Steering Stabalizer go bad

[tjrubicon]

Ok, i've heard alot of people talk about "death wobble" on lifted jeeps. Well, on my way home from work, I got very bad death wobble. I looked out the side of my jeep and it looked like the left front tire was about to come off, steering wheel was shaking extremely bad, stopped checked all my lug nuts (they were tight), jacked up the frontend and started the routine shake this wiggle that looking for loose or broken parts. Now look at this :

[IMG][/IMG]

The bushing in the stabalizer (more like the steel sleeve that goes through it) seems to have disappeared, hince the screw driver jammed in there holding everything tight. Do you have to get stabalizers to go with the amount of lift you have, or did mine just decide to die?

[blkTJ]

That sleve is deffinatly important. The bolt needs to tighten down on that or, like you said, that end will be loose. Get another sleeve and put it in, that will solve your stabilizer problem.

I doubt that's the cause of your "death wobble" though. Steering and track bar geometry are usually the culprit there.

Good luck, as Sarah knows, this can be a tough one to diagnose.

[Chris_L]

Double and triple check all track bar mounts.
Tire balance will also effect wobble. steel rims like rock crawlers that are out of round or bent will also cause wobble. I would start with the trac bar then check tire balance.

[Jerry Bransford]

The Death Wobble is likely what shook the stabilizer apart, not the other way around... a stabilizer just helps to mask those symptoms that are usually caused by a tire or two that is out of balance together with something loose like the trackbar. A bad steering stabilizer will not actually cause Death Wobble, but a bad steering stabilizer can allow the symptoms caused by something else to fully develop into Death Wobble.

[goodtimes]

I have had death wobble come by and visit me several times (both before and after the lift). Every time (that I have had it) it was caused by excessive toe-in. How do I know it was the toe-in? Because that is what finally fixed it the first time, and every time since, that is the first thing I check, and it has been the cause each time.

Of course, that doesn't mean that your problem is the same as mine was, but while checking things out, it is free to break out the tape measure and check! If you are like me, you like to do the free stuff first (leaving more $$$ for the important things......like winches and roll cages....)

[sarah]

Good luck, as Sarah knows, this can be a tough one to diagnose.

Have you tried a search here for death wobble? You should get at least one good thread. Good luck with it, it's a real PITA.

[tjrubicon]

I've read on here about the track bar and toe in causing the death wobble. The reason I was thinking it may be the stabalizer is because after I jammed the screw driver in there, it went away 100%. I drive just under 50 miles to work, and after I pulled off the freeway and put the screw driver in there it didn't do it anymore. I've put about 1500 miles on it since the lift and this was the first time it has happened.

I will go check everything track bar, toe-in, and double and triple check that everything is tight. Thanks for your help on this. It's damned scarry at 70mph when everything starts shakin all at once and you have cars on both sides of you.

[tjrubicon]

This is the best picture I could get of the trackbar and draglink. I need a new camera.....

[IMG][/IMG]

They look to be parallel to me, but I could be wrong. Yes sir, goodtimes, I do like the free stuff so I can save $$$$ for more important things.

[goodtimes]

You get Death wobble at 70!!!! Yikes. I only got it between 35 and 45. If I could get it above 45, I was good to go. On the rare occasions it started above 45, it was very light until I slowed down to under 45, then it just got worse and worse until I was almost stopped. FWIW, if I hit the brakes hard enough to lock the front tires up, then let off of 'em, the death wobble would be gone. I don't recommend that, and didn't do it intentionally, but it did work none the less.

[sarah]

It's damned scarry at 70mph when everything starts shakin all at once and you have cars on both sides of you.

and add a cliff on one side to that!! driving through the cajon pass i experienced it for the first time, thankfully rick was driving in front of me because i woulda been too scared to drive it all the way home! LOL

[tjrubicon]

I checked everything out, except for toe-in, and put a new sleeve in the stabalizer. The trackbar relocating bracket where it mounts to the stock location was a little loose, the only part I found that could be tightened up more. I tightened it up and hopefully that fixes it. How do you check toe-in? I'm not good with alignment stuff. And would that cause my tires to start chopping already? They only have about 5 - 600 miles on them if that. My lift also came with a dropped pitman arm, which I didn't put on because of more things I've read on here....I believe it was B&T TJ's thread about the pitman arm and was told you didn't need it until 5 - 6 inches of lift.

[tjrubicon]

and add a cliff on one side to that!! driving through the cajon pass i experienced it for the first time, thankfully rick was driving in front of me because i woulda been too scared to drive it all the way home! LOL

Hey, don't worry, I about used my roadside assistance to get me home. I didn't because they wouldn't have towed it the other 40 miles to my house.

[tjrubicon]

Ok, my brother checked my toe-in for me. It is at 1/2 inch toe-in. Is that about where it should be? His jeeps is the same.

[goodtimes]

1/2 inch is WAY to much! I was getting death wobble at about 3/8". Shoot for about 1/8". That works well on my '03 rubicon. And yes, too much toe in will cause your tires to wear in a nice, wavy pattern, particularly on the outboard treadblocks.

[Black & Tan TJ]

Try this as a quick reference. Rub your hand across the tread inward then out, if you feel ridges on the way in the toe out is too much and ridges on the way out there's too much toe in. An alignment guy told me this but it wasn't until I was doing my own that it made sense. Oh yeah 1/8" toe in work well for me to.

B&T TJ

15 hours and counting, still at work, need to go home, beer, sleep...kids