How to Diagnose Jeep Death Wobble at Home: Track Bar, Ball Joints, Tie Rods & More

Everybody has the fix for death wobble....just ask their marketing department. We make a ball joint, so you'd think we'd tell you it's ALWAYS the ball joints right? Nope. There are MANY parts in a solid axle front end that can start the shake or keep it going, and the only way to fix it once is to find out which ones are actually worn. So grab a pry bar, a buddy and a jack and let's go through it the way we would in the shop.

What parts can cause death wobble?

Here's the list. If it's on here, it gets checked:

• Track bar ends- control the lateral position of the axle
• Tie rod ends- connect the wheels to one another
• Drag link ends- connect the pitman arm of the steering box to the passenger side knuckle
• Ball joints- connect the outer knuckle to the inner C
• Control arm ends- connect the axle to the frame
• Wheel bearings- connect the wheel to the axle
• Steering box- the sector shaft connects to the pitman arm

Here's the part people skip... worn parts transfer energy to the other parts and wear them out faster. So finding one bad part doesn't mean you're done. Make your way down the whole line.

What should you check first?

Start with the track bar. When the ends are worn the whole axle can shift left & right under the Jeep. Easiest way to see it is the "dry steer" check:

1. Jeep on the ground, parked on something flat, engine running so you have power steering.
2. Have your buddy rock the steering wheel back & forth (not full lock, just quick short inputs).
3. You lay under the front and watch each end of the track bar. Watch the bolt, the bushing or joint, and the bracket.
4. If the bar moves before the axle does, or you see the bolt walking in the bracket, you found a problem.

Stay down there while they keep rocking it and watch the tie rod ends & drag link ends too. A joint that's worn will move or "clunk" before the part it's attached to moves. Movement should go straight through, not get lost in a sloppy end.

How do you tell tie rods from drag link?

Tie rod ends that are worn let an individual wheel (or both) oscillate left & right while they're rotating. From the driver's seat that usually feels like a vibration when it starts, not violent shaking unless they're really bad. The drag link is what lets the steering wheel push & pull the passenger knuckle- the tie rod just ties each side together. On the dry steer check, watch where the slop shows up first and that'll tell you which end it is.

How do you check ball joints at home?

1. Jack the front up so most of the weight is off the tire. Put a jack stand under it, don't trust a jack alone.
2. Slide a pry bar under the tire and lift. You're looking for vertical play between the knuckle and the C.
3. Now grab the tire at 9 & 3 and push/pull. That's lateral play.
4. Lateral play can come from a wheel bearing or a tie rod end too.....so have your buddy watch where the movement is actually coming from.

We wrote a whole post just on this one, the pry-bar method, because it's where most people buy the wrong part.

What about control arms, wheel bearings & the steering box?

Control arm ends are easy- pry on them with a pry bar and look for excessive movement. Worn ends hurt the front end's ability to stabilize and the whole axle can "walk" around. They work with the track bar to control lateral axle movement...check them.

Wheel bearings show up when you check ball joints. Same movement, so find where it comes from. Bad ones tend to make some level of grinding noise and make heat. Drive it a bit and feel the hub.....might not want to grab it firmly at first- you've been warned.

Steering box is less common, but they can develop slop inside. They can be adjusted to an extent, so keep it on the list.

So where do ball joints fit in all this?

Honestly, they might not be your problem. If your joints are tight and your track bar is junk, a set of our deletes isn't going to fix your Jeep and we'd rather tell you that now. But if you've found play in the joints, here's why we think a traditional joint is part of the bigger problem: it has misalignment built in where the knuckle doesn't need it. Adding movement where it's 100% not wanted at 80mph....great idea huh?

A Ball Joint Delete™ System uses clamping force instead of a plastic liner stuffed inside that's only retained from one end. For 1990-2017 Jeeps that's our AI-1103 Gen 2, and JL/JT owners want the AI-1101. If you want the background on why death wobble gets talked about so much, Josh's death wobble write-up is the place to start.

Bottom line

Check everything on the list, top to bottom, and write down what you find. Fix what needs fixed the best way possible because fixing it twice ends up being more expensive. If you need us, you know exactly where to find us!