I wanted to pass on some lessons I learned regarding death wobble.
If you do not wish to do troubleshooting, take your jeep to a 4X4 shop, and if they find any problems, ask them to also check the areas below. Sometimes the shops will just fix the first problem they find.
Do not take your jeep to a standard tire shop to have the tires balanced.
If you wish to do your own own troubleshooting, the first step in troubleshooting is to remove the steering stabilizer.
If anyone recommends that you install a new steering stabilizer, remind them that it has nothing to do with death wobble except mask it.
In my experience, death wobble is usually the result of several factors, do not stop checking when you find one.
Check the ball joints by jacking up the each front tire, using a pry bar or a 2 x 4 and move the tire up and down. Look for any movement or clicking sound in the ball joints.
With the tire off the ground check the wheel bearings by grabbing the tire and shaking the tire left to right.
Rather than just checking the torque on the track bar bolts, I would take the track bar off and check both mounting brackets for excessive play using the supplied bolts. Check the condition of the bushings, and also check the play with the bolt in the bushing sleeve. Another area to check is the correct size bolt on both ends of the track bar, this only applies to aftermarket track bars such as JKS.
Check the tie rod ends by having someone turn the wheel from side to side and checking for any movement.
Check the control arm bushing for any play using a pry bar.
If you find any of the above problems, take the jeep to 4X4 shop and have the problems fixed. Ask the shop to balance the tires and rotate front to back. Also have the shop perform an alignment.
Ensure that the shop road tests the jeep after fixing any issues with the steering stabilizer removed. There is nothing more frustrating than having to return to the same shop several times for the same issue.
If you do not wish to do troubleshooting, take your jeep to a 4X4 shop, and if they find any problems, ask them to also check the areas below. Sometimes the shops will just fix the first problem they find.
Do not take your jeep to a standard tire shop to have the tires balanced.
If you wish to do your own own troubleshooting, the first step in troubleshooting is to remove the steering stabilizer.
If anyone recommends that you install a new steering stabilizer, remind them that it has nothing to do with death wobble except mask it.
In my experience, death wobble is usually the result of several factors, do not stop checking when you find one.
Check the ball joints by jacking up the each front tire, using a pry bar or a 2 x 4 and move the tire up and down. Look for any movement or clicking sound in the ball joints.
With the tire off the ground check the wheel bearings by grabbing the tire and shaking the tire left to right.
Rather than just checking the torque on the track bar bolts, I would take the track bar off and check both mounting brackets for excessive play using the supplied bolts. Check the condition of the bushings, and also check the play with the bolt in the bushing sleeve. Another area to check is the correct size bolt on both ends of the track bar, this only applies to aftermarket track bars such as JKS.
Check the tie rod ends by having someone turn the wheel from side to side and checking for any movement.
Check the control arm bushing for any play using a pry bar.
If you find any of the above problems, take the jeep to 4X4 shop and have the problems fixed. Ask the shop to balance the tires and rotate front to back. Also have the shop perform an alignment.
Ensure that the shop road tests the jeep after fixing any issues with the steering stabilizer removed. There is nothing more frustrating than having to return to the same shop several times for the same issue.
