Intermittent steering wheel shake

[Uncaged]

For this episode of "How do I get rid of the steering wheel shake in my TJ" we have a 2002, 4.0L with 32RH auto, a new lift with 2" Pro Comp springs and Rancho RS5000X shocks and Daystar .75" spacers in front, 31x10.50-15 tires at 26 psi, Canyon rims with no dents. Sometimes it shakes sometimes it doesn't; I cannot find a pattern or reason but it is more often than not. When it shakes it starts at 45 mph and fades between 55 and 60. If I get a long, flat, straight stretch of road (common in FL) it can even start and stop without change in speed or direction. Bumps in the road do not affect it.

So far I have...
Balanced the wheels - no change
Completed an alignment - no change
1" TC drop - no change
Removed TC drop - no change
Checked for play in steering components - couldn't find any but admit my lack of experience
Dry tested steering - no noticeable play in track bar
Rotated tires - no change
Re-balanced the wheels - no change
Tightened the lower front track bar bolt - no change

A diesel mechanic friend of mine insists that there is slop in my track bar and suggests that I get a new one.

What are the suggestions of this group?

 

[reddvltj]

For this episode of "How do I get rid of the steering wheel shake in my TJ" we have a 2002, 4.0L with 32RH auto, a new lift with 2" Pro Comp springs and Rancho RS5000X shocks and Daystar .75" spacers in front, 31x10.50-15 tires at 26 psi, Canyon rims with no dents. Sometimes it shakes sometimes it doesn't; I cannot find a pattern or reason but it is more often than not. When it shakes it starts at 45 mph and fades between 55 and 60. If I get a long, flat, straight stretch of road (common in FL) it can even start and stop without change in speed or direction. Bumps in the road do not affect it.

So far I have...
Balanced the wheels - no change
Completed an alignment - no change
1" TC drop - no change
Removed TC drop - no change
Checked for play in steering components - couldn't find any but admit my lack of experience
Dry tested steering - no noticeable play in track bar
Rotated tires - no change
Re-balanced the wheels - no change
Tightened the lower front track bar bolt - no change

A diesel mechanic friend of mine insists that there is slop in my track bar and suggests that I get a new one.

What are the suggestions of this group?

Try removing the front drive shaft, although I would think you should feel that in other places besides the steering wheel, but still that would rule it out.
Thoroughly check axle u-joints and wheel unit bearings.

 

[AndyG]

Try removing the front drive shaft, although I would think you should feel that in other places besides the steering wheel, but still that would rule it out.
Thoroughly check axle u-joints and wheel unit bearings.

Good post-

Raise the wheels and check for play by pushing/pulling on opposite sides-

Also track bar bushings can become soft, as can control arm bushings- be persistent- With that tire size it should be glass smooth unless they are mud tires.

 

[DWR]

Hmm… Raise the front end, grab a tire and try to shake it to check for a bad wheel bearing. Also… do you have a drop Pittman arm? Don’t think those can cause shake, but they certainly can cause odd steering issues.

 

[Uncaged]

Thank you all for your advice. I will be out soon checking/rechecking to find the culprit.

Good post-

Raise the wheels and check for play by pushing/pulling on opposite sides-

Also track bar bushings can become soft, as can control arm bushings- be persistent- With that tire size it should be glass smooth unless they are mud tires.

I have checked play at the wheels as suggested but it wouldn't hurt to do it again especially with more advice on how to do it. Should I only raise one tire or both? Is any play a bad thing or is there some slack like in a drive line?

The track bar is the original, one of the reasons it is suspect. I am considering an adjustable track bar with new bushing that will accommodate the small lift.

Try removing the front drive shaft, although I would think you should feel that in other places besides the steering wheel, but still that would rule it out.
Thoroughly check axle u-joints and wheel unit bearings.

I will add the front drive shaft to the list but maybe further down the list. No u-joint issues that I am aware of.

Hmm… Raise the front end, grab a tire and try to shake it to check for a bad wheel bearing. Also… do you have a drop Pittman arm? Don’t think those can cause shake, but they certainly can cause odd steering issues.

Mine is mostly stock so no drop Pittman arm.

 

[reddvltj]

Thank you all for your advice. I will be out soon checking/rechecking to find the culprit.


I have checked play at the wheels as suggested but it wouldn't hurt to do it again especially with more advice on how to do it. Should I only raise one tire or both?

Checking wheel bearings lift one side at a time to make sure you're not transferring any movement to the opposite side.

Is any play a bad thing or is there some slack like in a drive line?

The track bar is the original, one of the reasons it is suspect. I am considering an adjustable track bar with new bushing that will accommodate the small lift.


I will add the front drive shaft to the list but maybe further down the list. No u-joint issues that I am aware of.


Mine is mostly stock so no drop Pittman arm.

You should have little to no lateral movement in the slip joint on a drive shaft. there should be no lateral movement at the pinion yokes, transfer case yokes, or double cardan joint.

As for removing the front drive shaft to rule it out as the cause or not the cause, you only have to disconnect the front from the axle and tie it up to the frame for a test drive, you don't have to take it all the way out. (don't forget to tape around the u-joint caps so they don't fall off while it's tied up...)


The way you described it as "steering wheel shake"... that "can even start and stop" is what makes me suspect something such as a unit bearing or u-joints/drive shaft.

Can you expand on what you mean by "steering wheel shake"? Is it more like a vibration or is the steering wheel actively turning right and left in rapid short movements? Is it "just" the steering wheel or can you feel it in the floorboard or seat?

 

[macleanflood]

This was one of my problems... completely didn't see it until I pulled the front axle for a regear. I'd definitely check all your links.

 

[Uncaged]

Checking wheel bearings lift one side at a time to make sure you're not transferring any movement to the opposite side.


You should have little to no lateral movement in the slip joint on a drive shaft. there should be no lateral movement at the pinion yokes, transfer case yokes, or double cardan joint.

As for removing the front drive shaft to rule it out as the cause or not the cause, you only have to disconnect the front from the axle and tie it up to the frame for a test drive, you don't have to take it all the way out. (don't forget to tape around the u-joint caps so they don't fall off while it's tied up...)


The way you described it as "steering wheel shake"... that "can even start and stop" is what makes me suspect something such as a unit bearing or u-joints/drive shaft.

Can you expand on what you mean by "steering wheel shake"? Is it more like a vibration or is the steering wheel actively turning right and left in rapid short movements? Is it "just" the steering wheel or can you feel it in the floorboard or seat?

Thank you for the specifics about checking wheel bearings, drive shaft and yokes. I had both front wheels off the ground when I checked the front end. The drive line is still stock, no double cardan. The extra expense is a big part of why I stopped at 2" lift rather than going with 3". I didn't find any movement when I checked before but will double check.

The steering wheel actually moves right, left, right in short movements quite rapidly. I do not feel it in the seat or floorboards and my wife doesn't notice it from the passenger seat.

 

[reddvltj]

Thank you for the specifics about checking wheel bearings, drive shaft and yokes. I had both front wheels off the ground when I checked the front end. The drive line is still stock, no double cardan. The extra expense is a big part of why I stopped at 2" lift rather than going with 3". I didn't find any movement when I checked before but will double check.

The steering wheel actually moves right, left, right in short movements quite rapidly. I do not feel it in the seat or floorboards and my wife doesn't notice it from the passenger seat.

Your front drive shaft? it should have a double cardan at the t-case.

 

[Uncaged]

This was one of my problems... completely didn't see it until I pulled the front axle for a regear. I'd definitely check all your links.

View attachment 318232

Is that the tie rod? No play/slop after I have completed the alignments. One time I found quite a bit of toe out and correcting that reduced the shake but did not eliminate it. Going from toe out to toe in stopped the wandering.

 

[reddvltj]

The steering wheel actually moves right, left, right in short movements quite rapidly. I do not feel it in the seat or floorboards and my wife doesn't notice it from the passenger seat.

Side to side is most likely to be caused by something from the unit bearings out or track bar, so that is where I would focus your attention. Although I wouldn't suspect the trackbar since you don't feel it anywhere else. If it was the trackbar causing it, the whole axle would be shifting side to side which would be noticeable more than just in the steering wheel.

 

[AndyG]

One thing that TJ owners need to remember is everything is fairly inter-dependent on these- If you have several components that have just a fraction of play they can create a cumulative amount of slop that is out of tolerance enough that it gives you problems- One reason to be very persistent is these things can drive quite a bit better than most people realize- I’ve driven enough to know that a lot of them are just not dialed in and the owners think it’s just the nature of a jeep... Don’t rule out you can have a failing belt so moving tires around can sometimes help with that- And tire balance issues can be a little bit erratic sometimes-It’s good to also compartmentalize - there are things that can cause movement and there are things that can allow movement -

 

[Uncaged]

Today I was able to check for play at the front end. The only thing I could find is a little bit of rotational twisting of the track bar along its length, but this has the offset to go around the differential so I could get torque to rotate it. The front drive shaft also had some rotational play but none end to end. The alignment was also good with 1/16" toe in at the front of the tire as compared to the back of the tire.

I keep my tire pressure at 26 psi but I found it at 29 psi; not sure how that happened. It is possible that when I had the gears swapped for the 3.73s that the mechanic increased them to 29 psi. So, I lowered the tire pressure back down to 26 and went for a short test ride. The shake was reduced by about 90% which doesn't make sense since the steering wheel shake was there before the re-gear and I don't recall it getting noticeably worse after it was in the shop. Anyway, it will require more driving to determine if the shake is truly lessened by reducing the psi in the tires.

 

[reddvltj]

Today I was able to check for play at the front end. The only thing I could find is a little bit of rotational twisting of the track bar along its length, but this has the offset to go around the differential so I could get torque to rotate it. The front drive shaft also had some rotational play but none end to end. The alignment was also good with 1/16" toe in at the front of the tire as compared to the back of the tire.

I keep my tire pressure at 26 psi but I found it at 29 psi; not sure how that happened. It is possible that when I had the gears swapped for the 3.73s that the mechanic increased them to 29 psi. So, I lowered the tire pressure back down to 26 and went for a short test ride. The shake was reduced by about 90% which doesn't make sense since the steering wheel shake was there before the re-gear and I don't recall it getting noticeably worse after it was in the shop. Anyway, it will require more driving to determine if the shake is truly lessened by reducing the psi in the tires.

Regarding the drive shaft, you said no end to end, did you check laterally at the slip joint?

If your shake was reduced by dropping tire pressure then it could be caused by a tire imbalance or slight out of round.

One thing I would suggest is maybe take your tires to a different shop and have them double check the balance and check the tires for out of round while they're spinning them.

 

[Uncaged]

UPDATE: I finally got the TJ out for a drive today. The shake is still there, the previous test drive was too short even though it got up to speed. So, tire pressure has little effect. Also, I paid more attention to the shake and where I feel it. I do feel it in the floor and seat but is it much worse in the steering wheel.

Regarding the drive shaft, you said no end to end, did you check laterally at the slip joint?

If your shake was reduced by dropping tire pressure then it could be caused by a tire imbalance or slight out of round.

One thing I would suggest is maybe take your tires to a different shop and have them double check the balance and check the tires for out of round while they're spinning them.

No play any way I tried to move the driveshaft, not even along its length which I presume would check the slip joint. The only question would be if I am doing something wrong in my check.

Tonight I rode to town with 26 psi and home with 24 psi, no change. How low should I go for street use?

Tire balance is hard to imagine at this point. Why would it be smooth one time and then shaking another? This can even happen on the same stretch of road, same time of day, same weather, same speed, etc. Any time I can see the tires while the shake is happening they are running perfectly smooth, no hopping like I saw on the Dual Sport motorcycle when a bead was not set properly. Boy was that wheel bouncing, and I didn't know it until I looked at the shadow.

 

[mastergunnera8]

Can you rotate the drag link at all? check it out...should be rock solid. On my 06 it is, cant move it, on my 05 the entire arm rotates..steering wheel oscillates a small amount over 35....so replacing all of it...

 

[reddvltj]

UPDATE: I finally got the TJ out for a drive today. The shake is still there, the previous test drive was too short even though it got up to speed. So, tire pressure has little effect. Also, I paid more attention to the shake and where I feel it. I do feel it in the floor and seat but is it much worse in the steering wheel.


No play any way I tried to move the driveshaft, not even along its length which I presume would check the slip joint. The only question would be if I am doing something wrong in my check.

Tonight I rode to town with 26 psi and home with 24 psi, no change. How low should I go for street use?

Tire balance is hard to imagine at this point. Why would it be smooth one time and then shaking another? This can even happen on the same stretch of road, same time of day, same weather, same speed, etc. Any time I can see the tires while the shake is happening they are running perfectly smooth, no hopping like I saw on the Dual Sport motorcycle when a bead was not set properly. Boy was that wheel bouncing, and I didn't know it until I looked at the shadow.

I went back and read your posts again, and with all of your descriptions, to me it sounds like something rotational related. Your said that it occurs between 40 and 60 mph, that one description by itself leads me to believe it is tire balance causing the shake. You can drive (speed up) out of a tire imbalance.

As for other possibilities, front wheel bearings that are on their way out can intermittently chatter which could cause a noticeable vibration (maybe, possibly causing the wheel to shake???) Bearings tend to react more negatively with more speed unlike tire balance.

Also I noticed something I originally missed in your post #13 about being able to rotate the trackbar. I assume ( I know ASS out of U and ME) it's still stock. If so, the frame end is the only one that should be able to rotate, as it is a ball and socket joint. The axle end, just a bushing with a bolt through it, should only allow the bar to pivot up or down, that bushing shouldn't allow much, if any, rotation like you're describing. I don't suspect that the trackbar is the culprit at least not all by itself.

Add these two issues together and it "could" potentially cause what you are experiencing..

If you still can't find the cause, the only suggestion I have at this point is to find someone with more experience to help you, or (bite the bullet) pay to have a known trustworthy shop check it out. Or... drive it and see if it gets worse. If it does then it "should" be easier to identify the problem.

 

[macleanflood]

I think I might put the Jeep up on jack stands, remove the tires and run it through the gears in 4 hi. If it shakes you've eliminated the tires...still shaking I'd try 2wd... that'll tell you if it's in the front end. If it doesn't shake at all then it's probably steering.

-Mac

 

[reddvltj]

I think I might put the Jeep up on jack stands, remove the tires and run it through the gears in 4 hi. If it shakes you've eliminated the tires...still shaking I'd try 2wd... that'll tell you if it's in the front end. If it doesn't shake at all then it's probably steering.

-Mac

The problem with that is you've removed pretty much all load from the drive lines, the unit bearings, and steering parts. So how then do you know if it was tires or bearings?

 

[macleanflood]

The problem with that is you've removed pretty much all load from the drive lines, the unit bearings, and steering parts. So how then do you know if it was tires or bearings?

No arguments...I'd still try it...it still might shake...