jeep wobble

[biggie]

k i have a 89 jeep cherokee 4 wd. could go all the way through the speedomiter then put lift on. now in the range of 45 55 ish it starts to wobble. didnt do it when i first installed the lift but has now started it. it is a 4.5 inch lift with a inch lowering on the transfer case. what could this be? do i need new u joints? lets hear what you think

 

[92XJeeper]

More than likely some component up front isn't tightened down. Go over everything you removed or loosened when you put the lift on and ensure it's torqued properly.

 

[Cherokeester]

Sounds like caster angle to me. Did you put on new lower control arms? Did you have an alignment done after the lift was put on? Check tire balance too.

 

[shotgunred]

I had the same problem with my wife's 4X4. It ran smooth until about 50 mph and then it rattled like a mofo. I endend up running across some new tires from a friend and it fix it. I would start with the cheapest fix by checking for loose components.

 

[biggie]

yes it got new longer lower control arms was aligned right after the lift was installed,what does it mean by castor andgle is off?

 

[H-K]

Notorious death wobble? Does it feel like it's in the front end and/or steering? Does the steering wheel wobble when this is happening? Is it a rapid wobble or more of a sway?

I'm assuming you're feeling a rapid wobble that makes your steering wheel rotate back and forth. I have not had to deal with this much, so I won't pretend to be an expert, but have heard from many who have had this problem which can be a real head-scratcher sometimes. Generally they end up checking the condition and secureness of their front end and steering components. Then they play with the alignment to see if that remedies the issue. There are a few other things to try like tire balance, different tires/wheels, etc, but sometimes people end up having to install a steering damper. I know one guy with a Rubicon (lifted 4" with 33" tires) who went through all the different things to try, then ended up taking it to a pro who had him buy an adjustable track bar which did not fix it. He ended up having a steering damper installed and it drastically cut down on the wobble, but he could sometimes feel a light wobble.

I suppose the problem with steering dampers is that they just put a band aid on a potentially-serious problem and it's probably best to try and properly diagnose the cause and fix it that way. However, that being said, when my chev truck with IFS started to get a death wobble, I didn't want to go through all the BS that others had told me about so I just took it to a pro. He couldn't see anything wrong with the components, so he just installed a damper and it was great after that.

Good luck.

 

[Cherokeester]

This is caster and camber.
Caster Angle – A steering geometry term; see diagram. Caster is impacted the greatest when lifting a vehicle that has radius arms.

 

[spaggyroe]

check for worn / sloppy
- trac bar
- tie rod / drag link ends
- control arm bushings
- ball joints
- wheel bearings

 

[RockChucker]

look at my thread that i had a couple weeks back. it is titled something like my jeep won't kick its bad habit. it sounds to me that your potentially biggest problem is slop in your trac bar and your caster. increase the caster and your problem will go away. do a death wobble search on pirate 4x4. they have lots of good tech.

 

[andrew]

Check out NAXJA.org it's everything XJ (Jeep Cherokee)
Along with what everything else... did you happen to install a Slip Yoke Eliminator? with that much lift and no SYE you will have vibes.

 

[DevinB]

check for worn / sloppy
- trac bar
- tie rod / drag link ends
- control arm bushings
- ball joints
- wheel bearings

This.

 

[grandmaster]

I had the same problem in my ZJ. I got underneath it and had a friend turn the wheel back and forth. The track bar was moving all over the place. I orderd kevins track bar convertion. I think they make it for the XJ to but im not positive. Anyway, it solved my problem. and i also did a dual steering stabalizer from rustys offroad. helps a ton. havent had it for almost a year now

 

[snake]

If its death woble take it somewhere and have it alighned and tell them to put the caster around 5degrees and it will fix the problem and if the steering stabilizer is leaking replace it.

 

[mixedupjeeper]

my 90 xj did the same thing after i put on my 6.5 lift my problem was steering stabilizers(dampener)and i extended my lower and upper controll arms for a better approach angle that did the trick for me