What i was taught to fix Bump Steer or Death Wobble is to diagnose in this order: 1. Check Track Bar loosness. 2. Check Front-Upper/Lower Control Arms for play. 3. Check the angle of the Track Bar and Drag Link, they need to be parallel from bolt in points. • Check Drag Link and Center link tie rods for play. • Check the Steering Stabilizer and make sure its parallel with the center link that goes from Knuckle to Knuckle on both wheels. The Steering Damper can be worn-out and malfunctioning. Its usually a worn ball joint or bushing. Usually a combination of things. But if you have a lift kit or pucks on your coil springs, your track bar & drag link need to be altered to be parallel and you will have to get adjustable control arms because lifting the vehicle changes the caster angle. There is no one size fits all solution to Bump Steer or Death Wobble. Its almost always a bunch of worn out parts cumulatively causing the problem or a lift kit mistake on geometry and angles of suspension components.

Oh no, not the Death Wobble!!! I'm glad that you were able to eliminate the wobble!! Thanks Tyler for sharing the detailed information on how to correct the problem!!! 👍👍

Thanks Man! This is the most cut-to-the-chase vids I've seen on death wobble!

Congrats on the 6k subs!

Great video! The first time I ever ran into this it was terrifying. The previous owner had taken it to a non-Chrysler mechanic who said it was unfixable. I searched the internet for like a month until I discovered the term “Death Wobble”. My XJ is really old and the suspension is sloppy, but so far replacing steering stabilizers has kept it in check. It chews them up though, I have to change them every 2-3 years.

Instead of counting turns, which is dependent on the threads being exactly the same on old/new tie rod ends (Not possible) a better old school, and FAR more accurate method is to scribe lines on the center tie rod near the ends and measure the distance to a marked spot on the yoke ends where the tie rod goes in, do this on both sides.. Then just screw your new ends to this same distance. I've never had to go back to wheel alignment because this is so accurate. (Doesn't work if alignment is off before you start, obviously)

Thats so funny. My wobble starts at the same spot too. For me it starts at 35mph. Glad i live in a tiny town with slow roads. Still need to adress it because i want to hit 45 with traffic. Thank you for the video.

i have a 2001 grand cherokee and just recently noticed this wobble on the freeway. My question is i get a smell also from the undercarriage area also when tht happens. is tht normal?? ive sniffed around from thw hood but cannot point it out. its from the bottom. like burnt plastic or rubber it seems. thanks in advance

Great video! Thanks for the info

Back when I was working doing a lot of alignments. I got in a brand new 2004 Grand Cherokee with rough country lift and 31" tires, and horrible death wobble @40 mph. Everything was good, even @ 500 miles on the clock, those tie rod ends had that play. Like you I thought they were bad, Dealer replaced under warranty and play was in new parts. So, to further diagnose, we fooled with tires, nothing. Off road shop said toe out, It worked, but I didn't want to introduce tire wear. So I decided to check all the other angles, SAI, Caster...So I reduced caster, it death wobble started @ 20 mph, I extended the lower arms, shortened upper, helped but wrong pinion angle. I increased caster with upper ball joint bushings again helped, death wobble was almost non-issue, but I was like a pit bull at this point, I found offset lower ball joints, increased caster to 4 degrees, and after 30k of regular checks and several other fixed lifted 4x4, no abnormal tire wear no death wobble, albeit it is not recommended for rock crawlers. I fixed all the death wobble problems, including the ones who just toed out and ate tires in 10k or less. Note, GM will not replace tie rods or ball joints if slack is within their acceptable range, don't ask me how I know...

Tyler Potter, very good video! I say this to help not to criticize. You need to use a track bar lift bracket to make your drag link and track bar parallel from the bolt on points. Having them crossing at different angles like you have which was probably caused by a Lift-Kit or larger tires, creates a ton of fighting force's in your suspension and steering, it even tugs on the steering box. With that cross between your drag link and track bar, you will keep getting bump steer & death wobble over and over, even after making it temporarily fixed by replacing suspension and steering components. Look into geometry of drag link and track bar being parallel and how that effects steering and suspension. You will save a lot of time and money later on if you do this!

Very informative Thank you!

Just an fyi - youre better off measuring from the edge of the center link to the center of the tie rod rod. The tie rod manufacturers dont necessarily have the same dimensions when they are produced and there can be several different numbers of threads between them. Measuring the distance will get you much closer, more efficiently.

On my old 94 Grand Cherokee I replaced the steering stabilizer with just a standard Monroe replacement and problem was gone.

thanks all the way down from Chile! i have two of these, one WK 3.7 2010 with no issues, and my WJ 2001 4.0 with a recent death wobble... i hope this is the answer!

When replacing tie rod ends i would mark the current location on the old end and then match the measurement on the new one. I have found that some aftermarket tie rod ends have longer or shorter threads then others making the thread counting inaccurate.

Is it down hill while braking

Good video. Thank You

Pulling it into 4 hi will also damp out death wobble without having to slow down nearly as much. Works on 242 equipped WJ's anyway. Part Time mode, not full time. And counting the turns gets you close but you can set toe with a tape measure and some careful measuring much closer if not perfectly. ..

I’ve replaced tie rod ends, drag links, and both sets of front control arms, and if I run over anything other than smooth road on my passenger side I get DW. 2 inch budget lift, last I checked 4.0 caster. Almost ready to give up.

that was pretty calm.

Thank you! I thought i needed an alignment and i balanced my tires. Mine happens at 65mph.

Imma do that this weekend thank u I just got one n it scared the shit out of me this morning

I bet you the holes in your track bar mounts for your hardware are well walled out. I completely fixed it by getting washers that fit the hardware exactly welding them onto the mounts. one on the bottom side and one on each side of the top side. never had that problem again.

Damn I wish fixing mine was that simple ! I bought a WG (I'm in Europe) a few months ago, and I've replaced lots of front end parts (upper and lower control arms, ball joints, tie rod & tie rod ends (they were crusty-welded together), track bar, as well as the stabilizer), and Death Wobble disappeared for 2 or 3 months, approximately 4000 km or 2500 miles, but now I can't drive any faster than 40 mph or I know I will have terrible DW. I couldn't replace drag link and drag link ends because everything was so rusty I didn't succeed in taking them apart, but I think I will have to find a way now. Moreover, getting parts is really expensive in Europe so I have to order them from Rock Auto and get them sent to Europe, and boy oh boy you do not want to pay these taxes every 6 months. I also suspect that my WG has a slight suspension lift, because the parts are not OEM ones and it sits higher than most of the WG I come accross, however I don't know if I need adjustable track bar and adjustable control arms for it (the lift is probably in the range of 1 to 2 inches). What would you recommend ? Thank you in advance, and I hope your offroad day was nice ;)

not even a minute into the video and i have a couple of things that jumped out at me. Firstly, the 18" Wrangler rims, i too have them, though, my WJ is only RWD, and im rocking TOYO Proxes, 265s Rear, 245s front. Also, the DW Returns... I've had this issue in the past, and corrected it, but its back. First time it came up, replacing the axle to body arm took care of it. This time, i had bad drag link joints, took care of that last week. Got a little better, but my rotors have once again warped, so light braking or a pothole at about 35 mph, sets off a sick wobble. Replaced the dampener two days ago, no change. New pads and rotors will be here in a couple days, but there is still something else going on. A lil pothole will set it off. Driving me nuts. All thats left, I think, are the tie rod ends up front, which will be here soon.

Thank you Tyler. From 1 KS boy to amother, albeit now in Harrisonville, MO. Ask Jake, John Ross and the other 2 other KS YT goofs as they've heard from me about either my prior '00 BMW e46 323i or my love of Ford Rangers and/or Jeep XJs. P.S. Need help removing an overly stubborn upper rear leaf spring shackle bolt. Any ideas?

Good catch… I have a question though was there enough movement in the tie rod for the tie rod to be considered unsafe?

Awesome detective work, Tyler! Does your family own the dealership where you work, because you get to work on your own cars while making your videos. I really do enjoy your videos.

Question on a different direction: Have a 07 dakota that I added the compass / travel computer that is an option mounted into the roof lights.( you have that in your jeep) How do I make it work as it seems the vehicle ecm does not recognize it? It works but I cant reset the trip odo.

How are you adjusting one tie rod on the alignment machine when only one side is off

What’s are the top tie rod ends called if I meet to replace it

if you got the wobble on the same road at the same time did you ever check the condition of the road?

Got this done last week. They said its normal wear and tear over time. I'm disappointed it Still has a slight tremor if I go over 50 mph. So for now I don't gover 45 mph. Help!! I need it running while I save toward a newer vehicle.

I had death wobble on my Jeep JL after a faulty v41 steering damper was installed under a recall at my dealership Very scary at highway speed

I have the same problem.

You should raise your headrests in the truck unless you haven't, you're going to have a very bad neck injury in an accident if they stay low like that.

Hi there.. soon you will get the same problem and you will bye again a new bushings n tie rod ends.. My friend There is a jell or oil drips or pieces of rubber or water inside ur tire.. Just remove tire from it's wheel n clean n do a proper wheel Alignment n balance That's all.. you are done

Thank you, I just installed a 3.5" lift on my WJ. It came with longer FLCA's and panhard bar so I know those components are good and tight. While taking it to the shop to get aligned, I had my first experience with death wobble at about 63mph. Hopefully it is something simple and the shop can get it isolated and fixed. What is your thoughts on front driveshaft replacement? My boot on the t-case end (ball joint) is shot and it looks to be at too much of an angle for a new CV style. The axle end of the front drive shaft is CV joints, while the transfer case end is that ball joint style.

So my death wobble can be fixed by turning the wheels left or right. I can even prevent it by keeping a slight better pressure in One Direction or the other so what's that? Anybody

Don't go over a bump on a left turn over 55. Fixed 😅

Any one have a measurement from tie rod bolt to tie rod bolt? I changed my ends and am trying to get it in the ball park till I can get it aligned.

What do u have to change with a 2 in half body lift

We all know they say not to just slap in a steering stabilizer but I'm telling you if you get a real nice upgraded stabilizer it should do the trick, I had awful DW and had the jeep in several shops relacing nearly everything in the front end but what fixed it for a year so far was an old man emu steering stabilizer

My guess is your car was out of alignment before you changed the tie rods. I've seen these tie rods practically fall off and not cause any wobble. Most I've seen are from crappy cheap lift kits, egg-shaped tires, and loose bolts in transverse link.

So that wobble only occurred at a certain speed and a particular road condition? Is that how you knew it was not a tire or tires?

Do u have a lift on that

So me and my uncle we lifted my jeep and we took a look at it one person under one person wiggling the steering wheel and we heard something but could not spot it

I had death wobble from 50-60 mph, I replaced my rotors can anyone help?!

Death wobble is usually caused from ball joint failure.

Can the Pitman arm tie Rod end cause death wobble?

@tylerpotter where did you go to school?

I've had this for almost a year😫 don't hate me

My steering is loose I see how to fix that but

I mean, you could have just replaced the steering stabilizer and fixed it a lot easier/quicker!!!! I'M KIDDING.... 🤣

Couldn’t you just count the threads showing before you unscrew the tie rods

1:19 it came through your voice though lol 1:11

The front calipper is the main steering wobbling problem...! front side, one of them is not releassing keep biting rotor for any reason anytime it gets hot by traffic or by weather, need to be changed as soon...!¤▪︎☆○•°~`♡🌙🕋💝🔦🔬🔭⚖️🇪🇭☝️

The Real Way , Is TO Replace "ALL" Sterring & Susp . At The Same Time . This Is Because ! Bad ! Will Take Out the Others . From Ball-Joints - Tie rod End , track Bat, Too . Just Because .

All my bushings are shot. Will be replacing them.

Sure doesn't take much play to make it dance.

If you're already on an alignment rack why don't you just do the alignment wouldn't that be common sense 😶