I would say I am fairly handy and can do a lot of DIY's, but alignments were a little out of my comfort zone. I went to the Steelership to get one done and they said they could not until my ball and inner u-joints were replaced.

I have had a mild case of death wobble (specific roads) but it would happen maybe 1 time a week and then go away for a few weeks. And to correct this I was starting with an Alignment.

After them telling me about my Ball Joints needing to be replaced to do an alignment I think I have found (one of) the smoking guns. I am planning on tackling this project next weekend (as I am moving to a new home this weekend and finally get a garage).

I wanted to get others opinions on replacing the U-Joint. I have not read anywhere that this could assist in my death wobble and replacing it, might not make the most financial sense right now. I have read all of the parts that could cause my wobble and I am going to start with the ball joints. Then move to the alignment and completely change out my tires (mismatched and different tread heights).


My Rig is a JKUR with a little over 45k miles and is bone stock. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

 

I would rent a ball joint press to avoid the agravation of tring to install them without the proper tool. Follow the instructions & you should be fine. You have already studied the potential track bar issues.

 

When you rent the ball joint press, also ask for the 4x4 kit as well. It has other parts you will need

 

I did my ball joints at 42K as they were pretty bad. In the process, I ended up pulling the front axles. You'd have great
access to the U-joints, so in my opinion, you might as well replace them too. When I purchased by ball joint press, it
also did U-joints. Lot's of write ups on ball joint replacement. Good Luck!!

Jeremy - Lincoln, NE

 

How do I tell if I need to replace my U-Joint as well? I just want to make sure I need to replace it compared to the dealership trying to get me for more money. I am going to do it all myself (Renting the press) but should I also tackle the U-Joint.

tchaap - Thanks for the suggestion, I wouldn't have thought to ask for that as well.

 

If it has excessive slack you might want to replace it. You can check by hand or screwdriver or small pry bar.