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Author Topic: Front End Shudder/Wobble  (Read 4504 times)

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Offline drock87

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Front End Shudder/Wobble
« on: April 24, 2015, 04:01:54 PM »
Hi Den! Sorry I have been so Quiet...me and the Eagle are great! 

Anyways, my car has developed a shudder (death wobble?) in two circumstances: One, if I am on an on ramp (an interchange I guess....from highway to highway if you can picture) veering right (not left for some reason) I start to get a shudder above about 40 or 45 MPH. This is most common and happens frequently. I can turn left at any speed....it is only right. It is a little nerveracking, but not as scary as if I hit a bad pothole at highway speeds and the entire car violently shakes until I slow down to about 35. This has only happened twice I think.

Here is what I know (in advance, if you ask me): Shocks and coil springs are new. The strut mount bushings DEFINITELY need to be replaced. I just don't want to start buying part after part after part and turn this into a full front end rebuild. My pitman/idler APPEARS to be ok....when I had an alignment done about a year and a half ago, the alignment tech (who is quite good...I use that shop just for that purpose) said they were fine.

Let me know...thanks!!
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Offline JayRamb

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Re: Front End Shudder/Wobble
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2015, 07:25:22 PM »
As my friend who was an AMC mechanic at an AMC dealership....says....it's the steering dampner. People say NO, but IT IS! It's not ball joints. Change it, it's only $40 and it'll be gone.
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Offline recomer

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Re: Front End Shudder/Wobble
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2015, 07:56:03 PM »
Quote from: JayRamb on April 24, 2015, 07:25:22 PM
As my friend who was an AMC mechanic at an AMC dealership....says....it's the steering dampner. People say NO, but IT IS! It's not ball joints. Change it, it's only $40 and it'll be gone.

MIne has a wobble between 55/60 and steering dampner replacement fixed it. When it first happened, it was right after I had gotten my state inspection and the mechanic said he was shocked that my 32 year old suspension was as tight as it was. Since I just had new tires installed, I had them check the balance on all the tires, they were perfect. Having had a Wagoneer that did the same years ago, I got a new dampner and haven't had an issue since.
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Offline mo.eagles

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Re: Front End Shudder/Wobble
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2015, 04:53:37 PM »
Mine would shake when I'd hit a bump at 45 or over. Installed new dampner, smooth as silk.
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Offline mudkicker715

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Re: Front End Shudder/Wobble
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2015, 05:35:46 PM »
I am one of those that will say a part is going bad. Could be a halfshaft could be alot of differant things. Yes a stabilizer will mask the problem to unnoticeable, usually.
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Offline Nightpath

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Re: Front End Shudder/Wobble
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2015, 09:23:19 PM »
Once a small shudder starts to "resonate" or whatever, it can get steadily worse even though nothing is wrong (or something very minor). The steering damper fixes this as it nips the problem in the bud before it gets huge. A lot of Jeep guys I know of have replaced their whole front end piece by piece and still have the death wobble because they don't believe in touching the damper.

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