Death Wobble RETURNS Lets Knock IT OUT Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ HOW TO
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- Опубликовано: 4 дек 2021
- #DEATHWOBBLE #JEEP #WJ
A Jeep Technician with death wobble is not a good thing. Let's diagnose and figure out what is causing my death wobble on my Jeep. 
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What i was taught to fix Bump Steer or Death Wobble is to diagnose in this order:
1. Check Track Bar loosness.
2. Check Front-Upper/Lower Control Arms for play.
3. Check the angle of the Track Bar and Drag Link, they need to be parallel from bolt in points.
• Check Drag Link and Center link tie rods for play.
• Check the Steering Stabilizer and make sure its parallel with the center link that goes from Knuckle to Knuckle on both wheels. The Steering Damper can be worn-out and malfunctioning.
Its usually a worn ball joint or bushing. Usually a combination of things.
But if you have a lift kit or pucks on your coil springs, your track bar & drag link need to be altered to be parallel and you will have to get adjustable control arms because lifting the vehicle changes the caster angle.
There is no one size fits all solution to Bump Steer or Death Wobble. Its almost always a bunch of worn out parts cumulatively causing the problem or a lift kit mistake on geometry and angles of suspension components.
All of those are good to check but I have just found A LOT of tie rod and drag link ends worn and causing it also. Thanks for the view!
Oh no, not the Death Wobble!!! I'm glad that you were able to eliminate the wobble!! Thanks Tyler for sharing the detailed information on how to correct the problem!!! 👍👍
It will defiantly wake you up in the morning on the way to work!
Thanks Man! This is the most cut-to-the-chase vids I've seen on death wobble!
Thanks I normally find 99% of the time that it is one or more tie rod or drag link end causing it.
Thats so funny. My wobble starts at the same spot too. For me it starts at 35mph. Glad i live in a tiny town with slow roads. Still need to adress it because i want to hit 45 with traffic. Thank you for the video.
Most of the time we find worn tie rod ends as the cause. Thanks for the view!
Did you fix your issue? Mine starts at 45 and gets worse the faster you go
Congrats on the 6k subs!
Thanks man!
Instead of counting turns, which is dependent on the threads being exactly the same on old/new tie rod ends (Not possible) a better old school, and FAR more accurate method is to scribe lines on the center tie rod near the ends and measure the distance to a marked spot on the yoke ends where the tie rod goes in, do this on both sides.. Then just screw your new ends to this same distance. I've never had to go back to wheel alignment because this is so accurate. (Doesn't work if alignment is off before you start, obviously)
That is a really good idea! I am fortunate to have access to an alignment rack so I normally am able to check and adjust that way. Thanks for the view and info!
Great video! The first time I ever ran into this it was terrifying. The previous owner had taken it to a non-Chrysler mechanic who said it was unfixable. I searched the internet for like a month until I discovered the term “Death Wobble”. My XJ is really old and the suspension is sloppy, but so far replacing steering stabilizers has kept it in check. It chews them up though, I have to change them every 2-3 years.
A nice fresh steering stabilizer will normally help it also. Most people will claim it is a band aid for a larger problem but whatever works!
@@TylerPotter agreed, but I am fine with a band aid for now.
i also swapped out my stabilzer but it did nothing. i'll be pulling off the track bar soon to check the bolt holes for wear. they can get oblong and allow for play. im 99% sure thats my problem, and if you've gone over all other front end stuff, and still have the wobble, id suggest checking that out. good luck bud
Great video! Thanks for the info
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the view!
Very informative Thank you!
Thanks for the view!
Back when I was working doing a lot of alignments. I got in a brand new 2004 Grand Cherokee with rough country lift and 31" tires, and horrible death wobble @40 mph. Everything was good, even @ 500 miles on the clock, those tie rod ends had that play. Like you I thought they were bad, Dealer replaced under warranty and play was in new parts. So, to further diagnose, we fooled with tires, nothing. Off road shop said toe out, It worked, but I didn't want to introduce tire wear. So I decided to check all the other angles, SAI, Caster...So I reduced caster, it death wobble started @ 20 mph, I extended the lower arms, shortened upper, helped but wrong pinion angle. I increased caster with upper ball joint bushings again helped, death wobble was almost non-issue, but I was like a pit bull at this point, I found offset lower ball joints, increased caster to 4 degrees, and after 30k of regular checks and several other fixed lifted 4x4, no abnormal tire wear no death wobble, albeit it is not recommended for rock crawlers. I fixed all the death wobble problems, including the ones who just toed out and ate tires in 10k or less. Note, GM will not replace tie rods or ball joints if slack is within their acceptable range, don't ask me how I know...
That is all good info. We like to try and run around -6.5* of caster on these WJ's. We either add adjustable lower front control arms or slot the front lower control arm mount hole on the axle side like the JK wranglers call for. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter negative 6.5 degrees?
@@r.weaver3769 no clue why I said negative lol that would drive very interesting
@@TylerPotter LOL, no worries.
Tyler Potter, very good video!
I say this to help not to criticize.
You need to use a track bar lift bracket to make your drag link and track bar parallel from the bolt on points.
Having them crossing at different angles like you have which was probably caused by a Lift-Kit or larger tires, creates a ton of fighting force's in your suspension and steering, it even tugs on the steering box.
With that cross between your drag link and track bar, you will keep getting bump steer & death wobble over and over, even after making it temporarily fixed by replacing suspension and steering components.
Look into geometry of drag link and track bar being parallel and how that effects steering and suspension. You will save a lot of time and money later on if you do this!
With my adjustable JKS trackbar and stock pitman this thing has no bump steer at all and really drives great!
@@TylerPotter glad you got it fixed
Good video. Thank You
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the view!
thanks all the way down from Chile! i have two of these, one WK 3.7 2010 with no issues, and my WJ 2001 4.0 with a recent death wobble... i hope this is the answer!
Chile represent!!!
Imma do that this weekend thank u I just got one n it scared the shit out of me this morning
Yeah it is never a fun time lol Thanks for the view!
How am i gonna know what to change tho
that was pretty calm.
Thanks for the view!
Just an fyi - youre better off measuring from the edge of the center link to the center of the tie rod rod. The tie rod manufacturers dont necessarily have the same dimensions when they are produced and there can be several different numbers of threads between them. Measuring the distance will get you much closer, more efficiently.
That is a great idea. Thanks for the view!
On my old 94 Grand Cherokee I replaced the steering stabilizer with just a standard Monroe replacement and problem was gone.
A nice fresh and strong steering damper will always help things also. Thanks for the view!
When replacing tie rod ends i would mark the current location on the old end and then match the measurement on the new one. I have found that some aftermarket tie rod ends have longer or shorter threads then others making the thread counting inaccurate.
This is true, and even with counting the turns or measuring you would still need to get an alignment done after to make sure it is perfectly in spec. Thanks for the view!
I’ve replaced tie rod ends, drag links, and both sets of front control arms, and if I run over anything other than smooth road on my passenger side I get DW. 2 inch budget lift, last I checked 4.0 caster. Almost ready to give up.
I would be really interested to look at tire condition and tire balance, also I think the caster spec for a WJ is 6.5. Not that 2.5 degrees of additional caster will for sure fix it but it can only help. Also is the steering damper still the stock super thin one?
Damn I wish fixing mine was that simple ! I bought a WG (I'm in Europe) a few months ago, and I've replaced lots of front end parts (upper and lower control arms, ball joints, tie rod & tie rod ends (they were crusty-welded together), track bar, as well as the stabilizer), and Death Wobble disappeared for 2 or 3 months, approximately 4000 km or 2500 miles, but now I can't drive any faster than 40 mph or I know I will have terrible DW. I couldn't replace drag link and drag link ends because everything was so rusty I didn't succeed in taking them apart, but I think I will have to find a way now. Moreover, getting parts is really expensive in Europe so I have to order them from Rock Auto and get them sent to Europe, and boy oh boy you do not want to pay these taxes every 6 months.
I also suspect that my WG has a slight suspension lift, because the parts are not OEM ones and it sits higher than most of the WG I come accross, however I don't know if I need adjustable track bar and adjustable control arms for it (the lift is probably in the range of 1 to 2 inches). What would you recommend ?
Thank you in advance, and I hope your offroad day was nice ;)
It would be interesting to check the alignment and see how much caster the front axle has, like you said adjustable front lower control arms might be needed to get the caster into spec. We have also seen bad tires start the death wobble, if the tires are badly out of balance or if one of the tires has a slipped belt.
@@TylerPotter Yeah since I can't keep driving like that I was seriously thinking about adjustable control arms. I already tried swapping front and rear tires, and it didn't induce any change.
I will be getting new tires really soon, Cooper ST MAXXX 235/80/R17, so I want to get my DW sorted before installing them. I am afraid that heavier tires might prevent DW over small bumps, but might really eat through my bushings and get really dangerous once DW starts with heavier tires.
Does the fact that I probably run a lift with stock track bar might be a cause of DW ? Because when I look carefully, I'm pretty sure that the front axle is around 5mm to the left, not perfectly centered...
not even a minute into the video and i have a couple of things that jumped out at me. Firstly, the 18" Wrangler rims, i too have them, though, my WJ is only RWD, and im rocking TOYO Proxes, 265s Rear, 245s front. Also, the DW Returns... I've had this issue in the past, and corrected it, but its back. First time it came up, replacing the axle to body arm took care of it. This time, i had bad drag link joints, took care of that last week. Got a little better, but my rotors have once again warped, so light braking or a pothole at about 35 mph, sets off a sick wobble. Replaced the dampener two days ago, no change. New pads and rotors will be here in a couple days, but there is still something else going on. A lil pothole will set it off. Driving me nuts. All thats left, I think, are the tie rod ends up front, which will be here soon.
Yes make sure you check the tie rod ends for play. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter yeah, so replaced both tie rod ends, drag link ends, new rotors and an alignment and still cant make it half a block without the DW rearing its ugly head. I had changed the track bar a while back, but after all the work these last couple of weeks, im pretty sure the holes for the track bar have ovaled out and are allowing the bar to move. gonna check on that next day or two. ill post back after, thanks again.
Pulling it into 4 hi will also damp out death wobble without having to slow down nearly as much. Works on 242 equipped WJ's anyway. Part Time mode, not full time. And counting the turns gets you close but you can set toe with a tape measure and some careful measuring much closer if not perfectly.
..
I'm actually having a death wobble at 50mph I found out today on my 03 wj. I'm going to try the 4wd
Thank you! I thought i needed an alignment and i balanced my tires. Mine happens at 65mph.
99% of the time it is caused by a loose tie rod end or drag link end.
I bet you the holes in your track bar mounts for your hardware are well walled out. I completely fixed it by getting washers that fit the hardware exactly welding them onto the mounts. one on the bottom side and one on each side of the top side. never had that problem again.
I check both when I installed my JKS trackbar and both still looked great. Thanks for the view!
i have a 2001 grand cherokee and just recently noticed this wobble on the freeway. My question is i get a smell also from the undercarriage area also when tht happens. is tht normal?? ive sniffed around from thw hood but cannot point it out. its from the bottom. like burnt plastic or rubber it seems. thanks in advance
Thank you Tyler. From 1 KS boy to amother, albeit now in Harrisonville, MO. Ask Jake, John Ross and the other 2 other KS YT goofs as they've heard from me about either my prior '00 BMW e46 323i or my love of Ford Rangers and/or Jeep XJs.
P.S.
Need help removing an overly stubborn upper rear leaf spring shackle bolt. Any ideas?
What 2 others are you talking about? Tyler and Car Ninja or Elliot Alvis? Car Wizard? There's so many Kansas YT goofs.
That's awesome. Some times if the bolts are just too stuck or rusted we have had to cut the bolts in half with a sawzall to get them apart! Thanks for the view!
Awesome detective work, Tyler! Does your family own the dealership where you work, because you get to work on your own cars while making your videos. I really do enjoy your videos.
Nope, I'm just a technician at the dealership, I've been working on Jeep Chrysler Dodge since 2008! Thanks for the view as always!
@@TylerPotter I’m too used to Califonia real estate prices, because only the wealthy would be able to live on a street like yours with those huge houses and their columns! Your garage is big enough to put two of my houses into it!
@@mitchellbarnow1709 With Kansas real estate you get a lot for you money compared to other places! Having a realtor wife also helps lol
@@TylerPotter Awesome wife, great life!
Good catch… I have a question though was there enough movement in the tie rod for the tie rod to be considered unsafe?
It was defiantly still very safe, it still blows my mind that that little bit of movement in the tie rod end can translate to such a big issue! Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter That was my takeaway as well but then again that's a lot of rotating mass.
I have the same problem.
Is it down hill while braking
I had death wobble on my Jeep JL after a faulty v41 steering damper was installed under a recall at my dealership
Very scary at highway speed
Yes that was a mess there should have been a new updated steering damper now available. Thanks for the view!
Hi there.. soon you will get the same problem and you will bye again a new bushings n tie rod ends..
My friend
There is a jell or oil drips or pieces of rubber or water inside ur tire..
Just remove tire from it's wheel n clean n do a proper wheel Alignment n balance
That's all.. you are done
Thank you, I just installed a 3.5" lift on my WJ. It came with longer FLCA's and panhard bar so I know those components are good and tight. While taking it to the shop to get aligned, I had my first experience with death wobble at about 63mph. Hopefully it is something simple and the shop can get it isolated and fixed. What is your thoughts on front driveshaft replacement? My boot on the t-case end (ball joint) is shot and it looks to be at too much of an angle for a new CV style. The axle end of the front drive shaft is CV joints, while the transfer case end is that ball joint style.
I swapped to the factory double cardan u-joint style driveshaft on my Jeep. I don't have a video on it but there should be some good info on the swap online. Thanks for the view!
How are you adjusting one tie rod on the alignment machine when only one side is off
With a solid axle Jeep you can only adjust total toe, as you adjust the tie rod it will effect both front wheels for toe in or out.
Question on a different direction: Have a 07 dakota that I added the compass / travel computer that is an option mounted into the roof lights.( you have that in your jeep) How do I make it work as it seems the vehicle ecm does not recognize it? It works but I cant reset the trip odo.
Do all of the other buttons besides the reset button work?
@@TylerPotter Hi, The us/metic and step work, I cant reset the trip od or the average fuel, both those are from the junk yard truck it came from. I wonder if its a ecm flash needed for the unit to be "seen" ?
You should raise your headrests in the truck unless you haven't, you're going to have a very bad neck injury in an accident if they stay low like that.
That is true! Thanks for the view!
What’s are the top tie rod ends called if I meet to replace it
The top rod is the drag link. Thanks for the view!
Don't go over a bump on a left turn over 55. Fixed 😅
This is true lol Thanks for the view!
if you got the wobble on the same road at the same time did you ever check the condition of the road?
Yes there is a big bump at that spot due to an expansion joint on the highway, but once the steering is tight again it wasn't an issue. Thanks for the view!
Got this done last week. They said its normal wear and tear over time.
I'm disappointed it Still has a slight tremor if I go over 50 mph. So for now I don't gover 45 mph. Help!!
I need it running while I save toward a newer vehicle.
If all 4 tie rod ends are good I would be looking into the steering damper and the state of the tires for issues. Thanks for the view!
Any one have a measurement from tie rod bolt to tie rod bolt? I changed my ends and am trying to get it in the ball park till I can get it aligned.
Mine looked to be roughly at 56.5in from stud to stud
@@TylerPotter awesome thank you
1:19 it came through your voice though lol 1:11
That's for sure lol Thanks for the view!
Death wobble is usually caused from ball joint failure.
99% of the time we find tie rod and or drag link ends worn causing a lot of it. Thanks for the view!
We all know they say not to just slap in a steering stabilizer but I'm telling you if you get a real nice upgraded stabilizer it should do the trick, I had awful DW and had the jeep in several shops relacing nearly everything in the front end but what fixed it for a year so far was an old man emu steering stabilizer
They will defiantly help! Thanks for the view!
So me and my uncle we lifted my jeep and we took a look at it one person under one person wiggling the steering wheel and we heard something but could not spot it
Normally it is worn tie rod ends or drag links ends causing play, you might need to have the wheels off of the ground and use a pry bar. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter UPDATE it’s was the whole steering linkage everything was worn we just replaced it and plan on getting a wheel alignment!
So my death wobble can be fixed by turning the wheels left or right. I can even prevent it by keeping a slight better pressure in One Direction or the other so what's that? Anybody
I have found that 99.9% of the time it is one or more loose drag link or tie rod ends causing death wobble on WJ's. Thanks for the view!
What do u have to change with a 2 in half body lift
No body lifts are available for the WJ since it is a unibody vehicle, only suspension lifts. Thanks for the view!
I put spacers in my springs there 2 in half in
My guess is your car was out of alignment before you changed the tie rods. I've seen these tie rods practically fall off and not cause any wobble. Most I've seen are from crappy cheap lift kits, egg-shaped tires, and loose bolts in transverse link.
Being a tech I've had that Jeep on the alignment rack more times then I can count!
These aren't cars...these are Jeeps...
I've had this for almost a year😫 don't hate me
The front calipper is the main steering wobbling problem...!
front side, one of them is not releassing keep biting rotor for any reason anytime it gets hot by traffic or by weather, need to be changed as soon...!¤▪︎☆○•°~`♡🌙🕋💝🔦🔬🔭⚖️🇪🇭☝️
Thanks for the view!
Spent $750 on new brake calipers, pads and a rotor for my front passenger side, caliper was “sticking” so I had it all changed but still didn’t fix my issue
@tylerpotter where did you go to school?
Highschool or collage?
College
All my bushings are shot. Will be replacing them.
Yeah I slowly replaced every single one on mine, and it really does drive great now. Thanks for the view!
So that wobble only occurred at a certain speed and a particular road condition? Is that how you knew it was not a tire or tires?
Mine usually happened at highway speed and only of I hit something in the road with 1 front tire only, like a pothole on right front ....that would throw it off kilter and into the death wobble. I'd slow down to 30mph and it would go away
Yes there was 1 or 2 spots on my drive every day that I could hit in the road and have it do it every time. A good test to help diagnose if it is a tire issue or not is to rotate the front tires to the rear and see if the issue is resolved or not. I had suspected a steering issue and then checked the tie rod ends and found the one bad one. Thanks for the view!
I mean, you could have just replaced the steering stabilizer and fixed it a lot easier/quicker!!!! I'M KIDDING.... 🤣
I am saving up my money for a dual or quad chrome steering stabilizer set up as we speak! I want to look good at the mall! 😂 Thanks for the view!
Can the Pitman arm tie Rod end cause death wobble?
Yes, any of the 4 tie rods that are loose can add to it. It is best to check all 4 and replace any that have up and down play. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter only one that has up n down play is the one at Pitman arm, changed the others last yr plus lower ball joint, Re grease the one on the passenger side on the drag link
@@TylerPotter what is your front axle caster set at? With the 3" ish lift?
We shoot for around 6-6.5* of front caster normally.
My steering is loose I see how to fix that but
The 1st thing I would check is all 4 of the tie rod ends they seem to get pretty worn in there old age. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter so if they move when move them with my hand if it has play that's the one to change
Do u have a lift on that
This video talks about the set up. Upcountry springs and a 2in spacer at that time. Thanks for the view!
ruclips.net/video/7w3GGLuTEFk/видео.html
Sure doesn't take much play to make it dance.
Yeah we have found that even just a little play up and down can cause issues. Thanks for the view!
I had death wobble from 50-60 mph, I replaced my rotors can anyone help?!
I would be checking all 4 of the tie rod ends for play. I have found that worn tie rod and or drag link ends are the cause of the issue 99.9% of the time. Thanks for the view!
The Real Way , Is TO Replace "ALL" Sterring & Susp . At The Same Time . This Is Because ! Bad ! Will Take Out the Others . From Ball-Joints - Tie rod End , track Bat, Too .
Just Because .
It is always nice to have everything new! Thanks for the view!
Couldn’t you just count the threads showing before you unscrew the tie rods
Yes that will get you really close to being correct. But they still always need a little more adjustment on the alignment rack. Thanks for the view!
If you're already on an alignment rack why don't you just do the alignment wouldn't that be common sense 😶
I defiantly did an alignment I was just saying that for the normal person doing the repair in your driveway counting the turns off and back on for the tie rod is a good way to at least get is close to take to your local alignment shop. Thanks for the view!