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Well i bought a 2001 Jimney as i am disabled and though it would get some fun back in my life,
3 weeks later, after i had changed wheels to all terrain and polybushed everything in sight, the famouse death wobble started, but at 15 mph, any ideas where to start?
oh no not the dreaded death wobble ! but at 15mph ?
were they balanced ?
swap front tyres with back, see if problem clears up
or, with car on floor, engine off, get someone to turn wheel left to right. get underneath & look over all joints for any loose play or movement
panhard, steering, tie rod ends etc etc
bearings ? wheel off ground give it a good wiggle for any play
I agree with tie rod ends - ours developed the dreaded wobble ( together with a sway and a wander - felt like we set off to sea! :sick: didn't feel safe when it got up to 35 :ohmy: ) - replaced all four tie rod ends and re-tracked and all was back to normal - just a sway :laugh:
Well, for the last week mine has got worse and worse!
At 36 mph or so it was horenda pig.
It got so bad I had cramp in my fingers holding on!
I then noticed that it felt SLOW! I was changing down in places I have never needed to.
Then it tried to kill me!
A car decided to over take at the last min coming towards me.
I touched the brake! OMG the jimny went mental!
Swerved to the nearside threw me up the verge.
The guy coming towards us looked peed off with my over reaction!
All I was doing is holding on for my life!!!
Got home the off side front wheel was roasting hot!
Caliper seized on!
New pads and caliper strip later, wobble is gone and now drives like it should!
So for any one with deathwobble at 30+ mph check you callipers!!!!
you gota do it all, or tesy it all if u have access to the facilities
1 if lifted is your caster angle correct & are your axles central & in line (panhard rods)
2 are wheels buckled & are tyres un-ballanced
3 are your wheel & kingpin bearings OK?
4 is the tracking strait & your track rod ends tight?
5 check the panhard rod ends (these can stretch oval), the bushes & the mount points (these holes can get beaten oval causing horrific wobble)
CHECK IT ALL each is a symptom of the others being at fault, a buckled wheel will wreck your bearings, bend your rod ends, destroy the bushes, miss-align the tracking & beat your panhard mounts oval!
a worn bush will wreck your bearings, bend your rod ends, miss-align the tracking & beat your panhard mounts oval!
...............you get the idea
wiggling the panhard & rods etc will probably not show wheather or not their worn, put the jimny on a MOT ramp with a shake it to f**k plate that'll show you if theres some play
