Hi everyone. Looking for advice. I have a 2016 Rubicon with 35x12.5 tires and a 3 1/2" lift. I just had aa aftermarket axle installed from Eas Coast Gears. New drag link, tie rod, steering box, lower control arms, alignment, and tires rotated and balanced. I still have a death wobble frequently at 45-50 mph. Is there anything I haven't thought of that may be the culprit? All the work was done by a local jeep shop.
Death wobble
- Thread starter Randall H
- Start date
Were your lower control arms adjustable, do you have adjustable track bars front and rear?
Are the axles centered under the Jeep, what is your tire pressure?
Adjustable control arms, adjustable track bar on front. Not sure about the rear. I can only assume the axles are centered since it was done by a jeep mechanic. My tire pressure stays between 30 and 32 psi. After the rotation and balance which was the last thing I did, it went away for about 3 days.
The track bars have a section at one end that has threads and usually a sleeve that is adjustable so that you can lengthen or shorten to move the axle. The front track bar looks like it's adjustable but that doesn't mean the axle was centered.
The way to check if the axles are centered is to take a 4' level and stand it up vertically against the tire so it's touching at the top and bottom and in the center. Then measure the distance between the level and a spot on the Jeep, the measurements should be real close.
Thank you. I will do that when I get home. I appreciate ur quick replies.
Did you have the death wobble BEFORE installing the axle and steering parts? It sounds like it was there beforehand.
This leads me to think you have a tire/wheel problem. Have they been checked for balance since the wobble reappeared?
I didn't. It started in December. The axle was installed in August. I had no problem with death wobble before.
I didn't. It started in December. The axle was installed in August. I had no problem with death wobble before
I'm going back today to get them to check it. Last week they said all of them were out of balance. After getting them balanced and rotated, it rode perfect for a jeep for 3 or 4 days. It check back all of a sudden
Update. Got tires balanced again for the 3rd time in a week. Checked the axle center as blackjku suggested. It's the same on both sides. Still have the death wobble at 50 mph. I took a video of it underneath the vehicle and sent it to the mechanic that did the work. He said he wants to check the steering stabilizer(which was installed when the axle was in august) He said if that's good, it may need more caster and realigned. Don't know the numbers on caster now. Any other suggestions or just wait until Monday to let him look at it again
Steering stabilizers don't do anything but mask problems. Take it off, fix the actual problem, and you'll probably never put it back.
Update. Got tires balanced again for the 3rd time in a week. Checked the axle center as blackjku suggested. It's the same on both sides. Still have the death wobble at 50 mph. I took a video of it underneath the vehicle and sent it to the mechanic that did the work. He said he wants to check the steering stabilizer(which was installed when the axle was in august) He said if that's good, it may need more caster and realigned. Don't know the numbers on caster now. Any other suggestions or just wait until Monday to let him
I believe it's got to be in the alignment. Everything has been replaced with upgraded parts. I didn't think the stabilizer would cause that either.
Re-read what I wrote. The stabilizer doesn't cause problems, it masks them.
I got ya. I'll let him check caster and get it realigned Monday. Thanks for your help
Yes. The tires and wheels were put on a road force machine. One of the front tires was showing 37 on the machine. The back ones were at 9. They put the good ones on the front and moved the 37 to the spare. I tried to get them to replace the tires since I bought the warranty on them but they wouldn't. I'll be getting new tires soon