Thanks to all the help here on the forum my death wobble is FINALLY defeated!

But after wasting two days of my life I have this to say, and hopefully save somebody else some time:


It seems easy to buy the bushing replacements instead of replacing the track bar, after all they are only $9.99 and saving money is always a consideration. DON'T DO IT

Just SPEND the money and get a whole new track bar - a OE replacement is $69.99 at quadratec

Getting the bushings out of the old one is difficult and frustrating. They are rusted (at least mine were) to the bar and it took a lot of torching and pounding to get them out.
On top of this the 2 piece bushings do not fit in the hole right. It might have to do with wear or how the holes were made and the originals machine pressed. The axle side bushing would not fit and the frame side bushing was too small and slid at will through the bar.

So I ordered the replacement track bar, had it here in 2 days, and it took me about 10 min to put on. Death wobble is now gone, and hopefully gone for a while/good.

So save yourself some time and energy and just spend the little bit extra, you will thank yourself. And like me you might have to do both anyway

 

I had a DW problem 2 weeks ago.
Lift was installed by my dealer when the jeep was new.
Only had the JK for 6 months.
The DW has been on and off since the beginning.
Last week they blamed the problem on the bushings and the steering stabilizer...

The way I see it:
the torn bushing are a result of the DW not the other way around and the worn stabilizer can't be the cause...

Input anyone..?

 

I experienced a minor version of a death wobble and recognized it immediately and slowed down as soon as possible to avoid and damage to my drivetrain. After running a 3" lift and 35's for 2 years without any issue this started up but after doing some research I figured I would check the trackbar bolts and bushings. The bushings were fine, not wallowed, and I did notice that the upper frame side bolt came off a little too easy so it was obviously a little loose. I have wheeled my rig hard and I have failed to check the bolts after a wheeling trip so it is my fault. I decided to change out the metric OE hardware with a 9/16" grade 8 bolt and nut set up and what a snug fit on the OE track bar, huge difference! While I was down there I loosened up my control arms and retightened everything. All is way much better and it just feels better, tighter steering, chalk it up to a lesson learned.

 

more input ???

 

Good knowledge my friends. It's nice to hear & learn from others' experiences.

 

See this letter. Eshoo, Waxman Urge Automaker to Undertake Customer Satisfaction Campaign for "Jeep Death Wobble" Problem
After DW and multiple visits to the dealership on my stock JK I sent a note to the NHTSA and my congressman. I suggest everyone that has had DW do the same before a member, relative or friend gets injured or worse. Chrysler needs to step up to this issue. I'd like to see a recall, but at least a very specific service bulletin with a step-by-step procedure to fix it right the first time at every Jeep dealership, instead of the guessing game. And under an extended warranty. Please read the PDF attached to the above link. If we do nothing, nothing will change and you'll be spending $$$ doing what Jeep should be doing. BTW, in my opinion, there are many JKs out there that just haven't hit the bump at speed yet or are in an area where the roads are nice and flat and smooth. Remember, our tax $$$ bailed out Chrysler from doom.

 

Hmm! The cause of death wobble is wide and varied. Any of a myriad of variable incite this condition. Known as Harmonic Ocilation. Any changes made in the stock suspension only increase the instability of a marginally stable system to begin with.

 

I am TOTALLY stock.