No apologies necessary! Just glad that you weren't trying to keep up with me on Bells ! Had a Cruiser with a trailer on the back that was dead set maniacal on tailgating in the 80 zones after I over took him just outside of Lithgow that I got him in the rear view and he never stopped trying to tailgate me... Did one or two not so smart things in order to put a few cars between me and it...
Originally Posted by richhenning
Suspension specialists wont find it, JDC wont find it. Talk to Phil at dbor nsw, he'll be who id talk to. I fixed mine via a panhard rod and ball joints....
Thanks for the advice Wally, I'll do that.
Dan, I swear you a hooligan!
The shocks won't cause the wobbles. The cause will be some of the other things mentioned. The shocks just won't help any as they make the ride to jittery anyway.
As Wally said, don't bother with any of the usual suspension places. You want someone who specifically knows Jeeps and hasn't just spent the last 30 years working on Patrols and Cruisers. And absolutely don't bother with the dealers as they'll tell you it's "within tolerance" which is BS.....and even if they do offer to replace parts like the ball joints (which is unlikely given the age of your JK) then they'll only replace them with more weak OE parts that will fail again. Jeeps specialists are your best bet, or if not then a Land Rover specialist....not because LR's are anything like Jeeps, but just because at least they appreciate that everything isn't either a Nissan or a Toyota and might actually have a proper look.
Doggy Dave you are right but not all of them end up with death wobbles. I think many are attributed to lack of regular maintenance and not finding issues before they become major ones. It means getting under your vehicle, knowing your Jeep and checking all components on a regular basis. and yes, using quality parts will help but you must use them correctly and especially focusing on torque setting for all bolts.
Talking about bolts, an often over looked part(s) and I highly suggest that people upgrade their suspension bolts with http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-Su...t-p-28601.html
Using a specialist like DBOR (who have gained a good reputation in the Jeep community and have been quite good at supplying parts, though I did have one or two issues/debates with Bill about faulty parts) who are now in Sydney Central Coast. So may be worth talking to. else happy to help you out.
But expect to open up your wallet.
BTW many patrols & others have similar problems as they are rigid axles too.
Steve
I got the wobbles too, I just started doing sit ups every morning and that helped.
Hi Rich,
New ball joints from wooders, rebalance tyres, retorque all suspension bolts and see if the wobbles r still there...... If they resurface try getting a new trackbar...... its a hit and miss thing.... but dont goto pedders... they will put ur car on hoist and will not let i go without spending a 1000 bucks on stuff u dont need and the wobbles will still be there..... same for Jeep dealers.... They will have a 16 yr old apprentice go thru it and then tell u problem couldnt be replicated..... if they replace stuff they will replace it with crap anyway as other said..... Look out for toolbox days to change ball joints... that will save you some labour money and give u some hands on experience.....
Cheers
Mani
Steve, the death wobble is something that is only unavoidable if you dont take your jk off the black stuff. Upkeep and maintenance will not stop it from creeping up. Ball joints dont have any servicable parts, so the only time you know theyre flogged is when you actually check them or if you start noticing movement in the front end. Also, the track bar is a none serviceable part also, you can only check to see if the bushes are gone, and change them, and wait for them to go again, or you just upgrade it to a better quality one. I agree that u should keep an eye on torque on all nuts and bolts, but, by just line marking them all, will suffice. Also, tie rod is another major contributor to front end movement. I have changed all my front end to aftermarket bits, and only now, am i very happy with how its going. Upper and lower arms, track bar, damper and tie rod, around $1600 all up, and also front drive shaft $800 odd dollars. I installed everything but the drive shaft myself and in doing so, have taught myself of they why and how things work and operate. I love my jk!!!
Last edited by Wallyd; 20-09-13 at 08:57 PM.
Don't feel bad about getting DW on a three year old stock JK. You've done well. We recently spoke to a customer with a 2013 Unlimited with 6000k's on it and reproducible DW. We advised to exhaust the dealer options first as it's obviously in warranty. They suggested a change of stabiliser shock, a measure that does little if anything but to mask the root cause. She's getting that done when the part comes in (two weeks). Most common cause is ball joints and worn bushes anywhere from control arms to track bars. Tie rod ends are another common one.
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