What is it?
Hi all
This is my first post. I to have the death wobble. I've got an 08 4 door diesel automatic. In the suspension department it has the OME 2" ish lift. After about 20 000 km was when it first happened. And what an experience it was it happened on the freeway heading towards Murray bridge from Adelaide, just before the bridge.
Things attempted so far:
First i fitted and OME steering dampener. This was after i took it to the dealer City Jeep Adelaide and they said straight away that it was the steering dampener at fault. I asked how they came to this conclusion had the removed it and felt the problem? ANSWER: No we didn't remove it but its what other dealerships have found. We don't have one in stock and there are none in Australia. It has to come from Singapore it'll be over a week to get one. arrgh I gave them a piece of my mind after they didn't to seem to any real definitive answer as to what was really wrong. The stock one looks like it belongs on a push bike and when i removed it you could feel when you stroked it in and out the when it went pass the middle point it would get easy as though the restriction to move was not there briefly. I put this down to wear as this was the position the dampener would be when you are heading in a straight line. Which would be 98% approx the amount of time you drive. I noticed after that when i hit a bump that there was a slight shall i say wibble (smaller the the wobble) through the steering wheel that would fade away as quickly as it started. Thinking back i though it has done this from new but I put it down to being normal because it was a new car (trying to think positive). So putting these together the wibble that had turned into a wobble and the dampener worn feeling spot the two seemed to travel hand in hand. The dampener appeared to me as thought it had worn out due to another problem that it was trying to keep under-control. What's that problem???
So when the problem came back It was near due for its 30 000 service. I put it up on stands looking for some sort of obveious movment first. Nothing. But I could feel slight play in the steering a sort of dead spot for a bit when changing direction. I was on my own so i could turn the wheel while having a look for this problem. Being due for a service I asked the dealer to do a wheel alignment and that I wanted the results. They adjust the only thing you can which is toe. camber left -0.22 right -0.48
caster left +2.21 right +2.34 toe left +1.0 adjusted to +0.7 +1.0 adjusted to +0.7. I think it may be worse now? As my girlfriend has been driving it since and it happens more often (only been doing it at open road speeds 100km to 120km).
Recently Last Week to present):
Getting a long range fuel tank fitted with the guys at Mount Barker 4X4 Center they fitted all the other stuff when new (lift, arb air lockers front and rear, arb bar front and rear, UHF and IPF spotties). So i asked them to have a look at the problem. They did looking at the suspension and so on the found visible movement of the steering box out put shaft. My Girl friend then took it to her parents 2.5 hr out of Adelaide where it did it several times on the way. One of her Dad's mate is an engineer and he showed her the same thing and she hadn't told them where the problem was the the guys at MB4X4C had shown her. This morning she dropped it off at City Jeep to check it out typical stealer ship they couldn't see it. I spoke to them to ask them to check it off the hoist on the ground (so the wheels have residence against them loading up the steering). Still didn't see it.
I'm interstate ATM so if i get back and see the problem myself i will not be happy.
Any way is there some one in Adelaide with a JK that would let me have a look at their jeep's steering to compare to see if there is a difference. Also how many people are there with the problem on this site.
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