VIDEO - #1 Cause of Death Wobble
#1
JK-Forum Founder
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
Posts: 36,534
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes
on
15 Posts
VIDEO - #1 Cause of Death Wobble
I can't count how many times we've come off the trail and heard someone on the CB yell out that they've got death wobble. After pulling over and giving things a quick look to make sure nothing is broken, I have the driver help me perform this simple test.
Turn your key to the ON position but do not start your engine. Have the driver slowly turn the steering wheel to one side and then the other while you keep an eye on the front track bar. 9 out of 10 times, this is the problem...
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1456994945009 Some times it's on the frame end and some times it's a blown bushing instead of a loose bolt but the one thing for sure is, the problem is almost always track bar related. Normally, a 21mm socket and a torque wrench set to 125-130 ft. lbs. of torque would be all that you need to fix things up. However, on this Jeep, the mounting hole was pretty wollowed out and we ended up having to tighten the bolt to about 140 ft. lbs. of torque in order to get this Jeep rolling safely again. Once back at home, a washer was welded up to the mount to make it a tight fit again.
Turn your key to the ON position but do not start your engine. Have the driver slowly turn the steering wheel to one side and then the other while you keep an eye on the front track bar. 9 out of 10 times, this is the problem...
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1456994945009 Some times it's on the frame end and some times it's a blown bushing instead of a loose bolt but the one thing for sure is, the problem is almost always track bar related. Normally, a 21mm socket and a torque wrench set to 125-130 ft. lbs. of torque would be all that you need to fix things up. However, on this Jeep, the mounting hole was pretty wollowed out and we ended up having to tighten the bolt to about 140 ft. lbs. of torque in order to get this Jeep rolling safely again. Once back at home, a washer was welded up to the mount to make it a tight fit again.
Last edited by wayoflife; 09-28-2010 at 05:34 PM.
#5
Very good info and video, but a quick question. Many times, I read where it said "with your engine off", but in the video, it appears the engine was on? With the engine off, I can hardly get the steering wheel to move much? Or am I wrong?
Trending Topics
#8
JK-Forum Founder
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
Posts: 36,534
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes
on
15 Posts
The engine you hear is from another jeep nearby. Yes, trying to turn your steering wheel with the engine off takes effort but, you want it that way and you don't need to turn it much to get the track bar moving. In fact, if you're able to turn your steering wheel too freely, this can make it difficult to detect shifting in the track bar especially if the mounting hole is not wallowed out as the movement will be very subtle.
#10
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New Brunswick
Posts: 412
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
good video. the one and only time I've ever experienced death wobble it was the track bar. I had just installed an adj track bar on my ZJ and hadn't torqued it down properly. the track bar is the first place I tell ppl to check.