Wrangler death wobble – 2004 LJ

[captbgnsh]

I purchased a 2004 LJ in Oct with 33" tires and a lift already installed- Almost immediately the first day I experienced the death wobble and it was extremely bad- Of course, I'd never heard of the issue and took it back to the dealership who promised to fix the issue- I deployed with the military in the coming weeks but left the vehicle with the dealership who said they would fix the issue then call my wife to pick it up when it was done- After 4 failed attempts by them to correct the issue over 3 months they finally gave it to a 4wheel specialist who claims to have corrected the issue with a new dual stabilizer and heavy duty steering damper but I fear they may have only masked the issue- The Jeep hints at wanting to death wobble still though never going into a full on shake- It also is only averaging 9 miles to the gallon in the city 12 miles hwy- Could the underlying issues be responsible for this much of a depletion in fuel efficiency?-

 

[TerryMason]

I think you'll have to give them the benefit of doubt and drive it until the wobble comes back. If the stabilizer can keep the wobble from starting then it may be alright.

The only way that I can see your mpg and wobble being related is if your Jeep is very out of alignment, and you should start noticing strange tire wear. Ask the shop if they did an alignment on your Jeep. Also, take it to Advance Auto / Auto Zone, etc and have them hook up the free engine diagnostic to check for any codes.

BTW- I moved your post to it's own topic so you'd get more attention. Welcome to Jeepz.com

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

If you can feel it's close to going into a wobble, then the dual stabilizer is only a bandaid used to mask the real cause.

Where are you located? I'd look at it if you were close to me.

 

[captbgnsh]

Thanks for the responses- I'm down here in Miami, FL so if anyone knows of any reputable 4 wheel shops down here I'm definitely looking for one- From here I think the best approach is to start with a full front alignment and suspension inspection just to make sure everything is set to the right specifications for the specific lift my JEEP has- Also, just remembered that way back when I purchased the vehicle and was dealing with the headache of the death wobble the check engine light had come on and was read by the dealership's diagnostic machine that there was a general misfire in the engine- I remember them saying it was probably just getting adjusted to the way I drive ( sounded like total BS to me) and they reset the code- Now that I think about it that was probably some underlying issue with the engine itself and probably wouldnt hurt to get a full on tune up as well-

 

[TerryMason]

If there is a Firestone near you they offer a lifetime alignment. I wish I had purchased that when I first bought my Jeep.

 

[jaydub]

A properly set up TJ or LJ should not require ANY steering stablizer. I'd pull the stabilizer off and see if the wobble is still there.

There are a ton of possible causes of death wobble.
Usually, the causes revolve around loose or worn parts like (incomplete list I am sure):
Loose front track bar (possibly wallowed out bolt holes that allow play)
Bad ball joints
Loose or wallowed control arm bolts
Loose Drag link

Often, the causes above can be magnified by (again, incomplete list):
out of balance tires
bent control arms
poor steering geometry

These symptoms can be masked by adding a steering stabilizer.

My TJ on 37" tires requires no stabilizer and has no wobble whatsoever (after some troubleshooting)

Look for a good 4wd shop that knows TJs and LJs. Often the best place to get this information is the local 4x4 clubs.
Good luck.

 

[ljrubitm]

Roco 4x4

They are in Miami.
Tell them someone from the South Florida Jeep Club sent you.

 

[stevejill91]

I agree about the alignment. I have a friend with the same issue were he lifted the jeep 2 inches and never aligned it. I know when I lifter my jeep 2 inches the toe was out by about a deg. And 1/2 ( that's alot)
I would start there.
Also offset wheels can contribute to this

 

[captbgnsh]

Thanks again for all the help- Update is that I brought my Jeep into Rocos 4X4 (great referral by the way) and it was a relief to have people who knew what they were doing with lifted vehicles take a look- Turns out the fix the dealerships slapped on were just masking an underlying problem with the alignment where the toe in was off by about a 1/2"- They checked everything else that could have been related and it seems good to go- Tks again for all the pointers-

 

[ljrubitm]

I'm glad they were able to help you.