whiff

During the last DFW ice storm, I experienced "death wobble" while heading home on a local freeway. It scared me to death. Subsequently, I read a lot about the wobble on this forum. The wobble only struck me the one time and since the ice has melted, there is no sign of it. My thought was the wobble was caused by ice buildup inside the wheel.

However, when having my oil changed today, I asked the guy if I could go down in the pit to inspect my track bar and tie rod while the oil was draining. Both the track bar and tie rod could be easily moved up and down with almost no force applied. Is this right? I thought all this should be tight, tight, tight.

I have no shudder, shake, vibration, or wobble, even at highway speeds. Other than what I believed was ice-related wobble, it tracks straight and true. Tires are wearing even and slowly.

2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited X, 4x4, Manual Six Speed, All Stock

Thanks In Advance

Steve

07JKDakotaEd

Your tie rod should move up and down, but your track bar should have no movement at all, this is definitely
A problem that should be addressed as any movement will cause death wobble. Check your torque "125
Lbs" and if you have any wallowing in the bracket holes.

u-joint

Your track bar shouldn't budge at all. Your tie rod, however, does have a degree of motion...

Either way, are you sure you didn't have ice and/or compacted snow in your rims? Even a little is enough to throw your tires out of balance and with all the talk of DW, is enough to make even me paranoid some times

Do you own a torque wrench?

It's super easy to double check your mechanic... but I highly doubt your track bar has any/as much free play as he is suggesting...

whiff

I appreciate the answers.

I'm sure there was ice buildup inside the wheel rim. On the double-check, I personally grabbed the tie rod and pushed it up and down. It didn't move side-to-side, though. The bushings appeared loose and sloppy. The track bar also moved up and down easily, also no side-to-side movement.

I'll be stopping by the auto parts store for a torque wrench tomorrow. I'll also drop by a local jeep place, Collins Brothers, for a thorough check out.

Thanks again!

jlarso

While at the parts store pick up a 21 MM deep socket if you already don't have one, you will need it to torque the track bar bolts.

whiff

I took my jeep to a local shop that does exclusively jeep work. They said all the front suspension components were fine. The tie rod is designed to move up and down as is a second piece of linkage I mistook for the track bar. The track bar was tight. The factory shocks were shot as was the steering damper. They recommended new shocks and a heavy duty damper. After 49,000 miles on my stock 2008 Unlimited X, I hadn't noticed the looseness of the shocks. AFter new shocks and damper, she is tight, quiet, and wobble free again! I have to highly recommend this shop. If you are anywhere near the Dallas-Fort Worth area, go to Collins Brothers Jeep in Wylie. They have all the parts and accessories to do anything. They know Jeeps inside and out. And, they have some great-looking machines they've completed refreshed or restored for sale. It's a total Jeep experience. And, they take the time to talk to you about it and advise you. Great people. Just like you'll find here... Thanks again to all.