Well I finally got under the jeep today and checked things out - made sure the shocks were tight and the track bar was tight. The upper nuts on the front shocks weren't very tight, the right side was really bad. I could move the shock by hand, so loosened the R/F and tightened it back up. It seemed like everything was back to normal on the ride home. I felt a ton better, and the "bump-steer" and wheel wobble issues didn't happen at all

I do have one question about OME shocks to make sure i have everything in right order. Does it bolt up this way -> shock-large washer-bushing-washer with the little lip on it-?shock tower on jeep?-bushing-washer-and then the nut?

Dumb question I guess, but I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

 

On my OME long travels I have everything in the order you stated except for the "washer with the little lip on it". I remember that coming with my old regular OME shocks that I used to have. I remember my right-front shock coming loose on the top end once. Jeep drove fine with it but there was just a horrible noise everytime i'd hit a bump in the road.

 

The front end issues are comulative. I had what I'd call bump steer (hit a bump, the steering wheel bounced back and forth). this was worse at certain speeds, and at certain turning angles (around 40mph and turning slightly left). There was a bump at my on-ramp that always caused it to happen.

As the problem got worse, it would sometimes cause death wobble, which WAS VERY distinctive.

Here's what finally fixed it (in the order I did it, which wasn't correct):

- The situation was very sensitive to tires being balanced.
- The situation was very sensitive to the Toe setting on my alignment. The moment it was off, the situation got much worse. (it got knocked out after every wheeling trip)
- Steering stabilizer was worn, so I replaced it. This helped (or really just masked it) fro a while.
- I installed lower control arms to dial in 6.5* of caster, and,
- I installed a front adjustable track bar to center the axle.
- All 4 ball joints were replaced (under warranty ), which took care of a lot of the problem.

Then finally, the final fix:

- I installed a new, BEEFY Teraflex tie rod to replace my bent one.


In hind sight, I should have replaced the bent tie rod before even replacing the LCA's or even the track bar. I didn't realize how bent it was.


LESSON: You first need to fix anything that's not within specs (bent, worn, etc). Then you need to replace/upgrade parts like LCA's to get more caster.

 

That's what mine was doing, the wheel wobble thing. I checked my ball joints and I think they're ok. I looked up a few ways of checking them and that's what I did right after tightening the shock. I also checked my track bar for worn holes and it was fine. LCA's would be nice I guess, but my jeep doesn't feel "flighty". I had zero problems until I changed the shocks, and I found my LF axle seal was leaking at the same time, which when i think about it, it may have just been overfilled. I'm not sure why or how a loose shock could have caused my steering problem, but it hasn't happened since I tightened it.

 

Well. I thought I had the problem fixed, but I guess it's not completely fixed after all. I still notice what I would consider "bump-steer" when I hit some bumps. My wheel doesn't violently shake a half turn or anything, but it does shake about... ?? 10 - 2 ?? quickly a few times. I've checked the steering components and everything seems fine. Could it be the steering stabilizer is bad and isn't absorbing the shock of these bumps? When I say bumps I'm not talking about large potholes, but more like an area of the road that has cracked and swollen a little all the way across the road. It seems if i hit them just right, my wheel shakes.

 

I'm wondering how many people with bump steer have swapped wheels with ones with less back spacing? I understand that this can amplify bump steer due to the increased leverage away from the steering axis.

 

I don't know??? I didn't have any issues at all until I changed shocks. When I get back to Indiana I think I'm putting the RC shocks back on and I'll see if I still have the problem. The shocks shouldn't have caused any of this, but it was only after I changed them that I had this happen.

 

A loose shock can definitely cause it... Soon after buying my jeep I had a noise coming from front right wheel....at first it was just annoying. It then became death wobble. The top shock bushing had disappeared. Dealer replaced it and it never happened again.

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I def had a loose shocks. The OME shocks I have are used - another member gave them to me. They don't seem worn or anything, but they didn't have the larger top washer. I got a washer a while back and added it to the top, and it seemed ok for a while. Now I'm wondering if they're just softer than the RC shocks I had on there and my wheels moves just that little bit more that I notice it, or if the steering damper is worn. I don't think it's "masking" a steering issue really, but maybe it makes a difference. When I get back to Indiana I will take it off and see if it's worn, and maybe put the RC shocks back on to see if everything jumps back to normal.

 

I had a similar problem with an LJ Rubicon. When I installed softer shocks, it went from steering wheel wobble/front end shimmy to full blown death wobble. In my case the problem ended up being a trackbar issue. Somehow the softer shocks seemed to amplify the problem, but they didn't cause the problem. Once the trackbar issue was addressed, it drove fine.