side to side wandering in 2001 Jeep GC

[Donald]

I am trying to put my finger on why quite often my jeep feels like its being blown by wind or a passing semi. I had a trusted mechanic check my front suspension and he did not see anything. Wheel nuts are tight. I was thinking of replacing worn parts to do with the front stabilizer but that was more of a guess. Different roads. Above 45 MPH. Could odd tire wear cause it to feel that way after a F2B rotation? Other worn suspension parts I should focus on. Sometimes it almost feels dangerous.

 

[NHGUY]

Sounds like the "death wobble".Look at the lateral track bar(aka Panhard rod),the bushings are probably shot.

 

[Boomer]

+2 on death wobble, a common Jeep problem accentuated by the solid front axle and the worn out bushings mentioned in the above post. Don't try to "hide" it by screwing around with the steering box, etc. Replace the parts. This will get worse and it will get dangerous.

 

[jeepman3071]

That is NOT death wobble. Death wobble is when the front end shakes quickly and violently in a way that is uncontrollable and will not stop until you completely stop the jeep. Search it on youtube and you will be able to tell the difference.

My dad had the same issue you do on his '99 GC he used to have. It was just like you described, felt like driving on a really windy day. I replaced the front steering stabilizer with a skyjacker (they have poly bushings), as well as the sway bar end links and bushings. I replaced the sway bar bushings with grease-able poly bushings. Poly is stiffer than rubber and helped firm up the handling a bit. How are your shocks? When my dad's shocks were worn out the Jeep definitely had a bit more body roll. New shocks help fix that issue. I'd also check the condition of the lower control arm bushings and trackbar mount just to be sure.

 

[rslifkin]

Check your control arm bushings, track bar bushings, etc. Also, how much play do you have in the steering wheel with the engine off and the Jeep parked?

 

[The Critic]

Did you check your tire pressure? Any variation within the two tires on the same axle will cause some pull/wander.

 

[strongt]

Check out your rear ball joint.(Yes there is a ball joint on the rear axle) Its where the rear a-arm mounts to the the rear axle. It's a common part to fail and you will have movement in your rear axle going down the road. And will make your Jeep wander.

It's #8 in the pic.

 

[Donald]

Vehicles has 112K miles or close. So if I want to throw some parts at it, how about a Moog Super Trail Boss steering stabilizer? Check tire pressure? What else on a first round. Sounds like I should look for poly bushings in everything I buy?

And of course it would happen on Christmas Day. Drove 45 min. to daughters house, closed door, drivers window slid down. Regulator is broken. Its now taped with clear duct tape and has the look of a ghetto car.

 

[rslifkin]

IMO, steering stabilizer should be the last thing you worry about, as it tends to mask other parts being worn, and won't help if it's the rear a-arm ball joint (although those often make noise when they start failing).

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Did you check your tire pressure? Any variation within the two tires on the same axle will cause some pull/wander.


Tire pressure was checked this morning, all within 2 lbs and now all set to 32. No change on ride back from a nearby small city.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
IMO, steering stabilizer should be the last thing you worry about, as it tends to mask other parts being worn, and won't help if it's the rear a-arm ball joint (although those often make noise when they start failing).


What kind of noise, I get a "clunk" and after the mechanic looked at the front end, assumed it was the brake pads shifting slightly. It does sound like its in the front end, but that can be hard to tell sometimes.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: strongt
Check out your rear ball joint.(Yes there is a ball joint on the rear axle) Its where the rear a-arm mounts to the the rear axle. It's a common part to fail and you will have movement in your rear axle going down the road. And will make your Jeep wander.

It's #8 in the pic.

Is there a rear ball joint on each side, or just one in the middle? Not familiar with rear ball joints.

 

[strongt]

Just one in the middle where the frame meets the axle. There is one rubber bushing on each end of the a-arm. Which would be #13 in the pic.

 

[rslifkin]

32 psi sounds a bit low for tire pressure. From what I've found with my Jeep, and my mom's 99 Grand Cherokee, I'd try bumping it up to 36 or so (keep it 1-2 psi higher in front than the rear, as the front end is a little heavier). That may help a bit on its own.

 

[Cujet]

In addition to the above, another thing to check for is excessive Toe-Out.

If your parts are worn, or alignment allows Toe-Out of the front tires, any vehicle will cycle between pulling left and right. Especially during hard braking on a straight, flat surface.

I don't want to suggest this is a fix, but if you are handy, you could increase Toe-In to (or just slightly beyond) the maximum spec and see if that helps. Generally, if your steering wheel is slightly off center while driving straight, you only need to adjust one tie rod. Let's say that your steering wheel is turned slightly to the right. Then adjust the LH tie rod for slightly more Toe-In.

Today, fewer and fewer people understand how to align a vehicle, especially an older one with "slight" wear on the components.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
32 psi sounds a bit low for tire pressure. From what I've found with my Jeep, and my mom's 99 Grand Cherokee, I'd try bumping it up to 36 or so (keep it 1-2 psi higher in front than the rear, as the front end is a little heavier). That may help a bit on its own.


I went to 35F and 34R and did not notice a difference on a short drive.

 

[LeakySeals]

I had a 98 GC with same issues. The combo of tall with a narrow wheel base had me wandering and leaning from day 1. Tire selection made a big difference. Ended up with larger rims/smaller sidewalls. best I could ever get it. Have a 2011 GC much wider, doesn't do it at all.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
I had a 98 GC with same issues. The combo of tall with a narrow wheel base had me wandering and leaning from day 1. Tire selection made a big difference. Ended up with larger rims/smaller sidewalls. best I could ever get it. Have a 2011 GC much wider, doesn't do it at all.


I understand, but this has gotten worse over the past few months. Especially when one side hits some rough pavement and the other side is OK. Around here for shoulder stability they often pave (over old pavement) the outside 4' or 5' and not the entire roadway.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
I had a 98 GC with same issues. The combo of tall with a narrow wheel base had me wandering and leaning from day 1. Tire selection made a big difference. Ended up with larger rims/smaller sidewalls. best I could ever get it. Have a 2011 GC much wider, doesn't do it at all.


I understand, but this has gotten worse over the past few months. Especially when one side hits some rough pavement and the other side is OK. Around here for shoulder stability they often pave (over old pavement) the outside 4' or 5' and not the entire roadway.


Yeah I think your year still had the independent coil spring suspension. Great for climbing boulders and off roading, but acts strangely on mixed pavement. Got worse as it got older. Stiffer shocks help some, but will still lean over on the coil springs. A smaller sidewall by an inch may help prevent some of the sidewall roll. Also the quadra trac went, after replacement that clearly helped. It was surging some wheels more than others. Not sure if you have that.

 

[rslifkin]

The transfer case issue you're describing was only for 93 - 98, 99+ used a different case for fulltime 4WD. And yeah, they still had solid axles front and rear up through 04.

The solid axles are fine on the road, but the steering linkage is fairly sensitive to worn parts.