Death Wobble happened to me tonight
#1
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
Death Wobble happened to me tonight
So....I read through the FAQ sticky and I'm still unsure of what I should do. I had the 2.5 inch RC Series II lift with out shocks installed on my 2013 JKU this weekend. I haven't driven it a lot since then but I was driving it home from the gym tonight and hit a nice bump while I was running about 45-50 mph and it started shaking uncontrollably. I had to slow to almost a stop to get it back to normal.
I have not had it aligned since the lift. Is that something I need to have done or do you think it is something else causing it?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
This is the lift I had installed:
I have not had it aligned since the lift. Is that something I need to have done or do you think it is something else causing it?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
This is the lift I had installed:
#2
JK Junkie
Alignment is a very low probability. High probability is that the trackbar is loose or under-torqued and is moving at one/both ends in the mount. It could be a lot of things, but it comes down to too much free play with the forces involved in holding the wheels in the steering axis.
Death wobble can damage other components and make the problem worse, so don't drive it more than you have to. Since you had the lift installed, I'm going to presume fixing this is out of your lane and suggest taking it back to the installer.
Death wobble can damage other components and make the problem worse, so don't drive it more than you have to. Since you had the lift installed, I'm going to presume fixing this is out of your lane and suggest taking it back to the installer.
Last edited by Mr.T; 02-11-2019 at 06:02 PM.
#3
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
Alignment is a very low probability. High probability is that the trackbar is loose or under-torqued and is moving at one/both ends in the mount. It could be a lot of things, but it comes down to too much free play with the forces involved in holding the wheels in the steering axis.
Death wobble can damage other components and make the problem worse, so don't drive it more than you have to. Since you had the lift installed, I'm going to presume fixing this is out of your lane and suggest taking it back to the installer.
Death wobble can damage other components and make the problem worse, so don't drive it more than you have to. Since you had the lift installed, I'm going to presume fixing this is out of your lane and suggest taking it back to the installer.
#4
JK Junkie
Hopefully it's something simple and easy.
#5
JK Jedi Master
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Yep, trackbar is the most likely cause, but could be a number of things. If you have some free time, go up to the JK Write-Ups section and open the Diagnosing Deathwobble/Shimmy thread that is stuck right to the top.
And as noted, minimal driving is a good suggestion until the source is identified, since each time it happens more components could potentially be damaged and costs can go up accordingly.
And as noted, minimal driving is a good suggestion until the source is identified, since each time it happens more components could potentially be damaged and costs can go up accordingly.
#6
JK Jedi Master
Had a friend who had installed a lift and then drove it for a bit while trying to figure out what was causing DW. One of the things we found was that the holes for the trackbar bolts had ovaled out (this is part of the extended damage referred to above). It turned out he could stop the DW by overtorquing those bolts--up to about 165 ft-lbs, IIRC. That wasn't the fix--welding in 1/2" washers for his 9/16" bolts was. But, it indicates that even if properly torqued, you would still be wise to check out those bolt holes more closely. After the work was all done, he also found that his ball joints were bad. If you have OEM ball joints and, oh, maybe more than 30-40,000 miles, might also consider checking them out very closely. As you can imagine, there's a lot of force expended during DW incidents and those OEM BJs are easily worn out/damaged.
#7
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
Thanks for all the advice. I work for a small engine company so I am going to pull it in the shop today and check out everything mentioned. Would you recommend having it aligned also? Not to fix the DW but just in general after installing the lift? I read where it's a good idea.
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#8
JK Jedi
Thanks for all the advice. I work for a small engine company so I am going to pull it in the shop today and check out everything mentioned. Would you recommend having it aligned also? Not to fix the DW but just in general after installing the lift? I read where it's a good idea.
And I agree with all the above. Highly likely you have a loose TB bolt since the lift was just installed. If you don't have one, a 50-250ft lbs torque wrench is helpful to have. Our jeeps are intolerant to under torqued bolts. This is a situation where "tight" is not good enough. Hopefully you didn't wobble so bad you blew factory ball joints out.
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JoyMarie (02-12-2019)
#9
JK Junkie
Here's another thought on the trackbar and how the bushings in the ends are retained in the brackets (same for control arms):
It's the clamping force of the faces of the steel inner bushing that the bolt goes through, against the inner faces of the bracket that holds it from moving. These faces should be clean, free of nicks and any deformation/wear caused by the steel inner bushing moving in the bracket. A minute with a flat file will usually do the trick. It's much more important that the faces mate well then the bolt having some radial play in the hole. The radial play of the bolt hole is like a backup restraint after the clamping force against the faces fails to hold. If the faces don't mate correctly when tightened, the bushing will move under load, wearing and/or deforming metal, and making it progressively looser in a vicious cycle.
It's the clamping force of the faces of the steel inner bushing that the bolt goes through, against the inner faces of the bracket that holds it from moving. These faces should be clean, free of nicks and any deformation/wear caused by the steel inner bushing moving in the bracket. A minute with a flat file will usually do the trick. It's much more important that the faces mate well then the bolt having some radial play in the hole. The radial play of the bolt hole is like a backup restraint after the clamping force against the faces fails to hold. If the faces don't mate correctly when tightened, the bushing will move under load, wearing and/or deforming metal, and making it progressively looser in a vicious cycle.
Last edited by Mr.T; 02-12-2019 at 11:43 AM.
#10
JK Enthusiast
I thought I had everything covered. Trackbar, tie rod, drag link, steering stabilizer, mounting bolts, tire imbalance, all of it...
I still occasionally got the dreaded wobble. Not often, but I still did at totally random occasions. No damn rhyme or reason.
Then I broke the front D30 axle housing and upgraded to a TeraFlex D44 and all the wobble disappeared. no wobble for 2.5 years now.
I still occasionally got the dreaded wobble. Not often, but I still did at totally random occasions. No damn rhyme or reason.
Then I broke the front D30 axle housing and upgraded to a TeraFlex D44 and all the wobble disappeared. no wobble for 2.5 years now.