First time Jeep owner here , I’ve recently lifted my 06 TJ Rubicon Jeep 4” since then I’ve had larger 33” tires installed with front and read adjustable track bars & even a new HD tie rod, it has been recently aligned and tires have all been balanced but It still feels like it’s not aligned and when hitting bumps the steering wheels shakes a bit as if it was mild death wobble not sure What it is anymore? New drag link needed? Ball Joints ?
Steering wheel shakes when hitting bumps
- Thread starter BoMed1999
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- death wobble
Is the front track bar hole at the frame side (upper side) wallowed out? It might cause play.
Also, don't discount bad sway bar links and/or warped rotors. They can add a little bit of the feeling of death wobble if the wheels aren't actually moving back and forth. Source: just replaced the sway bar links and rotors on my sedan which also had a pretty hefty wobble in the wheel for a while. No more wobble.
Sounds more like bump steer. Do you have a drop pitman arm? Is your track bar parallel with your drag link? Post some pics of your front end components.
A couple thoughts... first, not all tire balance jobs are done well enough to do anything but cause DW or at least the opening rounds of DW. Trust me that it takes pretty much nothing less than a perfect tire balance to not cause problems on the type of front-end the TJ and many trucks have.
The second is something you can do on your own often called a dry steering test. With the tires sitting on the ground, have a helper repeatedly turn the steering wheel in quick short back & forth turns. Slow full-range back & forth turns are not preferable to quick short back & forth turns that show more in a shorter length of time. Look for joints that are moving where they shouldn't be. Track bar mounts, tie rod ends, shocks, drag link, etc. The tie rod and drag link are both mounted on ball joints which will allow them to be rocked/rolled back & forth but those ball joints shouldn't allow sideways play.
Just look for a connection that has sideways play that shouldn't have.
But in my experience, imperfect tire balance is a more common trigger for DW. It took me 3 trips to my local Discount Tire shop one day before they finally took the hint that I needed perfect tire balance so on the last trip there, they took extra time and that third time was the charm. No more hints of DW after that.
The second is something you can do on your own often called a dry steering test. With the tires sitting on the ground, have a helper repeatedly turn the steering wheel in quick short back & forth turns. Slow full-range back & forth turns are not preferable to quick short back & forth turns that show more in a shorter length of time. Look for joints that are moving where they shouldn't be. Track bar mounts, tie rod ends, shocks, drag link, etc. The tie rod and drag link are both mounted on ball joints which will allow them to be rocked/rolled back & forth but those ball joints shouldn't allow sideways play.
Just look for a connection that has sideways play that shouldn't have.
But in my experience, imperfect tire balance is a more common trigger for DW. It took me 3 trips to my local Discount Tire shop one day before they finally took the hint that I needed perfect tire balance so on the last trip there, they took extra time and that third time was the charm. No more hints of DW after that.
I have my own tire balancer, I should get it going and get a phase converter for it. Then the only person I can blame is myself!
You prb want to give these guys a lot more details. A 4" lift requires a HELL of a lot more than track bars and a tie rod.
First if all, if it's bump related , what moves left to right a tad when you hit a bump is the track bar .
If it is loose,has worn bushings or inferior bushings , elongated holes and isn't torqued properly , it is likely going to be all or part of the problem.
Heavy 33" tires require high quality components , and normally the bushing in lower priced track bars doesn't hold up .
You can also have a loose upper control arm mount or bushing.
Be thorough, keep us posted. Death wobble is often deceptively simple.
If it is loose,has worn bushings or inferior bushings , elongated holes and isn't torqued properly , it is likely going to be all or part of the problem.
Heavy 33" tires require high quality components , and normally the bushing in lower priced track bars doesn't hold up .
You can also have a loose upper control arm mount or bushing.
Be thorough, keep us posted. Death wobble is often deceptively simple.
Now that I lifted my Jeep after 17 years. I finally got the death wobble. Going to start looking into all the things.
Start by getting your tires perfectly (!) balanced first. Even if they were recently balanced since few shops spend enough time to get them balanced well enough.
My tires are about 11 years old. Hard as the asphalt they sit on. Was waiting until i finished wiring in the new gauges before I worried about those. I know the steering damper is bad. It leaked all the fluid out. I’ve got a new one for it.
The bad stabilizer has absolutely nothing to do with causing DW. Zero, none, nada. At its best it can only temporarily mask the symptoms. My $$$ is on those old tires. Bad or imperfectly balanced tires are one of the most common triggers of DW.
the steering stabilizer should help bring the wheel back to center after a turn. Right now it just feels weird.
shouldnt let your vehicles sit in a field for 7 years.
shouldnt let your vehicles sit in a field for 7 years.
That's not the job of the steering stabilizer whose job is to isolate the steering system from shock & jolts caused by bumps/dips in the road.
It is the front axle's caster angle that serves to stabilize the steering and cause the steering wheel to return to center after completing a turn.
Listen to Jerry on this one. He is 100% on the nose. How could a stabilizer know where the center of the steering is?
Thought I read somewhere on one of his privious posting about the zero input from a steering stabilizer so as to not push the wheels into a turn.
I was just Mis-informed.
thanks for clarifying
Put the new steering stabilizer on. Stopped the DW at all speeds. I barely ever get over 35mph. The stabilizer shaft had a massive bend in it. Probably about 10*. I single crack in the asphalt would cause DW no matter what speed I was going.
I took it up to speed and did get DW at the 60ish mph. So when I get new tires I will make sure to have them well balanced.
also bought a Currie anti rock sway bar. Figured I’ve done all these changes, be stupid to roll the Jeep for lack of a sway bar on the road.
I took it up to speed and did get DW at the 60ish mph. So when I get new tires I will make sure to have them well balanced.
also bought a Currie anti rock sway bar. Figured I’ve done all these changes, be stupid to roll the Jeep for lack of a sway bar on the road.
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