Death Wobble
#31
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Champaign, Illinois
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First off there have been many cases reported of death wobble stock. Mine did it when mine was BONE STOCK, NEVER OFF ROADED or ABUSED.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
#32
JK Junkie
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Broken Arrow, OK
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First off there have been many cases reported of death wobble stock. Mine did it when mine was BONE STOCK, NEVER OFF ROADED or ABUSED.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
Jeep could always "fix" this "problem" by moving to an independent front suspension. Complaining to the NTHS is NOT going to accomplish anything productive.
The right answer to this kind of "problem" is to educate people that a 5-link suspension system is different than what they are used to on their Honda. And, unlike their Honda, they need to make sure to keep thing maintained properly.
It's unfortunate the dealerships are educated, but considering our Jeeps are a dying breed, why educate them.
#33
JK Enthusiast
First off there have been many cases reported of death wobble stock. Mine did it when mine was BONE STOCK, NEVER OFF ROADED or ABUSED.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
#35
Hellbound13 has some good points.
Here's why:
Chrysler decided to use a 14 mm trackbar bolt, with a trackbar bushing sleeve designed for a 9/16" bolt, and the trackbar bracket bolt holes are somewhere around 15-16 mm large. This is a sure recipe for DW if the trackbar bolts are not properly torqued and periodically re-torqued to 125 ft. lbs
I have read reports from more than one non-lifted, stock JK owner who after reading my DW thread decided to go out and check the torque on their front trackbar, only to find the bolts needed as much as 1/2 or more turns to be properly torqued.
The owner's manual should include re-torquing the front trackbar periodically (about every oil change frequency) and after every major offroading trip.
Dealer techs should be properly trained to diagnose and fix DW instead of the current, throw on a HD steering stabilizer guidance.
Trackbar related DW is the downside of a 5 link setup (4 control arms and a trackbar) for JKs, TJs, XJs, ZJs, etc., etc.--plus Dodge trucks--ever since the design was introduced. The design is superior, given the purposes of these vehicles. However, the design requires more attention and maintenance.
Here's why:
Chrysler decided to use a 14 mm trackbar bolt, with a trackbar bushing sleeve designed for a 9/16" bolt, and the trackbar bracket bolt holes are somewhere around 15-16 mm large. This is a sure recipe for DW if the trackbar bolts are not properly torqued and periodically re-torqued to 125 ft. lbs
I have read reports from more than one non-lifted, stock JK owner who after reading my DW thread decided to go out and check the torque on their front trackbar, only to find the bolts needed as much as 1/2 or more turns to be properly torqued.
The owner's manual should include re-torquing the front trackbar periodically (about every oil change frequency) and after every major offroading trip.
Dealer techs should be properly trained to diagnose and fix DW instead of the current, throw on a HD steering stabilizer guidance.
Trackbar related DW is the downside of a 5 link setup (4 control arms and a trackbar) for JKs, TJs, XJs, ZJs, etc., etc.--plus Dodge trucks--ever since the design was introduced. The design is superior, given the purposes of these vehicles. However, the design requires more attention and maintenance.
Good luck with getting it fixed. Your jeep looks good. I still think you are probably gonna be working on it yourself before it is over with. I bet who ever lifted it didn't use a torque wrench. I hate waiting on something to be fixed at a dealership. If I can't drop it off, I just about want do it.
Last edited by Jusaplaya; 03-01-2011 at 07:17 AM.
#36
First off there have been many cases reported of death wobble stock. Mine did it when mine was BONE STOCK, NEVER OFF ROADED or ABUSED.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
Lastly, having to get under a vehicle and retorque every bolt every oil change is not routine maintenance, its insanity. I have owned many vehicles and never have to do this.
NO ONE I KNOW who owns any truck or car gets under and torques every bolt at every oil change, no one would own a vehicle if that were the case.
Also, if that is part of routine maintenance, why is it not in the manual? I must have missed the section where it says that if you don't make sure every bolt is tight that the vehicle will become UNDRIVEABLE!
Lets not forget if the trackbar hole ovals out 1/8 of inch, then you have the same issue. So I guess my Jeep should have come with a welder and washers too.
#37
This may be a dumb question, but what are the differences in the front suspension of a 2wd vs 4wd jeep? Would they both be the same when trying to diagnose dw?
#38
JK Jedi
Originally Posted by _J__C_
This may be a dumb question, but what are the differences in the front suspension of a 2wd vs 4wd jeep? Would they both be the same when trying to diagnose dw?
#40
JK Jedi
Originally Posted by Jusaplaya
You couldn't have said it any better. The hole ovals out and it drives like garbage. It shouldn't be that easy to damage.
So basically unless you live in an area where the road is paved with smooth glass your parts will wear and you have to constantly replace shit to keep it from driving like a clunker.
Any little bit of slop becomes too much slop, which is ridiculous if you know.. you actually want to DRIVE the Jeep!