Recently went to a 3.5" RK Mid-arm and in the process gave myself a case of death wobble.

Checked the trackbar since I have had trouble with it in the past, videoed it, eyeballed it, torqued it to 150lbs. Not the problem, I think.
JK Trackbar - YouTube (uploading video @ time of post, should be there by 12:30CST)

Loosened the control arms and re-torqued. Not the Problem, I think.

Tires Balanced.

Checked the toe-in and caster.
Didn't get them to adjust because I wanted to check the numbers and see exactly what I was dealing with.
Caster Left - 2.3
Right - 2.1

Toe Left - .12 (degrees)
Right - .11 (degrees)
Total - .23 (degrees)

Could the low Caster angle be to blame? I have read 200 different threads and I know it seems to be tons of guesses and theories on solving this. I battled it before and won, 9/16" bolt. It is currently sitting waiting to be aligned in the morning after I talk with the shop manager about some options. Upper and lower adjustable control arms and there is no drive shaft connected to the front end. Should I ask to go to 5 degrees caster just to be safe?

 

I don't have the answer but I have the the same lift with no issues. You can always call rock krawler. They have techs ready to help out their numbers on their website. Good luck

 

Thanks, that is what my plan is this morning. Still looking for. Bushing or ball joint that may be bad.

 

I thought the caster should be set at 6 to 7.

 

Caster effects the wheel's resistance to turn and its tendency to track straight. Low caster in and of itself does not cause DW, but will magnify the problem as every time you hit a bump, slope, or groove the wheel is going to turn instead of resisting the force.

I'm only running 3* of caster due to my aftermarket driveshaft. No DW here.

 

Check your ball joints.Are you sure you have DW?Not impact shimmy?Have you tried rotating tires from rear to front?Tire pressures?Check pitman arm nut?If all these are good,you may need a drag link flip,could be an issue with your steer geometry is off.Tie rod,drag link should be all in the same plane

 

10-4, I'll take all of this into consideration. Currently it is being gone through by a shop that has had great luck in solving the problems. They admit it is a little trial and error and could be a couple of contributing factors. I, for one, appreciate it when a shop doesn't try to sell you on it being one thing or feed a line as if they just need to replace parts.

 

That much caster will help eliminate all flighty steering but can cause other driveline issues such as vibrations which can then lead to bad results like blown transfer case. I have a 3.5" lift and Rock Kralwer recommends caster of 4.2 to 4.5 which is pretty close to stock. Might have a tad of flighty steering but you need to make trad-offs on what is more important to deal with.

 

Exactly. 4.2-4.5 degrees is the range of caster you want with less than a 5" lift to save your front driveshaft.

Low caster would not be the source of DW, but it could definitely aggravate it.

In the near future, my Diagnosing Death Wobble write-up thread should be reinstated.

Here are the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uQwlmlhiF4&list=UUKzIyplv3FIj1EXoFsRG0qg&index=5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii81V7XYr-k&list=UUKzIyplv3FIj1EXoFsRG0qg
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Thanks for all the input. I watched the videos last night and have ruled out most of what you mentioned. I have concerns about the drag link ends and never thought to check the pitman and steering box. Guess its back to more time under the jeep.