Violent shaking - DW or something else

[ozibunge]

I know this topic has been done to death, no pun intended, but I am confused as to whether death wobble (DW) and violent shaking are the same or are quite different with different causes. I raise this because I have recently had several bad instances of violent vehicle shaking after hitting what I consider to be minor bumps such as the expansion joints on a bridge but I do not experience any vibration or shaking through the steering wheel. I would have thought that if the wheels or front axle are shaking uncontrollably as I have seen in some YouTube videos of DW, then the steering wheel would also be shaking.

I experienced this at 20k when stock standard; installed a 2.5 Terraflex lift and HD panhard rod and no more issues for 60k until recently - vibrations/shakes are worse than ever. All bolts are tight, ball joints good and no apparent abnormal movement in bushes. There is noticeable up/down movement in driver side tie rods, which could be the cause but again I experience no abnormal feedback at the steering wheel.

I consider the problem extremely dangerous, particularly when it is difficult to pull over or stop in traffic. My question is; is what I am experiencing what is commonly referred to as DW or something unrelated and caused by something other than the usual DW suspects.

[Banshee]

Reports from many who have had DW say it won't stop until you do, or almost do. The characteristic of it is a latteral oscillation of the front axle.

The JK can, though, get shaking for other reasons. I had several instances of this that I thought might be DW, but it damped out by itself after 5-10s, usually after hitting an angled expansion strip or just a bump on one side. Usually at 80+kph. Very worrying when it happens on a corner & you feel like you are going to shake off the road!

My JK had a 2" lift when I got it 2nd hand. In my case it was fixed initially by adjustable lower front control arms to adjust the caster to a better angle. I later swapped them out & installed AEV caster correction brackets. They give a smoother ride than the longer arms as the arms are again horizontal, so less shock is transferred to the body when hitting bumps. Haven't had it happen again since.

[multihull]

Sound just like the Death Wobbles I've had in the past. If you hit a harsh bump on the road or a series of potholes or ripple bumps the harmonics take over and on come the DW which shake the shit out of your steering system and then you steer to the side of the road and slow down and finally about 20 kph they disappear and you think "What in the Luck" was that? DEATH WOBBLES!
And they will only get more frequent each time DW's happens and then the smaller bumps will make them occur. See the list below of the things that can cause the DW but it's usually about three or more bad or worn parts put together that will set them off.

Here's my list of things to check:
- Worn lower Ball Joints
- worn or soft Track Bar bushing
- worn and enlarged Track Bar bolt hole
- worn Drag Link tie rod ends
- Worn tie rod ends
- Worn Control Arm bushes
- Worn wheel bearings
- Old and fading Steering Dampener
- Wheel alignment out
- Front wheels out of balance
- Worn or damage steering box
- Worn spline or bent pitman arm
- Worn and fading front shocks
- A mismatch of after market components after a suspension lift can exaggerate the ability of components to work correctly

Have I missed anything?

[ozibunge]

Thanks for the replies. I am now convinced that the shaking I experience has nothing to do with the front axle but is most likely an oscillation in the springs. Fitted new Koni shocks on the weekend and took it for a long drive. The vehicle sat firmly on the road and there was not even a hint of the shakes so fingers crossed. BTW the Konies were purchased from Larkspeed in the UK.

[SeaComms]

If you have vertical movement in the tie rod ends it's time to replace them. They will (and should) rotate but should not have any vertical movement as this translates to horizontal movement under load.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[ozibunge]

The tie rods are the next on my list to replace. Tie rod ends on drivers side have vertical movement but it probably won't be long before the passenger side show signs of wear so I will replace the lot; probably fit Teraflex HD tie rod and drag link - others such as Currie are just too expensive.

[Fruju]

Check the welds of the panhard bracket on the axle. Mine almost came of completely about two weeks ago.
I had been having some front end wobbles for awhile, each caused by different things, ranging from bent tie rod, worn panhard bushing and out of balance tyre. Not one however made me have to slow down to make it go away.
What made me aware that something more sinister was up, before discovering the broken panhard bracket, was that for the first time the traction control/abs lights were coming on while braking going into a couple of corners. Before that I had been cruising along the freeway at 110 and with the change in surface from seal to concrete it would start vibrating and would stop when the road surface changed back again.