oh no ! death wobble at 45 mph

I have a '03 JIMNY Mode. After numerous wheel balancings by Kwik Fit and others. I have always experienced some amount of steering wheel wobble at around 45mph
Last year had a seal replaced on front wheel by local the Suzuki main dealer. I mentioned the wheel wobble and was delighted when they told me that they had eliminated this by further balancing and by swoppng wheels around. Earlier this year needed new tyres on front of vehicle. When replaced guess what, the wobble returned. Convinced that this must be a balancing issue, I went back to main dealer. After 3 attempts using their 'Special' adaptor, I have been informed they can do no more. The wobble is worse than ever !! They tell me that there are 2 possible solutions: 1. Replacing some suspension bushes (£250) & then if this doesn't work, the King Pin shimming (£287) Could anyone advise me. I don't mind having the work done, but with no guarantee don't want to throw money away. Thanks. Dave.Nottingham

£287 to shim your king pins !!!!

Have a look here www.bigjimny.com/store/index.php/jimny-p...in-shim-kit/p_8.html

check your track rod ends for movement - fixed mine by replacing these - set of 4 off ebay £55

also what wheels do you have ?
if they are alloy, make sure they are balanced correctly.
early Jimny alloys around 2000 - 2003, fitted to the O2's and some specials were distorted .. suzuki donot accept this is the case and advise they are balanced manually .. something few garages do these days.

Get your wheels balanced.. if they are suggesting swapping over the wheels, it may be a clue to their thinking ...

hi, i"m new on here ,so dont really know how it all works, i really just wanted to pass on some info about my fix for the wobble i
had for nearly 2years, since getting my first jim, 06, when i got jim for 6mnths ok, then the wobble started , had 4 lots of dics, pads, king pin, wheel blanced, the dics fixed it for awhile then it was off on the wobble again, untill i finally think its fixed ,after all this time , cant believe it, my wobble was when i went a few miles got to 40/50 and the steering wheel would shake really bad, then come out of it ,for a short way then off again , scared the hell out of me , got so bad i didn't want to drive, was even thinking of getting rid , but then last week i just happened to phone this guy , hope it stays as it is as its gone the wobble ,and its fine , he tested drived it with me , and when it wobbled with him driving he said it can be fixed , does this sound what they say is this wobble, jim

did say i was new , would help if i said what was done ,tracks of exeter (suzuki) fitted, king pin shin kit, shim qty 4, bush leading arm B qty 2, supplied and fitted , about an hour, £141: 89, said it tightensit all up , feels fine , fingers crossed, regards jim

Jim, thanks for the reply. Sounds like the Dealer at Exeter did a good job and at a reasonable price.
This is exactly what the main dealer here in Nottingham suggested, except I was quoted over £500 !!
Enjoy your Jimny, I do love 'em

Dave

Fellow owners thanks for all the advice and suggestions.
I'm really pleased that I didn't shell out for the work to be done at Sandicliffe SUZUKI.
It appears that they are very over priced. Will now shop around.
Please let me know, if you can recommend a repairer within 40 miles of Nottingham.
Also this may not solve the wobble, but I am going to give it a try. I ordered a steering damper from Rhino Rays. I'll let you know if there is any improvment when I fit it. Thanks again Dave

I never use a main dealer these days. I found a small garage that does quality work that will also accept cash for non-recieptable work I also appreciate the work they do for me with either a few cans of beer or a few packs of buiscuits for them to enjoy with their tea.

yes matey a steering damper should solve it

The trouble is Steering wheel wobble can be caused by so many things and it would seem that different people find different cures. Just search 'wheel wobble' or 'death wobble' and you will see plenty of examples.
If you are going to try the shim method on the king pins are you really prepared to pay £££s. You can buy them in the store here for £3.00 and for the sake of hour of you time job done including a cuppa. It really is an easy job just whip the front calipers off, no need to even disconnect the brake pipes. 4 king pin bolts drop the shimms in a bit of grease and job done. This guide will help but you only need to do the above to shim the king pin www.bigjimny.com/images/documents/Changi...KingPin_Bearings.pdf
I was lucky enough to be included in the trail for these shimms and can say in my case they have helped tighten the steering up even with the weight of 235s on so well worth a try for the cost even if they only improve it enough to restore your confidence in driving it. I have loads of pics from when I fitted the shimms if you need any help.

atb Rich