1st Jeep, Death Wobble

[1981cj7]

Hi. So i just purchased my childhood dream vehicle-1981 CJ7. The 120 mile ride home took hours. any little bump in the road sent the thing flying. I was literally white knuckled with both hands on the wheel. the previous owner put 31x10.5r15 tires on. he added new shackles raising it up about 2". my questions are, can i get a "smoother" ride without replacing parts? If I put stock shackles on, will I need to drop down in tire size to 225x75xr15? I like the look of the raised Jeep, but right now my main priority is to feel safe so i can actually drive and enjoy the Jeep without being scared sh*tless if I go over 35mph. this is my first Jeep, so any info/insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cglax6]

Welcome from VA!

You can get away with that size tire with stock shackles and springs...may need to adjust the steering stops (bolts on the knuckles) to prevent rubbing when you turn. I had the same size tires on my stock suspension before I added my lift.

If you like how it currently sits, I'd move back down to stock size shackles (3" I think), and put in a 2.5" spring lift. You'll get a lot of opinions on which brand, but I like my BDS lift. Swapping out suspension is something just about anyone with some jack stands and sockets can handle fairly easily.

As far as that death wobble goes, check your ball joints, bushings, rod ends, etc for any play...and make sure your spring retention plates are torqued down properly. I'm no fan of taller shackles, but you shouldn't have that big of a problem without having some sort of other issue.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

:ww:

Get it a a alignment shop ASAP, and get a print out on camber, castor and toe-in.
That gives you a starting point......
LG

 

[cglax6]

:ww:

Get it a a alignment shop ASAP, and get a print out on camber, castor and toe-in.
That gives you a starting point......
LG

Yeah, that too!

 

[coldair]

I bet if you pull the lift shackles off it will stop the death wobble.

 

[PistolDave]

The major things that cause death wobble in a CJ are:

Improper caster angle.
Underinflated tires.
Incorrect toe-in, too much is not good, not enough is worse.
Slop in ball joints, rod ends, spring and shackle bushings, u-bolts, worn wheel bearings, worn steering box, etc.


Longer shackles will decrease your caster angle, can be corrected with steel shims under the axle perches. Needs to be at least +4 degrees in my opinion, 4-6* seems to work pretty well. If you are trying to remember which way the caster angle should point, just think motorcycle forks. The upper ball joint should be "behind" the lower one.

With respect to wobble issues, steering damper is a Band-Aid fix to mask the underlying problems. Nothing wrong with having a damper to tame steering offroad, but if everything is tight and geometry is correct, you don't even need a steering damper for street use.

 

[Project86]

Are your axles original to the jeep or has there been some bastardization? On my second build the PO put on some Dana 44s, but didn't do a good job on getting 'em square. I had more than one white knuckled ride until we got it right.

 

[cglax6]

Are your axles original to the jeep or has there been some bastardization? On my second build the PO put on some Dana 44s, but didn't do a good job on getting 'em square. I had more than one white knuckled ride until we got it right.

He makes a good point...what are you describing as death wobble? Do the front tires wobble back and forth like some cocaine induced seizure? Or does the Jeep shake without the front wheels going all crazy?

If yes to the first question, then it's front end alignment, ball joints, etc as stated above.

If yes to the second question, one or both of your axles aren't square...or you can even be getting some brake drag on one side.

I had my rear passenger wheel cylinder fail and it caused some nasty shaking over 45mph. Didn't figure it out until I noticed brake fluid inside the wheel...at first I thought the axle oil seal failed, but when I took the drum off, it was apparent that the wheel cylinder failed.

 

[1981cj7]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I ordered stock shackles and will be putting them on. I had a friend mechanic look at it. He grabbed hold of the steering shaft, and it moves around in all directions at least a half an inch. When he turned the wheel, the pitman arm also bounced around. So, I looks like steering box is shot. I now have a good place to start. I looked online, and I found them ranging from $180 rebuilt Cardone up to over a grand. Does any one have any suggestions? I don’t want a piece of junk, but I’m also not taking my Jeep on any extreme off road conditions. Back in the woods a bit, but nothing hairy. At the moment, I just want to be able to safely enjoy the thing, and be able to drive on the highway without feeling like I’m going to crash at any moment. Again, any info or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[caveman]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I ordered stock shackles and will be putting them on. I had a friend mechanic look at it. He grabbed hold of the steering shaft, and it moves around in all directions at least a half an inch. When he turned the wheel, the pitman arm also bounced around. So, I looks like steering box is shot. I now have a good place to start. I looked online, and I found them ranging from $180 rebuilt Cardone up to over a grand. Does any one have any suggestions? I don’t want a piece of junk, but I’m also not taking my Jeep on any extreme off road conditions. Back in the woods a bit, but nothing hairy. At the moment, I just want to be able to safely enjoy the thing, and be able to drive on the highway without feeling like I’m going to crash at any moment. Again, any info or advice is greatly appreciated.

Your steering box was built by saginaw(spelling?) A GM product. Most any box from a Jeep will fit including cherokees and grand cherokees. Most GM products and some Chrystler cars.Most any junk yard will have them. Some may have a different steering ratio.

 

[RiverandSand]

A popular swap is the Hummer H1 ps box, so popular they are getting hard to find. Check Rockauto for one , last time I looked they still a couple of choices. It is a direct swap no mods needed, for your year. They might have jeep cj boxes left too, you want a stock non variable ratio box.
Going to stock shackles may cause a tire rub issue with the bigger tires. Might want to look into a spring lift also as mentioned previously.

When I brought my CJ home afew years ago after purchasing it, I couldn't go over 40mph, if I did it would dart right or left indiscriminately, longest 1 hr drive I have ever had ( the guy only lived 25 miles from me). The wife was following me and thought I was drunk. After a close inspection the tierod and draglink weren't close to straight. I rebuilt the entire suspension, front and rear, had it aligned. Now it handles like it's almost new.

 

[jzak]

Welcome! I know a lot of guys on the site will tell you that steering stabilizers are a joke, but I had the death wobble from hell. I found out the steering stabilizer was completely shot, so I replaced it and never had any issue again. You may want to take yours out, and see if it still works. Its a cheap and easy fix. Good Luck!

 

[DHugg]

Similar experience with 1980 CJ7. Took it in to tire and alignment shop, and the machine indicated alignment 2.6 degrees out. Alignment and tire balancing cleared the problem; now I can actually drive faster than 45 without rattling my back teeth.

Total cost $82 bucks; best money I ever spent on my Jeep!