schmity

Driving my vehicle down the highway on my way to work. I notice that it has a very light shimmy on my steering wheel when around 60mph, it doesnt steer me out of my lane or really seem to affect the driving of the car, I just feel my steering wheel vibrate ever so slightly back and forth, but its still enough to make me wonder what its like to have your entire front end suspension fail at 60-70mph on a highway lol. My front end suspension is a weird case, ive had an issue with it wandering any which way after I had a run in with a Deathwobble, and after replacing virtually every steering component I can think of trying to fix it (Tie rod/Ends, DL, TB, BJ, Installed control arm brackets for Caster, Steering Stabilizer, Steering Box), and getting so many alignments the shop knows me by name, ive gotten it down to mostly be a semi-occurring pull to the right. Tomorrow im going to torque every steering component to make sure they're in spec so that I can check that off the list of things it might be (Will post results). Earlier today I checked wheel bearings and u-joints and those seemed fine to my knowledge, could probably change u-joints sometime in the future since it has a very minimal amount of play. Beyond checking torque specs, what else could I look for in regards to steering wheel vibration or pulling sensations to the right? Any help is appreciated, thanks!

karls10jk

Vibration around 60 is usually a tire balance issue. The push/ pull to the right could be a steering stabilizer, but I didn't see that mentioned in your list of parts.

EHarris

Definitely start with a tire balance on all 4 first. You can try disconnecting the Steering stabilizer to see if that helps second. I agree with Karl.

schmity

So I torqued everything down on the front suspension and gave it an extra 5 ft-lbs in each one for good measure. Next step will be balancing the tires, ill get that done tomorrow and see if it helps. Also for the steering stabilizer it is brand new, replaced it very recently trying to find the culprit for the pulls. Also to better correct myself the shimmy very lightly begins at around +50mph, which i assume still leaves it to potentially be balancing

nthinuf

Which stabilizer? Some are gas charged, which can cause a push to one side.

For the Balance, just be aware that the shops sometimes make mistakes, just like any other mechanic. (I buy from discount tire and take it in every 6mo for a balance/rotate. Sometimes I will go in with No shimmy, and leave With a shimmy. Sometimes I will go in With shimmy, and have to take it back once or twice more because that particular tech did not correct it.)

karls10jk

Pulls can still be explained by a new stabilizer. Some brands are known for a push in the steering.

schmity

Im hoping the balance will fix it, I notice my front tires getting bumpy and not keeping a circular shape (Mickey Thompson ATZ Tires). Unfortunately I dont think the steering stabilizer would be the culprit here, as the same symptoms have been experienced with the old Steering Stabilizer as well.

schmity

Sorry for the long delay, balancing the tires did resolve the issue of the shake which is awesome (feels safer at least). The push/pull feeling mostly seems to occur when my tires go over the bumps and crowns on the road. I dont believe the steering stabilizer is at fault here. Ive looked at mostly everything and have changed most parts in this jeep trying to resolve that issue although its nowhere near as bad as it was 6-7 months ago. Im going to look at control arm bushings next and see if that does anything for me, gonna research how to check the bushings on em. Thanks for the help and input from all!

Rednroll

You haven't mentioned which steering stabilizer you installed or why you think it's not the SS. As mentioned, gas charged SS have been known to cause pulls to one side. So did you install a gas charged SS and which one did you install? There's an easy way to determine if the problem is the SS or not and that's to disconnect it and drive without a SS. The JK does not need a SS. A properly aligned JK will run just fine without a SS and many do run without a SS installed.

jimlc2001

I'm also experiencing a shimmy in my 13 JKU Sahara with 78K miles. It has the Mopar 2" lift, rancho geo brakets, and the tie rod, drag link, SS have been replaced with crown automotive parts. Everything else is stock. The tires have been balanced, the alignment shows everything in spec, and they tested the ball joints which showed no play. I get a shimmy going over rough streets at speeds above 40mph. It is controllable and will recover, but I didn't have this issue when I put the lift kit in 3-4 months ago.

History -
Sept - Installed the Mopar 2" lift without the geo brackets, replaced the shock and track bar bolts.
Oct - Attempted to get an alignment, could not because of rusted tie rod ends (in the military and the Jeep went to South Korea and back)
Nov - Replaced tie rod, drag link, SS, and got an alignment (could not fix the low camber), and wife experienced the shimmy at highway speeds
Nov - Checked ball joints, and had tires balanced which helped a little
Dec - Installed geo brackets, replaced control arm bolts, checked torque on all parts, alignment shows everything in spec, still has the shimmy going over bumps.

The alignment shop recommended a better SS, but I understand that should be the last item to replace. What else should I look for? Bearings?