First, a little history, that might help with a diagnosis:
I have a 2010 mountain edition that only has 9k on it. The week i got it new, i had a budget boost put on (2" pucks and stops) and aftermarket wheels with the original tires mounted, and 2" spacers. All was well for a while. Started to get a wobble, so after about half a dozen wheel balances and rotations, and dynabeads, i started to upgrade the suspension.
I installed rear track bar bracket, and sway bar end links,.. Was a little better but not much,.. Couple months after, it seemed to start driving really rough, like all the shocks blew, so i upgraded all shocks and stabilizer, and no change.
After asking all of you on a previous post, someone mentioned the rotor washers on the lugs, and after asking the dealer, and the tire people about it, and got no response, i took the wheels and spacers (hub centric) off and found those little things and took them off. No more wobble. Still extremely rough ride. We have some rather bumpy roads around here, but i can see the back of the jeep bucking when i drive on them. I know it's a jeep, i know it rides rough, but the fact that it has gotten so much worse is a concern. Steering was extremely flighty, so i got a frt adjustable track bar and recentered the axle, and frt lower control arms to adjust the caster, which is at roughly 5.5.
I am now noticing (for lack of a better term) a humming or whirring, which could be coming from the tires, but they didn't seem to do that before. Also, the jeep seems to vibrate, like it's going over very small stop sticks or peagravel almost all the time. It seems to be less apparent when i am going around a rt. Turn and the same or slightly worse when going left. I can feel it in the steering wheel, and also in the seat, the floor, pretty much everywhere, and my drivers side mirror vibrates so that the people behind me look fuzzy. The gritty vibration is pretty much constant from 30mph, on.
I have tried adjusting my toe in several different times, in and out, and nothing seems to make a difference. It also seems to be getting worse than normal gas mileage, and the engine sounds like it is working harder. I have a bully dog, so it has corrected some of the trans shift issues from the factory, and a cai, so i can really hear the engine gearing up, when it does.
When i let off the gas, it appears to slow down faster than it did before, and i get a slight surging in the brakes when i slow down, like it let's go a bit for a second, and then grabs again. It doesn't pull to the left or rt. Any more than it's supposed to, and the rotors don't look discolored. I have tried lifting the front, and trying to move the tires in all directions, and i don't feel any play at all. I've torqued and retorqued all the suspension parts, and checked everything under there. It does seem that when i try to spin the front tires, they do not spin freely (don't think they really ever have done so) it takes much effort to get one moving, and it stops immediately, when i quit pushing it around.
I am by far, not a mechanic, so i know i'm probably just overlooking something simple, but it's getting really tiresome. I hope someone can give me some good ideas on which direction to go next.
Thanks much.

 

Whoa. A whole lot going on there. You may want to hand this one over to a certified mechanic. Do you have an offroad or 4x4 place near you? Ask around at the staging area maybe? With that much going on at once I think it's time to get real help!

 

It sounds like you have a brake caliper or two hanging up. You should be able to spin the ft tires with one finger. Make sure none of the brake hoses are pinched or kinked. Sounds silly, but Ive seen pros do that.

 

Man I sure would like to be your hero....
But Im not gonna waste your time or mine.
Your gonna really have to find someone close
that can look it over and give good sound advice!
With all you got goin on you need local help....
Sounds like you've chased your tail long enough.
Good luck!

 

You can do the following at home, if you have the correct size wrenches and jack stands. Or take it to a repair shop, they will do similar.

Pull your diff cover and examine the fluid. Very heavy metalic (not just a little paste) in the fluid, or what looks like a cats fur ball. If this is what you find, time to get a repair shop. If not, it could still be and issue, but

Put it on jack stands (front diff) Both sides up. Not one at a time.
Pull the tires and try turning the rotors. Should turn easy. If not then
Remove the calipers like you were doing a brake job. Try turning. Should turn easy by hand. If not then
Remove the drive shaft at the Diff. Try turning. Should turn easy.
also

If removing the drive shaft does cause it to turn easily, then double check that the drives shaft turns by hand. Hold it up as much as possible to reduce the angle and try turning it. It should. If it doesn't then transfer case issue. It is in 2 wheel drive?

If you still can't turn the rotors by hand easily then you have now narrowed it down to probably being an issue with the front diff itself. You could remove your hubs and make sure that it is not the wheel bearings, but you need to consider that it might be time for a repair shop before you have to much to put back together to get it there.

So far, all that you are out of is about an hour or two of time, silicon and gear oil. Get a mechanic, tell him what you have done, and have it repaired.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. There is a mechanic in town here, the one who put my wheels/spacers on with the washers, and then lied and told me he took them off. The dealer i bought the jeep from, the one who wouldn't spend more than 5 minutes, before they told me the problem was my aftermarket wheels, is 15 miles away... Other than that, it's just me. One other jk owner in town, and i'm pretty confident that they know less than i, which is scary.
Should the frt wheels move freely, whether the ign. Key is in the on pos. Or not? The first time i tried that, the key was off, and it wouldn't spin on it's own at all. Took two hands to get it moving, slowly, and i could hear a brief spot on the rotor each rotation, making a shusshing noise against the pad.
I did remember that i also put it in neutral while driving, switched it to 2, at a red light, put overdrive one and off, tried 4wd at low speed, and nothing would change the sensation of the gravely vibration, or the humming sound.
Is there anything that i have done, or added that you think should be removed or undone? Not my first jeep, but first jk, and i'm pretty much working off info i get from searches here, and responses to my posts.
Whether or not i fix this myself, or have to rent pack mules to pull it to the nearest compitent mechanic, i want to thank all of you for your help. This site has been invaluable to me.

 

-Check your unit bearings for play

-Check the front diff for excessive metal fragments

-Check your tire pressure (that may account for part of the harsh ride...)

And yes....it does sound like you've got one or two warped rotors.

 

With the front end up in the air, tire should rotate easily. Doesn't matter whether the key is on or off.

Probably nothing that you have done. More likely a brake or bearing issue. Follow my instructions above and narrow it down. Sounds like you are on your own to do so. You can do this! So get started.

Happy to help anyway I can.

 

Is the front locker engaged or is it in 4wd?

 

That would be a very easy fix. Napa and most autoparts stores will carry them. Price range for Napa's are 43.00 to 85.00

They also make Rotor Runout shimes. never used them before. There are different correction thicknesses. I would replace rotors instead of shimming though.

Good point! Do you have a locker? Rubi with electric lockers? I have heard of them failing to deactivate. With both tires off the ground, rotate one tire, other would want to rotate in the same direction. But if you only had one tire off the ground, wouldn't want to rotate!