so i just experienced death wobble for the first time.

let me give you a run down.

my trackbar is tight and BEFORE i ever had death wobble, every few weeks i would check my trackbar bolts and have a friend wiggle my steering wheel back and forth. so i was always attentive of the condition of my trackbar and what not.

so tonight i hit a pothole going 35-45mph, i dont quite remember, but it shook until i came to a stop. checked my trackbar bolts again, tight. had a friend wiggle my wheel again, 1mm of play at most at the bushing. torqued my bolts down again anyway.

i cant figure out why it would still give me deathwobble. i have a teraflex adjustable trackbar that was only been on my vehicle for about 6K. i ordered replacement bolts from northridge4x4 and i havent gotten a chance to get them installed...but even without the new bolts, a properly torqued down trackbar with stock bolts still shouldnt do this...

sorry more my jummble of words, im exhausted

 

It is interesting to see so many posts on Death Wobble here without anyone describing why it happens in the first place really. Many posts I have seen attempt to address issues with fasteners, steering dampers, etc without ever mentioning really why it is being caused in the first place.

Death wobble is caused when the rotational force of the wheel / tire can not overcome unbalanced sheer input and not self right itself. Basically when the wheel gets off balance driving alone cannot correct it.

To use an example have you ever gone to the grocery store and had a shopping cart where one of the front wheels just kept flapping back and forth non stop. This is the same as Death Wobble. It is caused by a lack of trail in the steering input of the wheel assembly. Basically it means the steering input in relation to the wheel is too vertical so if the wheel goes off balance there is not enough rotational force to correct the unbalance.

So how would you correct this issue? Well you have to add some trail to your steering assembly. By adding trail you give the rotational force of the wheel and tires more righting effort over the steering. What are the benefits and drawbacks to doing this. Well you will eliminate your Death Wobble issues for sure. Heck your track bar could wobble all over the place from worn loose bolts and if the geometry were improved it wouldnt even matter. What is the drawback to fixing this thou. Well you will add a ton of steering effort to the mix, while placing a bunch more force on your steering components. You also will increase your turning radius some as well, as you will not be able to turn your wheel as much before full lock.

That is about it really. I would guess any lift manufacturer could help change your steering geometry to correct this issue without a problem.

 

If you haven't done so yet, read Planman's link below. It describes how to troubleshoot the "death wobble"

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...hlight=Planman

I would start by inspecting the track bar mounting hole to see if it had wallowed out. Even though you torque the track bar to specs, there still may be some play especially if you find out the hole has been wallowed out (due the different diameter size of the track bar bolt and the hole of the track bar bracket) which may lead to that death wobble...

 

Check to make sure your track bar adjuster sleeve is tight. Lay under it on your back and push up and down. If you feel a little bump, its worked itself loose. If that all checks out, you may want to pull the bar and check for enlarged bolt holes.

 

Switch out the bolts. Your good to go.

 

well i hit a pothole, i guess that was what really made the deathwobble appear...

as far as the steering theory goes, you might have to elaborate, i cant understand it clearly

 

yup, read the thread. i am trying to inspect the holes today but waiting to find a buddy to give me a hand to realign the holes

 

UPDATE:

so i replaced the front trackbar bolts with the Northridge replacements. looking at the trackbar mounts, no holes looked wallowed out or ovaled. although the trackbar bushing sleeve did have thread markings inside, could have either been from installation or from play, who knows. i took it out for a test drive (with no steering stabilizer) and so far so good. i am going to run with no stabilizer for now just so i know if there really is a problem.

 

Just curious, did you also check/re-torque control arm bolts?

 

I had the same problem. I replaced my track bar with a jks adjustable. Still had some shimmy. Got some adjustable anti sway bar links for the front and sured everything up for me.

It helps of you inspect all your components for deficiencies track bar to ball joints...

Hope this helps.