Death Wobble?

I know this has probably been talked to death on this site already but I was just wondering what it exactly feels like? I recently put a 3" lift on my truck and it runs down the highway just fine but when I hit a big pothole on the main roads doing about 45-50mph the front end goes into a frenzy that just won't stop. It's only happened a few times but even before I lifted it it had a little wobble in the steering wheel which was originally what I thought everyone was referring to as the "death wobble" but now since lifting it and hitting a few potholes I think the "death wobble" you guys are referring to is more like the "death seizure" of the front end. So which is it guys? Also I've noticed that the front end is shifted off to the drivers side...from what I've read because of the track bar the front end should actually be shifted to the passenger side. Also from what I've read, I shouldn't need extended lower control arms until I get a 4" and above lift...Is this true? My buddy also has the 3" lift and told he needed them and he put them on and had his front end aligned and he's never had the front end "death seizure" like mine did.

I would love to hear your guys's input.
Thanks,
Scott

Scott, all I can say is when my Jeep had the death wobble I knew it was the death wobble because it nearly scared me to death the first time it happened!

It sounds as if you have DW. It's SO BAD that there is no doubt as to what it is when it happens to you.

yep, sounds like it to me! search the forum, there are TONS of posts on it :)

Did you get an alignment after the lift? That is a must. When you lift, you have to change the length of your drag link and tierod to get your tow back in. This is most likely the cause of your death wobble. youre probably experiencing more wondering at highway speeds also.
At 3" you should be fine with the stock control arms. As you lift, your caster angle also changes (longer or adjustable control arms fix this problem) but at just 3" it should still be in spec. If after an alignment you are still having issues, you may want to try a set of longer arms but I doubt thats your problem.
Your axle will shift to the drivers side after a lift if you dont get an adjustable trackbar, a trackbar relocation bracket or redrill the hole for the trackbar. The best solution is a new trackbar but alot of people have had good luck with redrilling or brackets. With 3", you dont really need to address the trackbar but I would suggest investing a few dollars in a trackbar relocation bracket or redrilling the axle end mounting hole if you dont want to spend $200 for an adjustable one.

steering stabilizer, fixed mine...

steering stabilizer, fixed mine...


scared the piss out of me, had to pull into a rest stop...

glad to know it.s not only mine, crawled under there and saw oil leaking from the satb. thought that was the culprit.

gonna change it.