It finally happened. I was heading home yesterday and hit one of the many potholes on 66, and it started. The Jeep had always shimmied a little if I hit a bump or hole just right but it only lasted like 2 or 3 seconds. I pulled over and looked at everything and nothing looked too bad. I started driving back home and it happened again a few miles later. I called my dealership since I just had it in for a tire rotation and balance the night before. They took it in that night to look at. They called yesterday to tell me that I had "destroyed" my steering dampner. It had almost no fluid in it. They repalced it under warrenty and got it back to me last night. I've always heard that replacing the steering stabalizer was just a quick fix for a bigger problem. You guys think that since mine was empty that it was really the issue? I want to go ride this weekend, but I'd hate to get out there and find that there was a bigger problem.

 

Here is a few great readings that others have posted about Death Wobble.

If I were you I would check the torque specs on all the suspension parts. Or have the dealer do it. You can do it if you have someone turn steering wheel side to side while you looks for loose bolts. Any empty Steering Stabilizer "leaky" is just a bad one.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...es-and-Wobbles

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...t=Death+wobble

Torque Settings
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...ings#frontsusp


Hope this helps...

 

there are so many threads on death wobble on here people are probably sick of seeing them. WOL should probably just make one permanent Death Wobble Thread and keep it up top so people new to it can see it.

Now, when I got my jeep and it happened to me for the first time i basically did the same thing you did. I would put a new steering dampener on every year basically. After I came to this site and started looking/asking around.. i saw the light and realized that the stabilizer wasnt the culprit. more than likely.. in your case.. its probably because your tires didnt wear evenly, and your track bar may be loose. I would have your tires rebalanced.. have the shop look at your track bar.. and throw your oem stabilizer away and get an oversized one, or a dual stabilizer. I just put a new one on my jeep and they run about 100 bucks or so. easy to put on. Now while I realize that they arent a fix for the issue, they take the roughness out of death wobble and would keep the unexperienced driver from panicing when it happens. My gf drives my jeep sometimes and I dont want it happening to her while shes on the high way. good luck.

 

I also recommend that you report this highly dangerous problem here..

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/online.cfm

 

NIce! I was going to edit that in, just was to slow. There was another link too that WOL did showing a loose bolt when someone was turning the steering wheel.

 

Thanks for posting the links to other threads ... I replied at
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...es-and-Wobbles

 

Check your tires, I had the goodyear wranglers and got rid of them and the problem is gone completely. The jeep jk front end is very sensitive to DW. Any small issue by itself or combined with a different issue can send the front end into a frenzy