Wheel wobble...........!!!

Hi My truck starts the death wobble around the 30 to 45 mph and only down hill when I have hit a pot hole. DOSE NOT DO IT ALL THE TIME i have change the kingpin's / wheels balanced /pan hard bushes are ok and shocks tyre size 195/80/15 on steel rims with 32mm spacers and no lift kit and no steering damper, this is what I have come up with when the wheels are turned there is a lot of movement side to side but not when straight, so i have put it down to the steering box is warn. Have some one grip the steering wheel so it does not move in a straight line and try to move the wheels side to side i have a slight movement there now just turn the steering wheel a turn and grip the steering wheel then try move the wheel side to side ( I have a lot of movement from my wheels side to side when I have turned the steering ) so there for i think the steering box is warn i have turned the screw in top of the steering box and its still the same and this is all done with the truck on a ramp. I am changing the steering box next week so i will let you know what the out come is.

check the track rod ends as they wear and cause intermittent wobble

Don't forget you have 4 track rod ends on the jimny two on the drag rod + two on the tie rod.

Let us know you you get on jimbob as I have exactly the same issue and have a fair bit of play from the power steering box.

Well boy's and girl's I have been working on the truck this weekend and I have found that the rear radius arm bushes to the axle are shot to bits, the panhard rod bushes front and back are soft ish I have not fit the other steering box I have just adjusted the screw on top of the steering box and found that it has made a big difference to the drive and I get a real good feed back through the steering wheel.The next thing to do now is drive it for a week or two to see if it really has made a big difference or not. This is what i did be for I adjusted the screw I put tip x just on one side of the screw slit on top so I could see how much it had tightened or moved,well I had the front wheels in a straight line engine off with a 17 mm socket on long bar i cracked it of just a bit the put some WD40 on to soak. After that I got a 17 mm spanner held the nut and turned the screw in a quarter at a time then locked it off and had a drive. After doing this for about three to four times I got it spot on but after driving a few miles in a straight line it just felt that bit too tight so I have backed it off just a tad and found the truck to be 95% better I do still get a small amount of wheel shimmy/wobble but that's from hitting pot holes. What I think after doing all this and reading what other's say about wheel wobble/shimmy is due to the size of wheel and 4x4 Your wheels must shimmy left to right like mad so thats going to put strain on the gears in the steering box and there for causes the steering box over time to become slack/loose. Am not saying this is the solver of all wheel wobble/shimmy but is has taken a lot of the slack out of my steering. Al re post over the next week on how the truck drives

mlines wrote:

jimbob wrote: rear radius arm bushes to the axle are shot to bits

This is where I would concentrate my efforts next!

Thanks mlines I think I will the back end of the truck is like a snake

Ok I have been driving the truck too and from work for two days now after adjusting the steering box screw. I have found the truck to be a lot safer to drive There is still some wheel shimmy/wobble over deep pot holes but no way like I had be for. Now the front end of the truck feels planted to the road and the feed back though the steering wheel is really good am happy now I don't get the feel of the truck wanting to tip over or rip the steering wheel out of my hands after going down hill about 30 to 45 mph hitting pot holes. Driving home to nite I was in slow moving traffic and the steering felt like it was a bit too tight so al back the steering box screw backing of a bit but apart from that its spot on and I don't have the dreaded DEATH WOBBLE
After getting to the bottom of my wheel bobble I think I will drive the truck as I am doing for a week or so and then get a steering damper to take the strain off the steering box.

So can we say that the steering box is in the jimny wheel wobble list to check after kingpins / bushes etc.... Hope this is some help to you all

mlines wrote: I meant the rear bushes on the Front Arms.

These are single bushes with a single bolt that takes the whole movement of the large wheels and axle through them. Therefore they can be a source of wobble at the front.

Maritn

Sound it's going back on the ramp at work tomorrow so al have another check of them thank you

its been a week now since i tightened the steering box screw and am happy to say I don't have no more wheel wobble at 30 to 45 mph going down hill, am so happy that I tightened the steering box screw be for I fit the spare steering box. Now it's time to buy a damper to take some of the strain off the little steering box happy days

Thats great to hear jimbob, Im going to have a look at doing mine then as it will cost nothing.

Having never payed much attention to the steering box it is obvious what screw is it that you tighten?