Violent Wheel Shake
JK Super Freak
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,529
Likes: 1
From: Austin, TX
Hi.
I have a similar problem although my shake doesn't stop unless i slow down, driving at 55-60 and hitting a pothole and i get violent wheel shake, it has happened 4 times now.
My JK is a 2007 with 47xxx miles and a 2" BB.
Earlier tonight(live in Iceland) i put it up on a lift to check this thing out, i did all the things planman so well describes and when i took the trackbar out i found what i hope is my problem, the holes on the axle bracket were close to 16mm but the bolt is 14mm.
I plan on welding support on the bracket with a 14mm bolthole.
Hopefully the pic below shows something.
Stefan
I have a similar problem although my shake doesn't stop unless i slow down, driving at 55-60 and hitting a pothole and i get violent wheel shake, it has happened 4 times now.
My JK is a 2007 with 47xxx miles and a 2" BB.
Earlier tonight(live in Iceland) i put it up on a lift to check this thing out, i did all the things planman so well describes and when i took the trackbar out i found what i hope is my problem, the holes on the axle bracket were close to 16mm but the bolt is 14mm.
I plan on welding support on the bracket with a 14mm bolthole.
Hopefully the pic below shows something.
Stefan
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Pearl River, NY
Dropped off my Jeep at the dealer this morning. I printed out all of Planman's writeup and put it with my keys for the tech to read. I'll keep you all posted on whether or not they continue to deny hearing about the issue.
I agree completely with Hellbound13's idea that complaints should be filed about this issue. I'll certainly be filing one. Obviously most of your every-day Jeep drivers are not regularly re-torquing bolts. That process can't be compared to other regular maintenance like changing the oil. People who are less in-tune with their vehicle could really get hurt from this.
I agree completely with Hellbound13's idea that complaints should be filed about this issue. I'll certainly be filing one. Obviously most of your every-day Jeep drivers are not regularly re-torquing bolts. That process can't be compared to other regular maintenance like changing the oil. People who are less in-tune with their vehicle could really get hurt from this.
JK Jedi
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,470
Likes: 1
From: Westchester, NY
Dropped off my Jeep at the dealer this morning. I printed out all of Planman's writeup and put it with my keys for the tech to read. I'll keep you all posted on whether or not they continue to deny hearing about the issue.
I agree completely with Hellbound13's idea that complaints should be filed about this issue. I'll certainly be filing one. Obviously most of your every-day Jeep drivers are not regularly re-torquing bolts. That process can't be compared to other regular maintenance like changing the oil. People who are less in-tune with their vehicle could really get hurt from this.
I agree completely with Hellbound13's idea that complaints should be filed about this issue. I'll certainly be filing one. Obviously most of your every-day Jeep drivers are not regularly re-torquing bolts. That process can't be compared to other regular maintenance like changing the oil. People who are less in-tune with their vehicle could really get hurt from this.
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Pearl River, NY
Ok...just spoke with the service guy and here's what he said:
First, he changed his tune and said that all of the techs had heard of "Death Wobble." He also said however that none of them had an "exact fix for it." He said each instance was because of a different component. With that said, they found that the right side (facing the Jeep) trackbar bolt was slightly loose. He put two full turns on it to torque it to spec. He said they inspected the the track bar bolt holes and they WERE NOT ovaled out (good news of course).
Beyond that, he suggested installing a heavy-duty steering damper (as expected). He said that my steering damper had "some play in it" and the new damper would get rid of some of the wobble. He wanted about $290 for the job since my Jeep has over 63k miles and this is not covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty. I told him NOT to install the damper because I was worried that it might just mask the problem and that there was no way I was paying that price for a steering damper on a 2 year old Jeep.
He also suggested that I replace the tires soon since they don't have much tread left and he said that they recommend I change out the front end shocks to help the problem as well.
Lastly, he said that no matter what work they perform they DO NOT guarantee the problem won't return. Basically, he conveyed the idea that its a guessing game and changing out individual components won't necessarily fix it. Based on what everyone posted here I certainly do not agree with that statement, I'm simply conveying what he said.
So I'm picking the Jeep back up this afternoon. I spoke with my mechanic and the plan is to just drive it and hope the torqued down bolt did the trick. If not he'll take the track bar off himself and we'll start diagnosing it.
First, he changed his tune and said that all of the techs had heard of "Death Wobble." He also said however that none of them had an "exact fix for it." He said each instance was because of a different component. With that said, they found that the right side (facing the Jeep) trackbar bolt was slightly loose. He put two full turns on it to torque it to spec. He said they inspected the the track bar bolt holes and they WERE NOT ovaled out (good news of course).
Beyond that, he suggested installing a heavy-duty steering damper (as expected). He said that my steering damper had "some play in it" and the new damper would get rid of some of the wobble. He wanted about $290 for the job since my Jeep has over 63k miles and this is not covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty. I told him NOT to install the damper because I was worried that it might just mask the problem and that there was no way I was paying that price for a steering damper on a 2 year old Jeep.
He also suggested that I replace the tires soon since they don't have much tread left and he said that they recommend I change out the front end shocks to help the problem as well.
Lastly, he said that no matter what work they perform they DO NOT guarantee the problem won't return. Basically, he conveyed the idea that its a guessing game and changing out individual components won't necessarily fix it. Based on what everyone posted here I certainly do not agree with that statement, I'm simply conveying what he said.
So I'm picking the Jeep back up this afternoon. I spoke with my mechanic and the plan is to just drive it and hope the torqued down bolt did the trick. If not he'll take the track bar off himself and we'll start diagnosing it.
JK Jedi
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,470
Likes: 1
From: Westchester, NY
Ok...just spoke with the service guy and here's what he said:
First, he changed his tune and said that all of the techs had heard of "Death Wobble." He also said however that none of them had an "exact fix for it." He said each instance was because of a different component. With that said, they found that the right side (facing the Jeep) trackbar bolt was slightly loose. He put two full turns on it to torque it to spec. He said they inspected the the track bar bolt holes and they WERE NOT ovaled out (good news of course).
Beyond that, he suggested installing a heavy-duty steering damper (as expected). He said that my steering damper had "some play in it" and the new damper would get rid of some of the wobble. He wanted about $290 for the job since my Jeep has over 63k miles and this is not covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty. I told him NOT to install the damper because I was worried that it might just mask the problem and that there was no way I was paying that price for a steering damper on a 2 year old Jeep.
He also suggested that I replace the tires soon since they don't have much tread left and he said that they recommend I change out the front end shocks to help the problem as well.
Lastly, he said that no matter what work they perform they DO NOT guarantee the problem won't return. Basically, he conveyed the idea that its a guessing game and changing out individual components won't necessarily fix it. Based on what everyone posted here I certainly do not agree with that statement, I'm simply conveying what he said.
So I'm picking the Jeep back up this afternoon. I spoke with my mechanic and the plan is to just drive it and hope the torqued down bolt did the trick. If not he'll take the track bar off himself and we'll start diagnosing it.
First, he changed his tune and said that all of the techs had heard of "Death Wobble." He also said however that none of them had an "exact fix for it." He said each instance was because of a different component. With that said, they found that the right side (facing the Jeep) trackbar bolt was slightly loose. He put two full turns on it to torque it to spec. He said they inspected the the track bar bolt holes and they WERE NOT ovaled out (good news of course).
Beyond that, he suggested installing a heavy-duty steering damper (as expected). He said that my steering damper had "some play in it" and the new damper would get rid of some of the wobble. He wanted about $290 for the job since my Jeep has over 63k miles and this is not covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty. I told him NOT to install the damper because I was worried that it might just mask the problem and that there was no way I was paying that price for a steering damper on a 2 year old Jeep.
He also suggested that I replace the tires soon since they don't have much tread left and he said that they recommend I change out the front end shocks to help the problem as well.
Lastly, he said that no matter what work they perform they DO NOT guarantee the problem won't return. Basically, he conveyed the idea that its a guessing game and changing out individual components won't necessarily fix it. Based on what everyone posted here I certainly do not agree with that statement, I'm simply conveying what he said.
So I'm picking the Jeep back up this afternoon. I spoke with my mechanic and the plan is to just drive it and hope the torqued down bolt did the trick. If not he'll take the track bar off himself and we'll start diagnosing it.
Good luck. Lets just hope its a loose bolt but something tells me if you had DW you have several other damaged components.
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Pearl River, NY
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Southwest CT
Ok...just spoke with the service guy and here's what he said:
Beyond that, he suggested installing a heavy-duty steering damper (as expected). He said that my steering damper had "some play in it" and the new damper would get rid of some of the wobble. He wanted about $290 for the job since my Jeep has over 63k miles and this is not covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty.
He also suggested that I replace the tires soon since they don't have much tread left and he said that they recommend I change out the front end shocks to help the problem as well.
Beyond that, he suggested installing a heavy-duty steering damper (as expected). He said that my steering damper had "some play in it" and the new damper would get rid of some of the wobble. He wanted about $290 for the job since my Jeep has over 63k miles and this is not covered by my lifetime powertrain warranty.
He also suggested that I replace the tires soon since they don't have much tread left and he said that they recommend I change out the front end shocks to help the problem as well.
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Pearl River, NY
Start with the cheapest - rebalance the tires. He never even checked them, right? Then, look at the steering damper. If there's signs of fluid on it, the wobble incidents have caused it to fail. Once there's fluid, it's done. You can easily replace it with one from 4wd or Quadratec. $60 bucks and 15 minutes. The only trick is the nut on the passenger side - from what I recall, it has a locking tab welded on the nut side so you need to loosen it from the bolt head, not the nut. Other than that, bolt up a new one and go. If you still have problems from there, start working on eliminating the more complicated and expensive items.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Southwest CT
Guys there is a recall on this which came out in march, its the steering dampener. the first jk's were all built with really thin bad quality steering dampeners...once the problem starts, its intermittent. Every so often when you hit a pothole or bump the steering will violently shake. Alot of people have got this fixed, i didnt know about it until Steve from FTE 4X4 Specialist in london told me I had the old steering dampener and that I should get it replaced under recall, i told him i just had my jeep serviced and the dealer didnt mention anything....so only today when I called the dealer they said their not sure why they didnt tell me this on my service they must have overlooked it but now they are happy to book me in for the recall.
Steve from FTE 4X4 really knows his stuff and has been building jeeps for over 15 years or so...honestly guys there are other JK owners with exactly the same problems and i've also read about in other forums.....i.ve just got my jeep booked in today........
Steve from FTE 4X4 really knows his stuff and has been building jeeps for over 15 years or so...honestly guys there are other JK owners with exactly the same problems and i've also read about in other forums.....i.ve just got my jeep booked in today........
Yes - the stabilizer is just a symptom. I started by replacing mine and the issue came back within 2 days. Only the tire rebalance fixed it. It's been 6 months and I've never had another instance - and when I used to get it, it was pull over and stop bad. Wife refused to go on the highway as she was convinced we was gonna die.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Southwest CT
You can see probably the fluid yourself from the top down with the hood open. Any wetness at all is a sign of failure. But remember, it's just beat because something shook the crap out of it a few times. Plus, it was woefully undersized for an off road vehicle. Sufficient for a minivan I suppose...