Death Wobble Question

[dannyodwyer]

Hey everyone,

Excited to be on here and I have a question as a newbie Wrangle “owner” I’m hoping you can help me with.

I’ve been watching the channel on YouTube for a while and when my car got stolen last month I went looking for a wrangler as my replacement. Covid has me struggling at home and I’ve always loved going on country drives and want to take it to the next level. I rented a wrangler via Hertz Rent2Buy (where I got my last car) but about a mile from home after 250 mile test drive - I got the death wobble on the highway. Managed to repeat it twice the following day. I have the option to buy the car so I’m wondering - Is this a massive red flag? Or is the death wobble just part of owning a car with a solid front axel?

Thanks so much - sorry if this is a silly question, I’m super green.

Danny

 

[M Rose]

Hey everyone,

Excited to be on here and I have a question as a newbie Wrangle “owner” I’m hoping you can help me with.

I’ve been watching the channel on YouTube for a while and when my car got stolen last month I went looking for a wrangler as my replacement. Covid has me struggling at home and I’ve always loved going on country drives and want to take it to the next level. I rented a wrangler via Hertz Rent2Buy (where I got my last car) but about a mile from home after 250 mile test drive - I got the death wobble on the highway. Managed to repeat it twice the following day. I have the option to buy the car so I’m wondering - Is this a massive red flag? Or is the death wobble just part of owning a car with a solid front axel?

Thanks so much - sorry if this is a silly question, I’m super green.

Danny

How fast are you going? And are you sure it’s death wobble?

Make an account over athttps://www.jeepforum.com/#/ they will steer you in the right direction.

 

[dannyodwyer]

Thanks so much, good call I’ll give that a shot.

I was doing 65/70 - I’ve watched videos since and I’m pretty sure it’s the same thing. In any case it was tough to controll and I was doing a lot of work to keep it centered. Wobble didn’t calm down until I got down to around 20mph. I’ve seen there are some basic enough fixes I can try but not sure if this is a common occurance for overlanders or if this is a vehicle I should return right away and never look back.

 

[M Rose]

Thanks so much, good call I’ll give that a shot.

I was doing 65/70 - I’ve watched videos since and I’m pretty sure it’s the same thing. In any case it was tough to controll and I was doing a lot of work to keep it centered. Wobble didn’t calm down until I got down to around 20mph. I’ve seen there are some basic enough fixes I can try but not sure if this is a common occurance for overlanders or if this is a vehicle I should return right away and never look back.

I would make them fix it... and if they can’t/won’t look for something else. Send me a DM, and I’ll give you my contact info as I have some personal experience in this kind of stuff.

 

[jeepers29]

Typically, DW comes from worn tie rod or drag link ends. Many places, including dealerships, will say the jeep needs a new steering stabilizer. That is only going to be a temporary bamdaid. Check to see if any of your ends are bad as a starting point.

 

[joshjunior]

You'll get all kinds of answers. Find the slack on the front end components and that's your cause. Like Jeepers said start there. We used to steer a lot of ppl to a guy on YouTube that basically ran down the checks. Planman was it I believe. Bleepinjeep did a few on it as well.

 

[Dlnuckolls]

You'll get all kinds of answers. Find the slack on the front end components and that's your cause. Like Jeepers said start there. We used to steer a lot of ppl to a guy on YouTube that basically ran down the checks. Planman was it I believe. Bleepinjeep did a few on it as well.

As a Wrangler owner I concur. This is normally caused by loose or worn components in the steering system. Not difficult to fix (or have fixed if you are not mechanically inclined). Once things are back in spec, you should not have any serious issues with DW.

 

[Dilldog]

I would also look at the track bar ends. When those joints go they allow the front axle to drift slightly under the front end of the Jeep, this effects literally every single steering and suspension angle and will magnify any correction turning it into an over correction.

 

[socal66]

As a JLUR owner since the beginning of the year I had not experienced steering issues other than to say that there is a slight deadspot on center vs. other vehicles that you have to get used to. Sort of reminds me of the "floaty" feeling I would get on the highway with my '73 Ford Torino many years ago. Supposedly Jeep now has a new steering box that has just came out (past couple of weeks) and the few that have had their boxes switched stated that it fixed "everything". Supposedly all newly delivered Jeeps will have the new box and if you have problems and are still under warranty you would be able to get the new box swapped on existing JL's. I think we will need a little more time to verify that this fixes those issues and how the service centers are handling the process.

That said I think the majority of JL owners do not have wobble issues but some do and that some number is getting less and less. One common cause of steering problems were tires that were overinflated and when they were aired down under 40 PSI that solved the problem for many.

 

[dannyodwyer]

Thanks so much for all the feedback folks - I really appreciate it. It's been a lot of help and I have a much better idea of what to do now.