Been chasing death wobble for a year

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MikeA

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So my wife's JK has had steering issues since we bought it almost 2 years ago. Yesterday I hit a bump getting on the freeway and had the worst deathwobble in it so far (thought we had it cured).

Set up: 2013 JKUR on 2.5" metalcloak lift. (installed 2 months ago)
Within the last year I've replaced:
Teraflex HD ball joints October 2019
Yeti track bar November 2019
Yeti top mount drag link November 2019
Yeti tie rod November 2019
Metalcloak control arms September 2020
Wheel hub assembly today


Today I checked to make sure track bar on frame side isn't wallowed out, checked ball joints, and replaced drivers side wheel hub assembly because I thought maybe it made a sound when trying to wobble the tire top to bottom.

I had the tires balanced in May 2020 and the tech said they were very out of balance. When I look at the wheels there's a TON of weights on them.

I did a driveway alignment when I put the control arms on, but I'll be taking it in for an alignment check as soon as I can. Last time the alignment came back within spec and had deathwobble so I don't think that's the problem but worth a free check.

My 2 thoughts are:

1. The death wobble seems to come on when hitting a pothole while turning, rarely if ever happens when going straight down the road. Is it possible the steering gearbox could be the cause? It's one of the only things left I haven't replaced.
2. Is it possible the wheels are out of balance again, and could that be a cause? I've read wheel balance is an unlikely cause, but I'm running out of things to replace/look for.
 
The steering gearbox is easy to check, just turn the steering wheel back and forth with it not running. While turning it back and forth watch the left wheel for it to move then see how much you can go back and forth with the steering wheel without the left wheel moving. Should be very little movement in the wheel back and forth.
 
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I'd take a serious look at the wheels and tires, especially if they are aftermarket and oversize. Most off-road wheels and tires are not conducive to weights and most wheel/tire guys with off-road experience will try to "twist" the tire on the wheel to get it properly balanced. If you can imagine what happens when you put your socks on a little off center and the heel and/or toe is out of whack- the same thing happens when a tire isn't set evenly on the wheel and the lateral tread line isn't 90 degrees perpendicular to the wheel (does that make sense?). I watched a guy at a specialty off-road shop rest a 37" tire about three of four times, each time twisting the tire a little to get the bead set evenly around the wheel. Each time he did this, the tire was closer to balance until he finally got it, without using a single weight.
 
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Awesome, thanks for the input guys.

The tires are 34" cooper discovery AT3 on 17" procomp wheels.

I've previously checked the steering and it didn't seem to have more play than I would expect from a jeep (roughly the same as my LJ which drives great).

The tire balancing has been an issue since we bought it for sure, and it's been over a year since last balanced. If I remember correctly the tech said "It took a ton of weights, but it's about as good as you're going to get now." or something along those lines.

I'll take it in somewhere and see what the verdict is.
 
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Qaddiction said:
From my understanding, wheel balance is one of the first things to check when death wobble occurs. What brand and size tire are you running?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, of course that isn't death wobble when this occurs, it's just bad vibrations. The two are commonly mistaken for another, and most people confuse death wobble with vibrations.

Aside from tire balancing, another very important thing is to throughly check the torque specs for the track bar bolts.
 
Appreciate your input, Chris!

This one is 100% death wobble. Had to come to about 10 mph on freeway to get it to stop violently shaking, trigged by hitting a pothole while accelerating into a turn on onramp.

At tire shop now and so far the tech says he's at 11 ounces of weight (he says normally 2 ounces is a lot) and isn't sure he can get the tire balanced.

I did check track bar torque and it was solid. It's been very frustrating. At this point the only things touching the axle that haven't been replaced are drive shaft, steering box, and wheels.
 
Tech agrees with you Chris that even though the wheels are out of round and not balanced it wouldn't cause death wobble. I'm at a loss though. I'll re-recheck all torques and then give it a swift kick in the ass.
 
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Your tire tech is wrong. Tire balance is the most likely culprit. If all your steering components are torqued to spec that’s all that is left. He needs to take the tire off the wheel and see if the wheel is true. Also the bead needs to be seated evenly. Get two of them balanced perfect for the front and start saving for new tires. Out of round tires will bounce as bad as unbalanced.
 
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MikeA said:
At tire shop now and so far the tech says he's at 11 ounces of weight (he says normally 2 ounces is a lot) and isn't sure he can get the tire balanced.
Click to expand...

This isn't good. I can say with some confidence that your wheel is bent or the tire is bad. There is no way over a half pound of weight on a wheel isn't indicating something a little more sinister... and costly.
 
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I've taken it to a local 4x4 shop with a good rep to diagnose the death wobble. I'm not opposed to buying new wheels and tires, I just don't want to throw 2 grand at it and still have a problem.
 
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Shop says I have a bad drivers side upper ball joint, which is a bummer since that's only about a year old. I'm having them replace it and give me the old ball joints so I can get them swapped under warranty. I checked the ball joints with the pry bar under a tire and didn't see movement but I must have missed it.

I wonder if the constant out of balance/out of round on the tire could have worn the joint out prematurely.
 
Anybodyhome said:
I'd take a serious look at the wheels and tires, especially if they are aftermarket and oversize. Most off-road wheels and tires are not conducive to weights and most wheel/tire guys with off-road experience will try to "twist" the tire on the wheel to get it properly balanced. If you can imagine what happens when you put your socks on a little off center and the heel and/or toe is out of whack- the same thing happens when a tire isn't set evenly on the wheel and the lateral tread line isn't 90 degrees perpendicular to the wheel (does that make sense?). I watched a guy at a specialty off-road shop rest a 37" tire about three of four times, each time twisting the tire a little to get the bead set evenly around the wheel. Each time he did this, the tire was closer to balance until he finally got it, without using a single weight.
Click to expand...
I totally agree and most tie places DO NOT do this, they are taught to throw weights at it.
 
JKTim said:
Your tire tech is wrong. Tire balance is the most likely culprit. If all your steering components are torqued to spec that’s all that is left. He needs to take the tire off the wheel and see if the wheel is true. Also the bead needs to be seated evenly. Get two of them balanced perfect for the front and start saving for new tires. Out of round tires will bounce as bad as unbalanced.
Click to expand...

put stock tires back on and test drive it.....
 
Hooperdog said:
I totally agree and most tie places DO NOT do this, they are taught to throw weights at it.
Click to expand...
Spinning the tire in the wheel a couple inches and reseating the bead will shift the difference in the wheel’s balance point and the tire’s. Sometimes it takes many moves to get the assembly to balance with minimal weights. I also would use plenty if bead lube and inspect the bead for even seating. If not even I would hit the tire with a 3 pound hammer to flex it into place.
 
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MikeA said:
Shop says I have a bad drivers side upper ball joint, which is a bummer since that's only about a year old. I'm having them replace it and give me the old ball joints so I can get them swapped under warranty. I checked the ball joints with the pry bar under a tire and didn't see movement but I must have missed it.

I wonder if the constant out of balance/out of round on the tire could have worn the joint out prematurely.
Click to expand...

Have you gotten this worked out yet?
 
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