Yeah, if you search enough on this topic you'll see people saying that the hole is english and the bolt is metric and it has slop. One of the aftermarket companies (forget) makes a kit with the correct size bolts to fix this, plus other options if the hole is already wallowed. 3-4 mm sounds like a lot, do you think it was from already being damaged at that point?

 

I have had horrible death wobble, I replaced the bushings in the track and sway bar first. It seemed to help, but was still getting vibration. I went ahead and and replaced the bushings in the upper and lower control arms, it finally seems to have worked. So far no wobble. My jeep is completely stock. I replaced all bushings with ones from energy suspension.

 

I had the same thing happen to me after upgrading to 35's, all I did was upgrade to a heavy duty steering stabilizer and it stopped it completely. Stock stabilizers won't take 35's for very long before the OEM weak ass seals start leaking.

 

It will come back and your new steering stabilizer will prematurely fail when it can no longer mask the source(s) of your problems.

35s do not require any steering stabilizer.

 

It seems to be internet wisdom that steering stabilizers serve no purpose, or some irrelevant trivial purpose. OEMs will leave off anything they can to save 5 cents, why do they bother to put them on? It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that they can help prevent abrupt changes that can instigate death wobble. Sure, it's a bandaid if other stuff is worn out. My Jeep had one instance of DW and it's practically brand new. MAYBE the fact that the upper track bar was only "really" tight and not "super" tight made the difference, but if so that's a pretty bad design. The other thing that was going on is that the stabilizer was shot. I don't know the truth of it, but I'm not yet on board with the steering stabilizer are worthless idea.

 

I believe a steering stabilizer does server a purpose, but not on pavement. They dampen the effects of rough terrain quite well and make it easier to hold on to the wheel and track straighter off road, but they also mask issues on the road. The 'bad design' is just the physics of a solid steerable axle. Unfortunately, that 'bad design' also happens to be the best affordable design for off-roading. That's why Wranglers are the only vehicles still sold in the US with this design. The unfortunate issue is that Chrysler/Jeep uses mis-matched parts when building these vehicles, and that is what sometimes causes the DW. Read planman's write-ups and change out your bolts to the correct size.

EDIT: I guess some heavy duty trucks still use a solid front axle.

 

Steering stabilizers do serve a purpose. They tighten up the feel and response of the steering.

Steering stabilizers do not serve the purpose of compensating for loose bolts, ovaled bracket holes, damaged bushings, failed ball joints, worn tie rod and drag link ends, etc.

The stock steering stabilizer is perfectly able to add value to a rig on 35s or 37s. It doesn't hurt to upgrade. It doesn't hurt to go without.

The problem with the stock jeep and Ram truck solid axle systems is primarily a maintenance issue. Bolts need to be retorqued. The smaller jeep bolts aggravate the damage when the bolts loosen up from stretching, metal fatigue, and/or suspension cycling.

The problem with the dealers is that the techs are not properly trained to diagnose DW and other shimmies.

 

Hate to jump on this tread but I experienced this today for the first time. Getting ready to cross the Tapenzee Bridge I hit a pothole in front of the tolls and the wheel started shaking. I was slowing down anyway and it stopped as I got below 40 mph.

Is it possible that it was a one time thing or something I have to look into. My JKU is stock (for now). I hit a ton of additional potholes after that (love those NJ, NY, CT roads!) and it did not happen.

Thanks!

 

Everyone is going to tell you to take your front end apart... how many miles do you have?

 

Real easy way to check your trac bar have a buddy get in your jeep you crawl under the front and watch as he turns the wheel back and forth with the engine off meaning without power steering if there is any play then tighten the trac bar or to fix a bad hole take it out and weld a washer over the bolt hole on the outside to correct the wollerd out hole

As for the bolt it has a nut on the back that has a wing on it when you tighten it won't spin
The death wobble can be caused by the trac bar but I have experienced it with cupped tires and bad steering stabilizers as well on my JK

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