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Post by jmorrisjr on May 2, 2008 6:39:22 GMT -5
So i got the dreaded Death Wobble. if i hit bumps between 40 and 55 MPH, feels like the steering wheel is going to rip outta my hands and the LJ will shake apart.. most god awful thing in the world.. have to almost stop to get it to smooth out.. so to find the cure, i started reading threads, searching the web, and i followed the steps. 1. Tire Balance.. Check 2. Alignment.. Check 3. Worn Steering components.. No Play in them.. Check 4. steering stabilizer..  so i didn't have a frame of reference for the stabilizer b/c i've never had to swap one b4. I picked up a new ProComp unit from 4 Whl Parts at lunch yesterday and swapped it in this morning. Once i had the old unit off, i checked the resistance against one another and the stock unit felt like it had roughly 50-70% LESS resistance than the new one. So I'm crossing my fingers that this will fix the dreaded Death Wobble, at least until i upgrade from the BB lift to a true 4" kit.. |
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Post by jmorrisjr on May 2, 2008 13:47:44 GMT -5
Isnt it a shame that some problems drive you to pull your hair out, then the fix is a $34 part... I've ran 50 miles on bumpy atlanta roads and everything is fine! Although the fix was something as simple as the stabilizer, it is nice to know that i did check everything else to make sure i'm not masking another problem, but fixing the real culprit. Maybe this will help someone in the future, I hope it does.  J |
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Post by moneypit on May 2, 2008 19:27:14 GMT -5
Glad you figured it out. It sucks when the heap doesn't ride right. There is quite a difference between a stock stabilizer and an upgraded one.
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Post by jeepnut on May 5, 2008 11:50:08 GMT -5
youll be happy with the procomp stable.
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Post by mattheww on May 6, 2008 19:53:20 GMT -5
I had a similar wobble that was temporarily fixed when I installed a new procomp stablizer. After the stabilizer broke in the wobble came back almost as bad as before. I checked my TREs today while a friend turned the steering wheel for me. Felt some slop there. I will be replacing all of those as my next step.
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Post by surfnsnow on May 26, 2008 0:32:01 GMT -5
You may want to look at the other components of your steering because a new stabilizer will only mask the true problem, which unfortunately can be a combination of problems. Look at your tre's, tie rod and trac bar to make sure everything is in spec. and get the tires accurately balanced. On my rig, I can have the worst dw with some unbalanced tires.
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Post by mattheww on Jun 11, 2008 15:03:40 GMT -5
I finally pinpointed and fixed my steering wobble. It was slop in the steering gear box. I adjusted the set screw on the top of the box just in front of the grill. Almost all of my steering shimmy is gone. I was under the Jeep with my wife wiggling the steering wheel when I heard a clicking coming from the box area. The input shaft would start turning before the sector shaft. That told me there was slop in the gear. I have the factory service manual from the net. Read up on adjustment. They don't recommend adjustment with the gear in the Jeep, but I did it anyway. Worked for me...
Matthew
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Post by johncub on Jun 19, 2008 6:30:00 GMT -5
Kind of off topic but I wonder what the percentage of LJ owners With a wobble is compared to those without.
I'm a "with wobble" which has existed since I drove it off the lot. Brand new, first owner, no lift, etc.
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Post by bingo on Jun 21, 2008 12:57:28 GMT -5
I have had a little wobble since new as well. The last time I had the tires rotated it became significant. Later had the tires "road force" balanced and a Rancho Stabilizer put on. Seemed to fix the problem, at least for now.
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