Jeep Wrangler Wheel Wobble
Has anyone ever experienced an uncontrollable wheel wobble after they have hit a pot hole while driving on the highway at a high rate of speed and had to pull over and stop to gain control of the vehicle?
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Here's what one owner did with his TJ.
This forum post is a good one too.
I have a 99 jeep wrangler and have had it for almost 6yrs, never had any problems..now i have put smaller tires, went from 32 to 31. and it drove nice for about a week..started with just a little small shimmer.,,well low and behold lost reardriveshaft on interstate,,since then replaced that and now got one heck of a shake...does not wait till i hit 45mph. but as soon as i start moving,,by the time im in 3rd gear, anything on dash is on floor..have replaced driveshaft,universals had tires balanced again, and it acts like it has no get up and go..any suggestions as to where i start at trying to fix this problem.. and when i took it to have them check it, was told tierods look good..
(Hopefully, although it wouldn't be connected to the vibration, there was no damage to the brake or fuel lines when the propshaft was thrashing around?)
On the face of it, it sounds like you either have an unbalanced propshaft, or the 'U' joints are out of phase.
It's also possible that when the old shaft failed the rubber transmission mount was damaged, or that there was even damage to the transfer case output shaft or it's housing.
There's no reason to suspect wheel balance or steering/suspension wear should have suddenly appeared.
It's likely that the boot where the rear propshaft enters the transfer case would be leaking oil.
You should also remove the propshaft so that you can watch the splined output shaft in the transfer case rotate; it should be perfectly centered and turn without any wobble or deviation.
While the propshaft is out take a look at the yoke on the rear axle to see if there's any play there as well.
What was the cause of the propshaft failure, a seized 'U' joint or was it something else?
If you engage 4WD on a hard surface it will be difficult to turn the steering wheel and you'll hear it when the tires skip and jump.
Perfectly normal.
Once tires have started this, nothing can be done to correct the problem with them. Even friction balancing won't help.
It is very important to have new tires friction balanced from the get go. If they are they will develop good wear patterns. Re-balancing about every 8k will keep them that way. I have been there.
On my 2006 Grand Cherokee, I got 60k on the the original tires-never a problem. It now has 70K and the original brakes and still have at least 40k left on them. What does brake wear have to do with properly balanced tires? Well a whole lot. Vibration from tires out of balance damages the front end and brake components.
My 2007 Wrangler Unlimited has 30K and no problems with vibration what so ever and don't expect any. I had the tires friction balanced after I picked it up new and have had it re-balanced 4 times.
This deal is one the of the Occam's Razor examples. Find the least complex answer. Put a new set of tires on the vehicle and have them friction balanced. The worst that can happen is that a prospective buyer will see new tires.
Many people suggest complicated answers for simple problems. I don't know if they are trying to seem intelligent or they just have a love of complexity. But any event, follow and simple logical step by step approach. Don't assume the tires are properly balanced-make sure.
A steering damper should last for years so if it has not, something has damaged it-like tires not properly balanced. Front suspensions are incredibly durable, as are drive trains and rear ends. Look for a simple basic reason and more than likely, that's what it is.
This is just not true. Bubble balancing hasn't been used by vehicle manufacturers since the beginning of the4 last century. All wheels/tires are dynamically by every vehicle manufacturer these days.
The latest development to the balancer is the Hunter GSP9700 Roadforce machine.
This has nothing to do with Goodyear and is a trademark registered to Hunter.
This machine performs many functions including balancing the wheel under load as though it was being driven on the road.
It also measures any side to side runout of the tread, and can independently measure the imbalance of the rim and the tire, allowing the the tire to be positioned at the best possible location on the rim so that little or no weight will be needed to complete the balance.
You can read all about it and find one near you here: Hunter Roadforce
(I have no connection with Hunter.)
My 2007 Wrangler Unlimited has 30K and no problems with vibration what so ever and don't expect any. I had the tires friction balanced after I picked it up new and have had it re-balanced 4 times...........................
............................Many people suggest complicated answers for simple problems. I don't know if they are trying to seem intelligent or they just have a love of complexity.
That's a rather supercilious attitude, and it's false logic to assume that because you have your wheels Roadforce balanced and have suffered no 'death wobble' symptoms, that the solution for anyone that does is to have their wheels balanced the same way and their problem will be solved.
This is problem that Jeep engineers have been working on for several years and I somehow doubt that they're prolonging the issue just to seem intelligent. :surprise:
A steering damper should last for years so if it has not, something has damaged it-like tires not properly balanced.
Yes they should, and as far as I'm aware there has been no issue with steering damper failure. The problem is that the design of the JK front suspension is such that it can sometimes be tipped into an uncontrollable progressive cyclic oscillation of the front wheels.
Maybe on occasion it's triggered by imbalanced wheels, maybe by an out of tolerance wheel bearing, perhaps by a worn suspension joint.
The current fix is a redesigned steering damper which, rather like a Band-Aid over a bullet wound, masks rather than cures the problem.
I've also covered much of this in response to your similar post here:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef2d28f/419#MSG419
That's interesting, and good to hear, but you've neglected to mention the most important part, which is what was done to fix the problem.
It may not matter to you, but there are many others who are keen to find out what the current proposed fix is.
I guess what you really mean is that you don't know. Fair enough.
It isn't their life driving it day in and day out.
-Paul
Apparantly they have, do a search for details in several posts.
As for whether you should buy it, if it's what you want and the price is right then go for it and take care of any problems later, if they occur.
Life is too short to let good opportunities pass you by.
He was told to never speak of this issue again, in the building at Chrysler. Any research he did for me was met with great resistance.
Spoke to Annette at Chrysler I Don't Care Line, about the issue after speaking with several other peoples voice mail. They graciously will afford to give me some of the thirty dollar a day rental fees. They will reduce it because the rented vehicle was not a chrysler product.
Other than that at 76,000 miles they dont care about the $884.00 bill that I am stuck with. Not to mention the $400.00 rental charges. They have had the Jeep since June 10, 2011, today is June 23, 2011.
Let me know if you hear any other good news on this, lawsuit, recall anything, I can use after taking it like this. GO JEEP, NOT!!!! :mad:
Thanks to Rusty and Tami, Grapevine Jeep, for a sit down with Sean and respecting his knowledge.
Sean tried to enlighten another dealership and was given the cold shoulder.
Front end was loose at 20K miles and was tired of bfg mt's. Then bought duratracs and a bill stine stabilizer. The stabilizer smoothed out the front but kept getting loosey goosey. Took it to GV Jeep for the new stabilizer and bracket at a few k miles under 50K miles. Smoother again. Then at 50k miles the front end went south and finally it felt like the tires lost all of their weights. Using all the horses available on I-35 got it home and talked to Sean. He said it is well known the drag link ends and tie rod ends don't last but that ball joints have been lasting 76K miles.
Got the rubicon back today with a new drag link and new tie rod. Never been off road, just errands and need to travel I-35 all the time.
Stabilizer or Damper, I want a follow-up to the last sentence. How long did it really last.
Brand new the front end felt like a monoblock of steel. Guessing after 10k miles it started feeling loose but how can you tell. It's like shocks, a gradual decline like the frog in a cold pot of water over the fire.
Thinking of removing the paid-for new factory stabilizer that replaced the bil stine that replaced the original tokico that I threw away. Thinking of putting the bil stine back on. Have had people ask me about their front ends and mine. Some know me and some in other states see the screaminlizard and tribe decals.
Have the lifetime $50 deductible warranty(maybe that's why Sean sent me back to the dealer when I was mad enough to drink from the cup of dexcool and get on with my remaining years).
I do spend multiples of less time with this wrangler than with that rubber timing belted foreign diesel of a crd liberty. Like I posted a very long time ago, just a few more dollars up front to build quality vs wear the customer down with fixes until they trade it in or empty their pockets with aftermarket. Same darn love hate affair as the crd but the jk does have a frame and better aftermarket replacement parts to build it as it should've been built.
I've had front dif grease puke twice and also leak out from that cheap pressed in pin that the breather tube attaches to. Forgot to lube the door gasket and a few drips got better_half damp. Tranny cooler (now mopar has one) and wrapped crossover tube to keep fluid cool. Tranny leak fixed by local dealer (and not the fancy other side of metroplex dealer). Headlights are just good enough. Plastic clips on the ebrake and transfer cables. Smaller lighter tires than factory rubicon and haven't sleeved the axle tubes or welded on gussets. We all know the routine. But jeep wrangler means real jeep and even if it rusts away its' driveline should be able to take you to hell and back. Sitting on the edge, looking at aftermarket prices, to be or not to be...
Inside was the statement of circulation-should've renewed all my sourcelink subscriptions.
Page 91 "Unfortunately, I sold that CJ-6 years ago..."
A relative, upon seeing the rubicon a while back for the first time from a distance, thought it was better_half's H3. Both are blue and have the seven grill slots. He lamented the fact that the jeep he had years ago and sold, is still being driven (now by someone else).
I was once told to keep my first real jeep. I do wish necessity would have let me keep some of my old new to me back then detroit iron. Of course, driving around town today doing errands with the freedom top on but the windows down not speeding anywhere just enjoying the moment might have been the finishing touch.
File a complaint with the NHTSA at 1(888)327-4236, then call the jeep manufacture and hang up if they don't help you, call back new customer service until they give you a case number. I hear from another person it is there responsibility and they should diagnose and fix at no charge. I am still waiting for a call back. Just called them, they have 24 hour to call back. Also, i am not afraid to get an attorney or go public. Give me your input, two is better than one. Try to get others info, so am I thanks vikki
I like my jeep to much to get rid of it......maybe someday there will be a recall, just hope no one gets injured or killed for it to happen.
So for six months it was fine, then the wobble appeared, which would suggest that as is the case with all TJs, it's a wear rather than an design issue, .
You've replaced most of the front end components, but I'm guessing you haven't yet hit on the one joint or bearing that's triggering the issue.
It doesn't happen when someone is with you, suggesting that a balanced load supresses the tendency, so I'll take a guess that the worn item is on the passenger side (50% chance of being correct anyway
However, I guarantee you that there will never be a recall for this issue on TJs.
It's not an uncommon issue on these models, but it's always associated with worn components and/or a lift.
On the other hand, Jeep are starting to take the same issue on JKs more seriously as it's a design problem.
Please read my old posts. I went to a dealer in Dallas County and a dealer in Tarrant county with the same service request. That is, please inspect the front end and do a complete alignment. Paid twice and got a report that everything was fine. I knew better from the way the vehicle was now getting very loose at times on the interstate.
Now to Discount tire for a tire check because it had to be my Duratracs. The local Discount dealer said the tires were too bad to balance as they were. I exploded. Two of your dealers gave it their blessing. The tires were originally purchased and road forced balanced by a manager who I have followed around the metroplex for twenty years. The local Discount dealer had to break the bead and rotate the tires to be able to balance them. It was obvious to them it was serious. Remember I told two dealers to inspect the front end - it was obvious something was wrong.
Went to the Discount Tire where the tires were purchased and thank goodness my friend wasn't there. I ripped the acting manager for no reason because it wasn't the Goodyear tires. I still owe them one heck of an apology.
Now if you've been reading, life has been mostly driving one interstate back and forth. Only because Rusty the local jeep service manager would sit down and talk with Sean of Screamin Lizard, I got the needed new parts. Just shy of 60K miles and the jeep feels good and the tires have smoothed themselves out. Haven't even rotated them since the new parts.
So to hell and back. I will keep mine as stock as possible and keep my paid for lifetime warranty in addition to the lifetime power train warranty that came with the jeep. And time permitting, I will ask and pay Rusty to have my favorite mechanic at his dealership, replace my Tribe 4x4 transmission cooler with your new Jeep tranny cooler so no one can say "Sorry" to me at a later date if Rusty and that mechanic someday become unavailable.
Just for the record, I have been reading about the Thai Colorado. Also reading about the new Trailblazer. Keeping the H3 and the JK as long as possible but some guys are always looking down the road.
Now if it is a newer JK, not too sure, but I'd look there if everything else has been addressed. A tire out of balance should never cause the death wobble. It just serves as a symptom indicating SOMETHING is out of whack.
-Paul
in the track bar are all threads and they are .022 too small and the track bar bushing rides on the threads.
This lets the track bar shift back and forth. Can you imagine that coming out of A factory ? I am in the process
of making the correct size bolts. Will test drive tomorrow, 2/21/2012.
Something else, They keep insisting that the bolts be torqued down to 125 pounds, that is just crushing the tabs
and they hope that will keep the slack out, thats my thought.
Jim
All manufacturer vehicles equipped with a solid axle can be susceptible to this condition and, if experienced, it is routinely corrected with a change of tires or installation of a simple steering dampener....
In fact, most reported incidents — in all manufacturer vehicles equipped with or without a solid axle — are often linked to poorly installed or maintained after-market equipment, such as lifters, oversized tires, etc. The name you've given to this condition has no basis in fact."
House Dems ask Chrysler to assist owners on 'Jeep Death Wobble' (Detroit News)