A stabilizer is there for road feel. It is never a cause of DW.


Anyone who blames dw on one doesn't know what they are doing

 

People on this site crack me up.

No, you don't NEEEEEEEEEED a steering damper (steering stabilizer), but it was put there for a reason. It's there so your steering wheel won't be ripped from your hands when you hit a pot hole. It's there to minimize the amount by which the road surface influences the steering angle of the tires. Otherwise known as BUMP STEER.

Should you throw it in the trash? I wouldn't recommend it, unless you LIKE doing things that make your XJ a worse vehicle to drive... but if you don't mind the potential for a wrestling match with your steering wheel, then sure, take it off and throw it away.

You know why the XJ has a steering damper? Because it uses a steering box and pitman arm style steering set up which, by design, has no means of dampening.

Rack and pinion is the modern style and is used on most vehicles these days, and for good reason - it's highly resistant to bump steer.





http://auto.howstuffworks.com/steering.htm

Oh... your death wobble. Right.

Check your tires. Unevenly worn tread? Possible cause. Bad wheel hub? Possible cause. Tie rod ends? Track bar? Yeah, all possible causes.

Here's the thing... lack of maintenance is a problem. Everything wears together in a certain way, settles in a nice groove all together, but then you finally decide to replace something, it COMPLETELY changes the dynamics and can yield strange side effects.

 

A steering damper does just that, damper. It's not a component that keeps the front end together and keeps it from wobbling. It puts a damper on bumps, etc. Of course it probably makes it feel smoother, nicer if there are worn components. That would be it doing its job. But the front end should not violently shake to death in a way it is not supposed to, with or without a steering stabilizer

 

Your right, a steering setup with bad death wobble will have it regardless of the damper. Doesn't mean you should forget the damper when you go get parts. It is a part of the steering >system.< Having a steering damper will help keep your jeep fun and safe to drive.

 

Hey guys got the jeep done. I replaced both the track bar and steering damper. The steering stablizer was worn I couls push it in and out very easy like a blown shock. The track bar ball joint was still a little tight but had play in it. Drove it down the freeway took me a min to get use to the steering cause it was sensitive. Drove 65 mph and hit the bumps that would cause dw and nothing happened no dw. Yeaaaaaa. Lol drive like new

 

Say thank you to your new track bar. That was what fixed it

 

DEATH WOBBLE
I installed a 4.5" RC lift on my 99 XJ a week ago, about a mile away from the shop I got up around 45mph and the jeep got death wobble...to the point where I had to pull over & stop before it would quit shaking .i got it aligned going over like bumps and rail road tracks, then it happened again, BUT it is easier to gain control of at lower speeds it seems like (35-40mph range). Everything is tight under the front end, I checked it and the tech @ that did the alignment said everything was good bushing wise. I've read a lot of DW threads on here and I KNOW that no one can pin point my problem JUST from reading my thread, but i'm wondering if I could get some guidance as far as what I should check/replace next. I've read a lot about the trac-bar being a lot of the problem b/c of the angle the lift puts on it compared to how it was factory height. I am running stock tires for now they are in balance as far as I can tell from . Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Everything you ever wanted to know about Death Wobble but were afraid to ask:
http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/jeep/death-wobble.html

 

Thanks Radi. Good article.
I'm looking at my suspension. I had a terrible Shimmy/Death wobble when I hit this particular spot on the freeway. Just a slight uneven pavement. And it went nuts at 65mph. I hit it slower at 50mph, better. But still wobbled. I inspected the tires and worn badly. I do have some shocks etc to deal with but it wore that tire so badly, it shook. Changed the tire. Gone. But I have alignment issues with the parts in front being worn so have to fix that.