Steering stabilizer question

[isu2815]

I've read a lot of the posts about how the steering stabilizer won't do anything for death wobble. I just took my Jeep to the dealer for another issue and mentioned that it had a wobble. They said that my steering dampener is leaking fluid and that replacing it would fix my wobble. They want $300 just for the part...based on what I've seen stabilizers run anywhere from $30 on up and wouldn't actually fix my wobble anyways. I'm not really sure how to proceed. I plan on getting the OME Ultimate or Super Ultimate lift kit soon anyways so will that replace all of the parts that could potentially cause the wobble (other than ball joints)? I appreciate any constructive advice as I am no mechanic.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Another clueless dealer trying to cure a wobble with the wrong tool, curing wobble is not even close to the purpose of the steering stabilizer which is more correctly described as a steering damper... its job is primarily to isolate shock and jolts away from the steering system.

A wobble is pretty much invariably caused by nothing more than an out of balance tire or two. Very rarely anything else causes a shimmy or wobble. And steering stabilzers are inexpensive, they're really just a hydraulic shock absorber valved to have a 50:50 damping action in both directions. A Monroe or Rancho SS is fine.

 

[skrelnik]

I've read a lot of the posts about how the steering stabilizer won't do anything for death wobble. I just took my Jeep to the dealer for another issue and mentioned that it had a wobble. They said that my steering dampener is leaking fluid and that replacing it would fix my wobble. They want $300 just for the part...based on what I've seen stabilizers run anywhere from $30 on up and wouldn't actually fix my wobble anyways. I'm not really sure how to proceed. I plan on getting the OME Ultimate or Super Ultimate lift kit soon anyways so will that replace all of the parts that could potentially cause the wobble (other than ball joints)? I appreciate any constructive advice as I am no mechanic.

Holy cow. Steering stabilizers are cheap, under a $100 for the expensive ones. This is a very easy fix. If you intend on buying a lift kit, and are "no mechanic", this is a great entry level mechanic drill. Below is a video. Depending on what you want to pay, I would say hit the local Advanced Auto or go online for an OME.

 

[isu2815]

Holy cow. Steering stabilizers are cheap, under a $100 for the expensive ones. This is a very easy fix. If you intend on buying a lift kit, and are "no mechanic", this is a great entry level mechanic drill. Below is a video. Depending on what you want to pay, I would say hit the local Advanced Auto or go online for an OME.

Nice! I'll definitely watch this and see if it is something I can handle.

 

[isu2815]

Another clueless dealer trying to cure a wobble with the wrong tool, curing wobble is not even close to the purpose of the steering stabilizer which is more correctly described as a steering damper... its job is primarily to isolate shock and jolts away from the steering system.

A wobble is pretty much invariably caused by nothing more than an out of balance tire or two. Very rarely anything else causes a shimmy or wobble. And steering stabilzers are inexpensive, they're really just a hydraulic shock absorber valved to have a 50:50 damping action in both directions. A Monroe or Rancho SS is fine.

I guess the next question is, would I be ok waiting until I get the lift and but new wheels/tires on or should I pay and get it balanced now? I plan on ordering the lift and new steering stabilizer next week. By then, I think I'll know if it is a job I can handle or I need to take it somewhere to be installed.

 

[Matt77]

Another clueless dealer trying to cure a wobble with the wrong tool, curing wobble is not even close to the purpose of the steering stabilizer which is more correctly described as a steering damper... its job is primarily to isolate shock and jolts away from the steering system.

A wobble is pretty much invariably caused by nothing more than an out of balance tire or two. Very rarely anything else causes a shimmy or wobble. And steering stabilzers are inexpensive, they're really just a hydraulic shock absorber valved to have a 50:50 damping action in both directions. A Monroe or Rancho SS is fine.

On the internet it says DW is caused by trackbar??? My jeep has DW, scary. Could it possible be cured by hitting all the zirk fittings with grease? They all look like they could use a little.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

On the internet it says DW is caused by trackbar??? My jeep has DW, scary. Could it possible be cured by hitting all the zirk fittings with grease? They all look like they could use a little.

The internet has a habit of claiming all kinds of things cause Death Wobble, but it's seldom just one of them.... it's normally a combination of things.

What normally serves as the triggering event for DW is an out of balance/imperfectly balanced tire, less often hitting a bump or dip in the world can also (but less often) serve as the triggering event. By imperfectly balanced tire, that can even include tires that were just balanced since not many shops will spend the time to get all the tires perfectly balanced. They often just shoot for what they consider "good enough" which for a Wrangler running oversize tires is never good enough. I've had to have a tire shop rebalance my tires THREE times in one day before I finally got the level of balance I paid for.

A good tight front-end will often be able to dampen out the vibrations (oscillations) from a bad tire, bump/dip, etc. before it turns into full-blown DW. A track bar that is mounted too loosely often allows DW to fully develop once it is triggered, other items that can let it develop include a loose shock, control arm, tie rod.

Never is DW caused by a missing or bad steering damper aka steering stabilizer. Never, not even maybe.

 

[Matt77]

The internet has a habit of claiming all kinds of things cause Death Wobble, but it's seldom just one of them.... it's normally a combination of things.

What normally serves as the triggering event for DW is an out of balance/imperfectly balanced tire, less often hitting a bump or dip in the world can also (but less often) serve as the triggering event. By imperfectly balanced tire, that can even include tires that were just balanced since not many shops will spend the time to get all the tires perfectly balanced. They often just shoot for what they consider "good enough" which for a Wrangler running oversize tires is never good enough. I've had to have a tire shop rebalance my tires THREE times in one day before I finally got the level of balance I paid for.

A good tight front-end will often be able to dampen out the vibrations (oscillations) from a bad tire, bump/dip, etc. before it turns into full-blown DW. A track bar that is mounted too loosely often allows DW to fully develop once it is triggered, other items that can let it develop include a loose shock, control arm, tie rod.

Never is DW caused by a missing or bad steering damper aka steering stabilizer. Never, not even maybe.

Do I test my track bar by jacking the front end up under the pumpkin? Do I have to worry about breaking the seal on pumpkin cover? Should I go just behind the cover plate? And then shake the track bar?

Also my front tires are almost bald and back tires are fairly good shape, can that cause DW?

Also my front passenger coil spring somehow shifted and is up against the back of the tire assembly. What caused that? Does that cause DW?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Test your track bar as thus... with the tires on the ground, have a helper repeatedly turn the steering wheel back & forth. While he/she does that, you watch the track bar for side-to-side movement where it is bolted to the axle or to the frame on the driver's side. There should be no side-to-side slop or movement. However, the track bar, drag link, and tie rod are all mounted on ball joints so there will be rotational play if you twist the rods.

 

[RustyCage]

I had a pretty good front end shimmy shimmy shake on my TJ caused by worn out, cupped and out of balance old tires that would occur from 50 to 55 miles an hour and then smooth out. As soon as I replaced the tires with new balanced tires the problem was solved. No more shimmy.

On the other hand, I've also experienced full blown DEATH WOBBLE in my daughter's XJ. It's a far more serious and violent event that feels like your entire front end is shaking apart. It was terrifying and I'm glad I was driving at the time of discovery because my then 16 year old daughter, a newly minted driver, may not have been able to handle it. The calamitous vibration in the steering wheel and the near inability to control the vehicle was orders of magnitude greater than the shimmy shake in my TJ caused by old tires. In the case of the XJ the remedy for the death wobble was nearly a complete steering rebuild - tie rod, drag link, track bar, sway bar links, steering damper, etc. All the bushings were shot if not missing entirely and everything was loose and jangly. Didn't have to replace the ball joints. Mind you also, that this is a '95 XJ with over 205,000 miles on it at the time. That was two years ago and all has been just fine since we refreshed the steering components as noted.

Point is, in my experience, there's a huge difference between the shimmy of worn out/out of balance tires and actual death wobble caused by a combination of worn out steering components . . .

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I've read a lot of the posts about how the steering stabilizer won't do anything for death wobble. I just took my Jeep to the dealer for another issue and mentioned that it had a wobble. They said that my steering dampener is leaking fluid and that replacing it would fix my wobble.

Whoever at the dealership told you a new steering damper would cure the Death Wobble is absolutely clueless. A new steering damper may sometimes temporarily suppress the symptoms which will fool some into thinking it was cured, but all it's doing is temporarily masking the symptoms... like holding a gorilla down. You may hold him down for a bit but eventually you're gonna get tired and then he's gonna come after you again.

A damper is a passive device, it cannot generate vibrations or oscillations (Death Wobble). Think about that. What can generate vibrations or oscillations? A spinning imperfectly balanced tire is great at that job. If the tire is just barely out of balance, a fresh steering stabilizer may temporarily dampen the vibrations so you can't feel them but the tire is still out of balance together with something like the track bar likely being loose letting the vibrations fully develop into full-blown DW. With tires that are well balanced and a good tight front suspension & steering system, you wouldn't get DW even without a steering damper in place.

The real job of the damper is to isolate the steering system from jolts & bumps on the highway, it is not there to prevent DW.

 

[Matt77]

Test your track bar as thus... with the tires on the ground, have a helper repeatedly turn the steering wheel back & forth. While he/she does that, you watch the track bar for side-to-side movement where it is bolted to the axle or to the frame on the driver's side. There should be no side-to-side slop or movement. However, the track bar, drag link, and tie rod are all mounted on ball joints so there will be rotational play if you twist the rods.

What about the bald tire and good tire combo?
And the coil spring that slipped?

 

[skrelnik]

Whoever at the dealership told you a new steering damper would cure the Death Wobble is ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS. A new steering damper will temporarily suppress the symptoms which will fool some into thinking it was cured but all it's doing is temporarily masking the symptoms... like holding a gorilla down. You may hold him down for a bit but eventually you're gonna get tired and then he's gonna come after you again.

A damper is a passive device, it cannot generate vibrations or oscillations (Death Wobble). Think about that. What can generate vibrations or oscillations? A spinning imperfectly balanced tire is great at that job. If the tire is just barely out of balance, a fresh steering stabilizer may temporarily dampen the vibrations so you can't feel them but the tire is still out of balance together with something like the track bar likely being loose letting the vibrations fully develop into full-blown DW. With tires that are well balanced and a good tight front suspension & steering system, you wouldn't get DW even without a steering damper in place.

The real job of the damper is to isolate the steering system from jolts & bumps on the highway, it is not there to prevent DW.

Jerry, do you think this is a way for the dealer/mechanic to make more money or ignorance, or a combo of both.

The reason I ask is I had some wobble and could not figure it out. So I went to a Jeep specific place and first thing they say is steering stabilizer. It ended up really being a ball joint.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

What about the bald tire and good tire combo?
And the coil spring that slipped?

I dunno, my crystal ball is down until Monday for a SW update. But odds are good a bald tire is gonna have some kind of a balance problem and it's hard to know what you mean by a coil spring that slipped. Both problems sound easily fixed but who knows what is the root cause of DW until you eliminate the most likely causes (imperfect tire balance and/or loose track bar) and work your way down.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Jerry, do you think this is a way for the dealer/mechanic to make more money or ignorance, or a combo of both.

The reason I ask is I had some wobble and could not figure it out. So I went to a Jeep specific place and first thing they say is steering stabilizer. It ended up really being a ball joint.

I honestly believe it's mostly ignorance. A young mechanic hears a new steering stabilizer cures DW from his lead mechanic who heard it on the internet. Many are just there for a paycheck and have no real interest in truly learning in depth much about the Jeeps we love enough to do so. I've been in situations at a Jeep dealership where I had to educate someone on how it really was.