Death wobble?

Ok folks,

I have a 97 TJ, 4 cyl, 5 spd, 95K Miles. Everything's standard, w/ a soft
top. No AC, no 30 cal Mk-1, no blitz blaster radios, CD's, nada... null...
I do have a shotgun rack, however.

I don't use 4WD that much and this Jeep will never get worn out from MY use.
I never need to drive more than 60 mph, so I don't. Right now, I'm getting
about 19 mpg, for example. I even keep the tires pumped up to spec.

BUT, the other day, on the way to town, I thought I noticed a slight shimmy
in the steering wheel. On the way home, I didn't notice any steering wheel
shimmy and so I stopped worrying. I also had 300 lbs of chicken, cow, and
dog feed in the back.

BUT, I remember several posts here about the dreaded "Death Wobble".

So, exactly what is it? Symptoms? How do I know my TJ has it? Most likely
cause(s)? Best fix? Is this a problem best solved by a "expert" Jeep
mechanic?

Thanks in advance...
Matt





**********End Of Post*************

As a new Jeep owner who experenced this for the first time a few weeks ago
I can tell ya "a slight shimmy " is nothing compaired to the DEATH WOBBLE.
If it happens youll know it( and have to change your underware).
In my case it turned out to be that the shocks were froze up.

The weight of the feed in the back may have lightened your front end
enough to bring to light a problem in your front end. Check ball joints,
track bar, tire balance/wear. Last but not least, when all else checks
out, check the condition of the steering stabilizer.

To check front end abnormalities, with all 4 wheels on the ground, I get
someone to manhandle the steering wheel by turning/rocking it back and
forth while I lay on the floor under the front end. The resistance from
the tires being on pavement makes the loose component show their
presence pretty readily. You may hear popping or grinding sounds. Also,
I raise the front end by the frame to let the steering hang loose, grab
the track bar, ball joints etc. and shake them with force to check for
loose components.

tw
__________________________________________________ ___________________
2003 TJ Rubicon * 2001 XJ Sport * 1971 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco

"There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'."

Pronunciation: 'jEp Function: noun Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80" wheelbase, 1/4-ton
capacity and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in World War II.
__________________________________________________ ___________________


wrote:
> Ok folks,
>
> I have a 97 TJ, 4 cyl, 5 spd, 95K Miles. Everything's standard, w/ a soft
> top. No AC, no 30 cal Mk-1, no blitz blaster radios, CD's, nada... null...
> I do have a shotgun rack, however.
>
> I don't use 4WD that much and this Jeep will never get worn out from MY use.
> I never need to drive more than 60 mph, so I don't. Right now, I'm getting
> about 19 mpg, for example. I even keep the tires pumped up to spec.
>
> BUT, the other day, on the way to town, I thought I noticed a slight shimmy
> in the steering wheel. On the way home, I didn't notice any steering wheel
> shimmy and so I stopped worrying. I also had 300 lbs of chicken, cow, and
> dog feed in the back.
>
> BUT, I remember several posts here about the dreaded "Death Wobble".
>
> So, exactly what is it? Symptoms? How do I know my TJ has it? Most likely
> cause(s)? Best fix? Is this a problem best solved by a "expert" Jeep
> mechanic?
>
> Thanks in advance...
> Matt
>
>
>
>
>
> **********End Of Post*************
>
> As a new Jeep owner who experenced this for the first time a few weeks ago
> I can tell ya "a slight shimmy " is nothing compaired to the DEATH WOBBLE.
> If it happens youll know it( and have to change your underware).
> In my case it turned out to be that the shocks were froze up.
>
>

One thought - I had one of those "I think I feel a shimmy" cases a
couple of years back. The wife and I had just started out on a long
trip so when we stopped for lunch I did some looking whilke I finished
my smoke before going in and I just happened to see a whole cluster of
rocks in one big patch in one front tire. Used a screw drive to dig
them out of the AT's tread and the shimmy was gone. Even 3 hours at
75 mph hadn't popped them out. Looked like I had run over a line of
gravel and managed to pick up a load all in one spot. I'm pretty sure
that the unbalance was enough to set off other worn parts; I had to
replace tie rod ends and the track bar within a year.

Mud/dirt on a wheel can also cause temporary problems

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 01:29:11 UTC > wrote:

> Ok folks,
>
> I have a 97 TJ, 4 cyl, 5 spd, 95K Miles. Everything's standard, w/ a soft
> top. No AC, no 30 cal Mk-1, no blitz blaster radios, CD's, nada... null...
> I do have a shotgun rack, however.
>
> I don't use 4WD that much and this Jeep will never get worn out from MY use.
> I never need to drive more than 60 mph, so I don't. Right now, I'm getting
> about 19 mpg, for example. I even keep the tires pumped up to spec.
>
> BUT, the other day, on the way to town, I thought I noticed a slight shimmy
> in the steering wheel. On the way home, I didn't notice any steering wheel
> shimmy and so I stopped worrying. I also had 300 lbs of chicken, cow, and
> dog feed in the back.
>
> BUT, I remember several posts here about the dreaded "Death Wobble".
>
> So, exactly what is it? Symptoms? How do I know my TJ has it? Most likely
> cause(s)? Best fix? Is this a problem best solved by a "expert" Jeep
> mechanic?
>
> Thanks in advance...
> Matt
>
>
>
>
>
> **********End Of Post*************
>
> As a new Jeep owner who experenced this for the first time a few weeks ago
> I can tell ya "a slight shimmy " is nothing compaired to the DEATH WOBBLE.
> If it happens youll know it( and have to change your underware).
> In my case it turned out to be that the shocks were froze up.
>
>


--
Will Honea