the previous owner redrilled a new hole at the bracket end of your axle side, track bar mount. This is generally a no-no because you're reusing the stock track bar and it's compensating (or re-centering) the front axle after the lift. You have a mild lift, so for now it'll be fine, but long term it will be best to buy yourself an adjustable track bar and use the OEM hole. In the meantime, make sure that axle side bolt for the track bar is tight! This bolt likes to loosen. Then it'll wallow out the hole, leading to DW. Once you've completed that little track bar check (make sure the joints are not worn at either end too)

Last, have someone sit in the driver's seat, engine running, and have them turn the steering wheel back and forth. As they are doing that, check each joint for side to side movement. The culprit is sometimes easy to see (track bar, upper or lower control arm bushings, ball joints on the drag link/tie rod, etc). Remove and replace worn parts from there and use this forum on best practices and parts to buy. It may be a little frustrating to narrow it down (and expensive). Then go WHEEL!
Click to expand...
Okay so the DW and my front driveshaft woes may be disconnected issues, thats convenient. Lol it may very well be that I whacked something good on the trail that lead to me getting DW on the ride home. In an effort to keep the thread on topic, can a front driveshaft repair create issues in the front axle? Like cascading issues in the steering linkage and drivetrain after they had 'set' to the slop in the old, failed CV? And are now rearing their head because of the replacement? I'm asking because my main concern is whether or not this driveshaft i have had rebuilt is good to go. When i first found the angry sparrows sound there was no noticable vibrations or clunky sounds, and without it installed the Jeep appears to drive well, no vibes or noises. Thats also why i point to operator error upon install, me lol.
 
First, it is highly unlikely anything serious is wrong based on your profile-that LJR may suffer more from under use than wear.

The above posts are great-

Try to categorize your issues -

If they did not build the shaft right or rebuild the cardan it has to be dead right and balanced spot on- you may want to call Tom Woods. It is possible to lift the jeep, and run it and watch the shaft turn. It is also possible to run it through the garage wall doing this. Also you have to be careful you did not cock it in the yoke at install by not seating the caps - that seems possible reading this. I’d also pull the caps and make sure there are no missing needle bearings and make sure the cardan is not sloppy while you have it out-

Noise when turning is indicative of bad front axle u joints

Death Wobble - if it happens consistently it is typically a tire balance issue, if it happens on a bump or turn it is likely the track bar is loose and /or the bushings are going soft- the dry test above will clearly reveal that- it can also be a control arm bushing, notably the front right upper. Other things can enter in but these are by far the most common.

At the minimum i’d do a new Moog track bar bushing at the axle end if the frame end is ok, and if it isn’t I’d be getting a quality adjustable track bar on it asap. Dare I say it, but rough country has one that is $129 now, mounts with no drilling and both ends can be rebuilt with off the shelf parts at most chain stores- a stock axle end bushing and an ES 3096L at the frame.

Bear in mind most of us can drive 70-80 with one finger, so we know how to solve this. Plus it leaves one finger free to plug our rear end if we get death wobble.

Going further, make sure your front locker is unlocking- this can be done by lifting the front end and turning the wheels- you can bind one by overtightening the fill plug.

It is funny how we feel neutered when the front shaft is out- like driving it to wal mart and we are all worried some great emergency may happen and we can’t use 4wd. Like life is some McGyver episode and before the day is out we may be in the Andes trying to outsmart some cartel or something. Gotta be prepared.
 
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This is all great info, I'll take tomorrow to chase it down a bit more. Regarding the install i did have a cap that wasnt seated and the washer cracked, but that caps needle bearings looked good and they gave me a new one as i walked out so I didnt bother checking the other side. For the time being I may just continue driving with no front and see if the wobble returns while I check the DS. I did take care to make sure they were fully seated before lifting it into the yoke, but does the shaft have an orientation? I could only really find mixed reports on this so I opted to just throw it in and see what happens, as my marks were toast anyways.
 
Arthurius said:
This is all great info, I'll take tomorrow to chase it down a bit more. Regarding the install i did have a cap that wasnt seated and the washer cracked, but that caps needle bearings looked good and they gave me a new one as i walked out so I didnt bother checking the other side. For the time being I may just continue driving with no front and see if the wobble returns while I check the DS. I did take care to make sure they were fully seated before lifting it into the yoke, but does the shaft have an orientation? I could only really find mixed reports on this so I opted to just throw it in and see what happens, as my marks were toast anyways.
Click to expand...
@Shawn at Tom Wood's would be super helpful- the @ sign notifies him.

Not seating them into the yoke recess is a common mistake, you sort of work blind st the transfer case.

Keep us posted, when you learn and share , we learn. Then brag that we solved it.
 
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Arthurius said:
This is all great info, I'll take tomorrow to chase it down a bit more. Regarding the install i did have a cap that wasnt seated and the washer cracked, but that caps needle bearings looked good and they gave me a new one as i walked out so I didnt bother checking the other side. For the time being I may just continue driving with no front and see if the wobble returns while I check the DS. I did take care to make sure they were fully seated before lifting it into the yoke, but does the shaft have an orientation? I could only really find mixed reports on this so I opted to just throw it in and see what happens, as my marks were toast anyways.
Click to expand...
You need a cotter pin installed before you die. The hole in the pin needs to be lined up with the slot. Fix that.

The mount for the steering end of the stabilizer goes up on the draglink, not on the tie rod. Pin is oriented on top and pointed back somewhat.

1646539409851.png
 
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mrblaine said:
You need a cotter pin installed before you die.
Click to expand...
Should rename the thread to "how much can we remove before we die?" Lol

Thanks for the heads up. Looks like the previous owner liked randomly connecting shit, my 3rd brake light blinks with my right turn signal too!
 
As been pointed out you have most likely two issues that are overlapping. Your driveline issue could trigger DW but is not the root cause. Judging from the amount of weight on that shaft it was built on a Friday. When the shop serviced it there is a good chance the new parts changed things up enough to put it out of balance. I would talk to them about stripping the old weights off and having it straightened and balanced. Also make sure to inspect your tcase and pinion yokes to insure the locating tabs are still intact and not allowing the joints to move around in the yoke.
 
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Arthurius said:
I recently picked up my 06 LJR and it had been running solid. Its a relatively mild build with what looks like a 2" spring lift and bump stops, 265/75 Goodyear Wranglers and not much else. However i found the much ballyhoo'd angry sparrows sound started to show up about 2k miles after purchase. I removed the front shaft and had it sent to a local driveshaft shop to be rebuilt rather than purchase a new one.

After reinstall I've run into vibration issues above 65 mph, clunky sounds when turning at low speeds, and other odd noises here and there that make me fear either my transfer case or front diff are now minestrone. These warning signs were naturally ignored in a young and dumb decision to hit Box Canyon here in AZ. The trail went smoothly with no issues but the front end did take a few good rocks and knocks along the way. When I was driving home on the highway however, no such luck. When turning left on a large 2 lane freeway-to-freeway ramp at about 60-65 the Jeep went into a death wobble that lead me to have to slow to about 15-20 before it subsided. It was late in the day so there was no other traffic, but it was definitely a sketchy situation. I have since removed the shaft and today ran up to like 84 mph, as well as took the same curve and had no issues, to include the other vibrations and clunky noises I had heard with the rebuilt shaft prior to experiencing DW. So now i am left with a 2WD LJR, coin spent for a rebuilt shaft thats suspected to have given me death wobble, and a whole lotta questions.

My first finger always points to my own idiocy so my first question regards driveshaft orientation, as well as "how much did i break it". I did mark the shaft, but when it was returned to me the shop had heavily painted it and my index markings were long gone. Is it possible i got this exactly backwards and that would be the cause of all these issues? I dont suspect torque to be an issue because they were torqued to spec and were still tight upon removal. Could I have royally jacked everything by going wheeling with a compromised front shaft? Could the shaft itself be bent? I dont have reason to blame the shop for bad work besides covering my indexing, but failures happen. Should i take the shaft in? They mentioned a warranty but I fear they will turn me around because i installed it myself? Should I just resort to the original alternative and fork coin for a new shaft altogether? Thanks for any help, attached are some photos of the front end for reference (see anything? I'm a decent mechanic but relatively novice to Jeeps) and a photo of the shaft.View attachment 313719View attachment 313720View attachment 313721
Click to expand...
Check the right upper ball joint, it looks as if the boot is hanging off of it.
 
NskLJ said:
Check the right upper ball joint, it looks as if the boot is hanging off of it.
Click to expand...
There is something odd about both sides. The left is clearly aftermarket or at least the lower has an aftermarket nut on the lower but the pin sticks through a bit further than normal. The right side upper does have a much smaller gap between the top of the knuckle and bottom of the inner C than we typically see. The boot may be split due to that or because it wasn't pulled when the joint was pressed in. Need better pics of all of that.
 
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I agree with everyone else that the drive shaft and death wobble are two separate issues. That's often the case with Jeeps, if the previous owner neglected one thing or did something weird with one thing, the probably neglected and/or did something weird with another thing. I wonder if there is a chance that drive shaft vibration could have a triggering effect in the same way a skier can trigger a huge avalanche. But the conditions are already there, the conditions for death wobble are already there.

The people on this forum will give you good advice on the death wobble, I know nothing about it. Moving on to the drive shaft, which I do know something about. I would not be surprised if the slip/spline assembly of the shaft has some wear and play in it which would make the shaft rattle around and vibrate. This is fairly common on stock TJ Rubicon front shafts. A bent shaft is not likely unless you can see a big dent/scrape where the shaft got banged real hard on a rock. The orientation of the drive shaft to the vehicle (phasing) doesn't matter. The phasing of the drive shaft parts within the shaft does but as long as it is re-balanced after being re-built, which it appears it was, the phasing could have changed with no problems. You can read some tips to help you identify drive shaft vibrations here https://4xshaft.com/blogs/faq/diagnosing-drive-shaft-vibrations?_pos=1&_sid=d6ec76a03&_ss=r.

I can't tell from the photo which new parts are in that drive shaft, new balance weights for sure but the socket yoke doesn't look new to me. The photo isn't great though, I tried to zoom in on the ends of the shaft but I can still only see so much detail. Will you post some clearer up-close photos of each end of the shaft? I don't want to jump to conclusions about whether or not the joints and socket yoke have been replaced.

Also, in zooming in real close on the double cardan (cv) it looks like you may have a broken tab on the socket yoke. It is real grainy and blurry when I zoom in close so I may be completely wrong. Take a look, and/or let me take a look at some better photos. Below is what an example of a broken tab. In the photos below it's the centering tab on a pinion yoke but the concept is same. Sorry, the photo with the non-broken tab on the right is pretty dark and hard to see.

broken tab.jpg
 
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Sorry I hadn't gotten some updates here but I was waiting to have progress to report. lol

I dropped the DS off at the shop and they said they'll look it back over. Unfortunately they're pretty backed up and since its basically warranty work, I'm at the back of the line.

In the meantime I've driven a cotter pin thru the bolt in the drag link and this weekend I'm gonna work on relocating the steering stabilizer. @mrblaine is this an aftermarket steering setup? I think it may be a Currie setup based on mild googling. I'm trying to find the torque values for that bracket on the drag link. Also, is there a positioning on the drag link (laterally)? Not sure if there's a best known location or if I need to kind of 'find center'.
 
Arthurius said:
Sorry I hadn't gotten some updates here but I was waiting to have progress to report. lol

I dropped the DS off at the shop and they said they'll look it back over. Unfortunately they're pretty backed up and since its basically warranty work, I'm at the back of the line.
Click to expand...
Interesting that this shop back logs their warranties. Not a good look IMO.
 
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