Not Death Wobble, but what is it?

S

southtj

Active member
I've got a slight wobble but I sure wouldn't describe it as death wobble. From what I hear, death wobble is a pretty severe, shake the whole jeep, hold on for dear life wobble. What I have is just an annoying shimmy.

This started about 5000 miles ago and happens only when slowing and only when my foot is on the brake and only when going about 50mph. Take one of those three out of the equation and no wobble. It is just a slight shaking of the front tires that I can feel through the steering wheel but seems to be getting worse with time.

The tires (bfg at) have about 30,000 on them but are still in great shape. I have balanced and rotated the tires with no help.

I had a similar wobble when I had MT/Rs when they hit 30,000 miles but it wasn't brake related and it went away when I bought new tires.

Ideas?
 

i dunno if you have the same problem or not but i had a problem like that with all the same symptoms. my caliper stuck heated up my rotors and got that hot that the plastic piece in my ball joint melted. i changed the rotor and the ball joints (i could lift the knuckle and feel the play haha). but if it happens when u hit the brake then something tells me that it is your rotor. mite be dirty or worped. i say check your rotor and while you got it off check the knuckle for play on your ball joints. hope this helps
 
I would guess rotors / brakes as well, but you could always put the rear tires on the front to rule out tires as the problem.

I'd also just go over the whole steering system looking for any slop.
 
If it's only evident during brake applications then i'd say it's the front brake rotors. You can easily check and verify this by setting up a dial caliper on the rotor surface to measure the runout.
 

SteelHeadz said:
If it's only evident during brake applications then i'd say it's the front brake rotors. You can easily check and verify this by setting up a dial caliper on the rotor surface to measure the runout.
Click to expand...

Do you think if I had the rotors turned that might solve the problem?
 
If it is due to rotor warp (and it sounds like it is) as long as they are still thick enough you can just have them turned and replace your brake pads and there you go. Nice smooth braking. But just be aware that depending on how warped they are or if they have been turned before that may not be an option in which case you will have to replace the rotors. Good luck!
 

On my land rover I run akebono ceramic brakes and they have virtually no dust whatsoever and have held up well. Alot of guys I know just run ceramics from Autozone or NAPA. I just bought my jeep so I haven't had to swap them but when I do I plan to go with the akebono's. Just my $.02
 
I run ceramic brake pads from Advance Auto Parts, along with rotors I got there.

The Wagner Thermo Quiet that I'm running work great with no brake dust.
 

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I know, old thread but a revival of these is important from time to time... Turning warped rotors isnt a good idea, chewed up surfaces yes warped no. once a rotor warps and you machine it down to remove the warp you will end up with uneven thickness of the walls of the disc at various points based on how bad the warp is and where it is warped, as the disc rarely warps in just one spot. Under severe duty, such as on trucks, high speed or larger tire diameters or higher tire & rim weights, the rotors will heat up and quickly warp again. The minimal amount you save over new rotors is wasted as you just end up buying new rotors in the end. Also, make sure you check the amount of warpage encountered, if it's excessive, it may pay off to purchase cross drilled and slotted rotors, OR change your wheels to a design that allows more airflow across the rotors. Sometimes we forget that wheels that look cool are not all that functional. For example I know I need to replace the factory wheels on my 06 TJ but funds have been going elsewhere so far. the reason? BAD DESIGN! the rim of the wheel is attached to the hub of the wheel at the outside of the rim. looks sharp BUT it creates a pocket on the inside of the wheel that holds mud clay and snow and ice. This throws the whole wheel out of balance, and requires the wheels to be washed out before you can drive safely at highway speed, as it creates a situation worse than the death wobble on all four wheels. I carry a hose and have a 12 volt high head pressure pump mounted under the hood for filling horse troughs that works for washing the wheels out if a stream or other water source is available when I'm playing in the mud, as a temporary solution, but its one of those lack of experience on the part of the engineers things. Another point... dont forget to flush the mud out of the rotors themselves so they dont go out of balance... simple things often forgotten!
 
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