Hey;
I read Jeepgirl4's posting about a death wobble, what is that? I recently purchased a 2004 TJ, and it has a nasty shimmy when I get to 55mph. It goes away by 60mph, and there are no other issues. I just assumed my tires, they are original equipment, were out of balance and plan to have them balanced and the alignment looked at during my next service. Is there something else I should look for?

no usually out of balance tires or bent rims will cause a shimmy between speeds ,in your case between 55 and 60. if it has a violent wobble when you hit a pot hole it is most likely the steering stabilizer, i dont think the newer style track bars wear that bad to caus that wobble . and if it is constant it is most likely a universal/ or cv joint on the driveshaft. whichever yours has. out of balance tires or a bent rim is most likely your problem.

I had the same thing on my 04 TJ. Mine happened at 50 and lasts till 54 or so.

My problem is with the angle of the front drive shaft (due to the installation of a tummy tucker skid plate).

The way I tested, was to disconnect the front drive shaft, attach it securely to the frame and take it out for a test drive.

I still have not reconnected the drive shaft but will be working on correcting my pinion angle this weekend.

Thanks for the info. Went to the tire store today to have the wheels balanced. One was 4.5 oz out of balance, and both front tires have a good cupping going on. I just love those OEM shocks. Time to start deciding if I should lift when I buy the new shocks and tires.

My death wobble occurred at 35 mph after hitting a pot hole and was the most violent thing I've ever experienced. I literally thought the suspension was going to be ripped off the frame. The cause severely out of balance right front tire.

In my case I new it was pinion angle because it ran fine before the TT.

Finally had a chance to correct my pinion angle yesterday. I have adjustable upper and lower controls arm so it was an easy fix.

I adjusted the upper control arms making them longer. They were adjusted only about 1/8 of an inch (or one complete turn) but that made all the difference.



I had been running with the front drive shaft removed all this time so I reconnected it and took it for a test drive. It worked fine, no more wobble! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />