I have 2008 2-door X, stock.

When driving home earlier today...I started to get a light vibration. At first, I thought this might be a tire issue...I had seen something like that before, and it was diagnosed as a tire balance problem. Then it got worse, almost violent. I would almost call it "bucking".

It happened fast, and I don't remember a lot of the details. I was going ~50MPH at the time, in 5th or 6th. Temps were ~25F, but I had been driving for a few minutes. Roads were new/smooth. When the vibration started getting worse, I went to shift gear, but paused in neutral...a reaction, not sure what I was thinking here. But the vibration continued while coasting in neutral. Hopefully a sign that this is not a transmission issue.

I slowed down in neutral. I don't remember if I came to a complete stop or not, but it seemed to go away as I cut speed. I was close to home, and I continued on without getting back up to the same speeds.

I will do more testing later, after the wife/emergency pickup is off of work.

I have a long trip coming up in a few weeks. I definitely want to get this figured out before then, which is why I may be jumping the gun a bit posting here before doing a lot of testing, including trying to go over the same stretch of highway at speed. So...any ideas on what I am looking at? Tire issue, but for some reason worse than before? Something else?

 

It sounds like death wobble. Check all your steering and suspension parts. Bolts, tie rods, etc. Sometimes having a buddy turn the wheel back and forth while you're underneath checking will expose the problem.

 

search "death wobble" sounds exactly what you experienced

 

Death Wobble sounds like it could be it. Good thing to have a better idea as I figure out what to do...I'll now take this to a Jeep dealer to look at, versus a tire shop. Cold temps, and lack of space in the garage at home I think make it a good idea to farm this out....plus the service shop should have more experience looking at the causes.

FYI...On my test drive, I took it first over the same patch of highway that led to the "tire balance" diagnostic a ~5-6 months ago. Same violent wobble as this morning. On the way back, I drove over the new patch. No issue. One more lap around old patch and new patch, didn't see the issue either time.

From reading, it looks like it can be triggered by something the suspension has to react to. First time this morning, I think it was braking for a car I was catching up to, combined with the slope of road changing at the bottom of a dip. The "old patch" of road transitions from a bridge pavement type back to asphalt, combined with increased slope and small bend.

I would bet that if I hit either old or new patches in the right way, I would see it again.

Thanks again!

 

This great write up will tell you exactly what you need to do....
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-w...obbles-260145/

 

Any wobble or vibration starts with something that rotates. When a rotating part shakes, it sets anything else that's loose into motion. When things are loose enough the shake will continue until the Jeep is almost stopped.

There are some good write-ups here on Death Wobble. Mostly, its a case of finding and fixing worn parts. Some common areas to look:

• Ball Joints
• Tie Rod Ends
• Steering Box Bolts
• Steering Box Shaft
• Front Trackbar Mounting Bolts
• Wheel Bearings

Once the front end is tight, be sure the tires are round, the tread runs true, and the tires/wheels are balanced.

Dampers (shocks and steering damper) can sometimes mask a shake, but they are not intended or able to fix the reason things are shaking.

 

The last two posts are excellent advice. I too agree you got a case of the death wobbles...not good. But most of the time can be tracked down to loose or worn suspension components, a pry Bar and a buddy will be your best bet for finding what caused it, use the link ko260 supplied and read the whole thing, it will not only show you what to look for but why you're looking at it, and how to avoid possibly crapping your pants!

 

FYI...the dealer service shop found the steering damper to be "badly worn".

 

...and, of course, the steering damper can be damaged by Death Wobble. So this treated a symptom, not the cause.

Now, the dealer is telling me that I need new U Joints and Ball Joints. Does this sound like potential causes? (I will re-read some of the other links)

 

Those can certainly be contributing factors. Make sure they check your track bar and TB mounting holes for wallowing as that is usually a culprit as well. Good luck!