Front axle shake???

[muddinskeeter]

I have a 98 Grand Cherokee Laredo with a strange problem. When driving at seems road speeds(35-60) if you hit a sizeable bump the front wheels start shaking almost uncontrollably. It also seems to do the exact same thing under certain braking instances. The shaking is so violent it will try to shake your hands off the steering wheel, and feels like the front axle is trying to walk out from under the Jeep. I`ve looked over the front axle and all the bushings and joints seem to be ok, but there again its hard to tell if some are bad by just a visual inspection. I`m curious if anyone has ever had a similar problem or might an idea as to a cure for this issue??

 

[almostcj7]

Are your rotors warped?

 

[Sparky-Watts]

It's called "Death Wobble" and can be attributed to several things from worn or loose suspension components to bad alignment to bad tires. Try switching your front tires to the rear to see if that alleviates the problem. If not, then it's a front-end problem in the steering and/or suspension.

 

[almostcj7]

Death wobble on a Grand?

 

[muddinskeeter]

I`ll try to switch the tires around, but I do know that the alignment isn`t off terribly because the Grand doesn`t wander. I`ll try to see if switching around the tires helps, would a bad wheel bearing or warped rotor cause this by chance? And honestly I`ll agree with the label "death Wobble" because it will catch you with your pants down if your not careful, bad thing is its my wifes Grand and now I`m driving it because of this issue. Rather it break on me than her.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Death wobble on a Grand?

It's common on all coil sprung jeeps, it's a 'round spring' thing you and I don't have to worry about :twisted:

There are two aspects to death wobble, the impact or problem that induces the wobble, and the worn suspension or steering component(s) that allow the impact or problem to escalate into death wobble. A bad tire balance or a bump in the road can induce the death wobble, while the worn component allows the imbalance to escalate.

Pretty common for a rig as old as yours. Most common causes I've seen are a bad front track bar, and worn control arm bushings.

To check the front track bar, have an assistant bounce the steering wheel back and forth off full-lock quickly, while you watch both ends of the front track bar closely. This steering movement should reveal any play in either end.

Check the front control arm bushings with a flashlight and screwdriver, inspecting for cracks and torn bushings.