New to the board and also to the Jeep world....on the way home with my new to me JK I was blessed to experience the well known issue of death wobble....needless to say I almost crapped my pants.....anyway after much research I see most people are sayin the track bar is the main culprit...my question is does the vehicle need to be on jack stands to replace it? Also will the Jeep need an alignment after I replace it?

 

It might help to have your Jeep up on stands and droop the axle when you go to replace it. Also, check the bolt holes on the frame and axle brackets/mounts to make sure they aren't ovaled out. It's important to get your bolts torqued to spec and then check torque again after you've driven it.

 

[QUOTE=chiapeteater;4350855]It might help to have your Jeep up on stands and droop the axle when you go to replace it. Also, check the bolt holes on the frame and axle brackets/mounts to make sure they aren't ovaled out. It's important to get your bolts torqued to spec and then check torque again after you've driven it.[/QUOTE

thanks for your input...would you know what the torque specs are? It’s a 13 JKU.

 

[QUOTE=kwhit83;4350856]Front Suspension Torque Specs
DescriptionSpecification

Stabilizer Bar Link Lower Bolt75 ft-lbs

Track Bar Frame Bracket Nut125 ft-lbs

Track Bar Axle Bracket Bolt125 ft-lbs

Hub/Bearing Bolts75 ft-lbs

 

You don't need jack stands and a ratcheting strap will help you get the bar aligned so you can bolt it back up. If your jeep is in good alignment now, just make the new link the same length and you should be good to go.

 

Another question I had was how do i know when or how the axle is centered?

 

If tires are inside fenders plumb bob down from fender edge and measure to tire, If tires are outside fenders straight edge up from tires and measure to fender.

Make sure vehicle weight is on suspension, axle shifts slightly during flex or droop.

 

You really need to inspect the full steering system. Yes, the TB is the main culprit. That doesn't mean your TB is bad. Could just be untorqued bolts, could be ovaled out holes in your brackets, could be bad ball joints.....Replacing the TB is not a guaranteed fix.

 

what’s the fix if it happens to be ovaled out brackets? I did also notice the boots on the steering stabilizers were worn pretty bad so I intend to replace them. Not sure it will help but it definitely can’t hurt.

 

Something along the lines of Synergy TB brace, or weld big washers to either side of the bracket. If you have factory ball joints, those would be a very likely suspect. Is there a grease zerk on the ball joints? Before doing anything with the track bar you should grab a torque wrench and ensure those two bolts are 125 ft lbs. They are very sensitive to undertorquing. Checking BJs is easy too. jack up the axle so tires are a few inches off the ground and support it with jack stands. If you don't have jack stands you can just jack up one side. Put a shovel under the tire and step on the handle, using the leverage to force upward motion under the wheel. It's the lower BJs that go bad, but the easiest place to see movement is where the knuckle and C meet by the upper BJ. You can search Planman Death Wobble on YouTube and find a couple good videos about the whole steering system.

It's not the steering stabilizer at all. That entire unit is superficial.