99KeeSport

99 Cherokee Sport: OEM

Okay, I am not sure this falls into death wobble. I have replaced the following myself already.

Shocks
Steering box
Tie rods
Ball joints
Steering stabilizer
Calipers
Rotors
U-joints
Engine (lost compression in one cylinder)

All the above was replaced for giggles since the previous owner didn't take care of the car.

The car drives fine at highway speeds but if the wife hits a bump, all help breaks loose.

Any help would be great.

Fsher21

Has it been aligned since replacing all of that? the wheels could be unbalanced also.

LYKOS

Mine did that, was te sway arm bushings. And they're cheap...

Juan4you

It's cuz the wife is driving! Haha, all jokes aside. Check ALL front end components. Sounds like most of it... Hows the hub assembly? Mine were bad but didn't realize it till I tore down the front diff. Also found out my drag and track bar needed more tightening. Anything in the front end that is lose or worn will give you what you are experiencing, death wobble.

Juan4you

Oops, *sounds like most if it has been replaced...

Juan4you

I started a thread thinking I covered all issues. Guy gave me a link with much needed detailed info. Don't know how to attach it in the app, but the thread is called "another DW thread" you'll find the link there.

Fsher21

I was thinking since he replace so many components associated to the dw that a simple alignment could be all is needed, do you think that is a possibility?

Here is that DW link, found with the helpful search

99KeeSport

Yes, the wheels were balanced.

I Replaced the sway ARM bushings yesterday morning. I'm replacing the control ARM bushings too for giggles.

I guess I need to wait for more reports from the wife (if any).

tjwalker

The "track bar" is one of the most common causes of death wobble. But there are a LOT of possibilities.
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My understanding of “death wobble” is this. Somewhere in the vehicle, one or more components is worn beyond tolerances, and when oscillation initiates from a suspension “traumatic” event (hitting a bump or a pothole) or also when a vibration reaches a certain point and harmonic at a certain speed, it causes the other components to react. This is called the “multiplier effect”, where one component affects one or more other components as the event travels through the front end of the vehicle.

Death wobble is not uncommon with the XJ. It is even more common with a lifted XJ. Finding the worn component or components is not always easy. It can sometimes be downright difficult. Sometimes it’s obvious, other times everything appears to be okay when you perform an inspection on a hoist, but getting the vehicle up in the air and going over everything with a fine tough comb is always a good first step. It is very helpful if you know exactly how to perform a comprehensive inspection of every single front end part, looking for abnormal wear and or play in that hardware. If you do not know how to do this type of inspection, pay an experienced professional to do it. Be sure to ask them if they are familiar with “death wobble”, as not all technicians are versed in this…..

Check out the below link if you would like some extensive reading on “death wobble” causes and cures. From my research, Kevin (the author of this tutorial) is possibly the best in the business with tracking down root cause of death wobble. He does offer hardware for sale that can help resolve death wobble, but even if you don’t buy any parts from him, you can still get some excellent ideas on what to look at in resolving your death wobble.

http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/how-to-...-death-wobble/

Possible causes of death wobble are listed below. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination and the root cause is not always obvious and it can often be caused by a combination of things! From my personal experience, I would first concentrate on the track bar and the control arms and associated bushings.
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-Front tires out of balance (try swapping fronts to rear; see if symptoms change)
-Tire pressure. Don’t laugh. It’s not a root cause but can exaggerate the problem. Experiment with lower tire pressure to see if it helps
-Improper lug nut torque on wheels
-Front alignment out of spec
-Loose track bar
-Worn track bar bushings
-Worn track bar (check for play!!)
-Bad control arms and associated bushings
-Worn/damaged steering stabilizer (not generally a cause in and by itself)
-Worn/damaged shocks
-Worn/damaged tie rod end
-Bad U Joint
-Bad ball joint
-Loose frame mount
-Steering box loose
-Bad front hub assembly

99KeeSport

Tjwalker: I'm familiar with the death wobble history, thanks though.

As I stated, the Cherokee has no 'wobble' when driving at any speed (including city and highway). The shaking after only hitting a decent bump is the issue.

I've replaced everything except the control arm bushings. If that doesn't work, I'm going to have to live it. I'm out of patience and cash. This will be my last Cherokee for sure. My '58 ****** CJ-5 drives and handles better than these Cherokee POS's.

freegdr

save some cash replace them with poly ones if your still running stock arms...jm2cw

Red82

It's been asked but I didn't see an answer, have you had it aligned? Solved the worst of it for me. Now I just need to replace my Trac bar and I think I'll be good to go.

99KeeSport

Well, turns out it needed a "heavy duty" steering dampener. I had put a new $30 one on a year ago so I thought 'hey, it can't be that'. Well, since I did EVERYTHING else, I threw a Hail Mary and put a heavy duty($90) dampener on. POOF! Wobble gone. Since EVERYTHING else has been replaced, I think I'm good for awhile. There are dual dampener systems out there right?

RTorrez1

Not trying to sound like an a$$. But Putting a new steering damper is only masking the real problem.
You still haven't answered the question. If you ever had it aligned???
My XJ never had the DW unless I also hit a bump. I could drive all day with out the wobble as long as I didn't hit a bump. An Alignment can do wonders.

ZINGGG

Alignment and your track bar are big suspects here still... Like Torrez said, the steering dampener didn't "solve" anything per say. It's only covering up the real problem. If everything else is in spec and not worn, you wouldn't even need a steering stabilizer on it.

If you read the following link, you will find that death wobble can occur two ways, just driving down a straight road, or when hitting a pothole or bump of some kind:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/di...-wobble-55021/

You do have death wobble, and you still have just a little more work to do. Take a closer look at your track bar and get an alignment.