95 JGCherokee bad vibration

[tjb6172]

when at high speeds above 60 and I hit a bump, as in a overpass not all but ones that make a significant jar. The front end, particularly the driver side front wheel, starts shuttering. It feels like the tires about to vibrate off. After the vibration starts, slowing down to about 45 will stop the vibration and just keep on going. does anybody have an ideal. I don't want to take it to the dealer and pay out the nose.
thanks
TB

[Entropy]

That's scary...check these before you go to dealership:
(remember to be safe)
lug nuts all tight (lift truck on jacks to check)?
did you have any service done recently to the front end?
push down hard on fender above tire--is there resistance? Lift up and let go-is there resistance?
try bouncing both sides of the front end-rule of thumb is if you get it bouncing and it stopsd within 2-3 bounces the struts are generally okay
loose tie rod/ball joint----the only wa yto check is to lift up the truck off the wheel so ther's no weight and check connections for looseness
Good luck

[tjb6172]

I thought it was a loose rod or alignment. I got it aligned but didn't fix the problem. I think it's a ball joint.

[Entropy]

Originally Posted by tjb6172

I thought it was a loose rod or alignment. I got it aligned but didn't fix the problem. I think it's a ball joint.

It's strange they didn't notice anything when they did the alignment.

Quick check for ball joint:
Lift weight of front end off wheels, place crow bar or the like on top of some wood to "pry" up on the bottom of the tire(as if you're loading the suspension). If it clunks or travels excessively compared to the other side (your supposed to use a dial indicator but this will point out anything obvious)--it should be evident.

Let me know when you find it because you have me curious.

[jeffmcg8787]

New here, had the same problem. Fixed by changing something called the steering dampner. About $100

[richpinkham]

Have your tire check for being out of round, if you jack up the car and spin the tire and it walks up and down or side to side it could be a bad tire. Being balanced but out of round will cause this prolbem even with a good front end.

[jeramy_T]

I had the same problem on a 96, they told me it needed new "stabalizer Pins" said one was completly broken and the other was cracked

I never got it fixed cause i just sold it but it was only like $100 to fix.

[nadia241978]

Originally Posted by jeramy_T

I had the same problem on a 96, they told me it needed new "stabalizer Pins" said one was completly broken and the other was cracked

I never got it fixed cause i just sold it but it was only like $100 to fix.

I have the same problem with my 95! I just spoke to a dealer, who suggested that it is roters...possibly calipers! I will update when I get it in there!

[jeramy_T]

Originally Posted by tjb6172

when at high speeds above 60 and I hit a bump, as in a overpass not all but ones that make a significant jar. The front end, particularly the driver side front wheel, starts shuttering. It feels like the tires about to vibrate off. After the vibration starts, slowing down to about 45 will stop the vibration and just keep on going. does anybody have an ideal. I don't want to take it to the dealer and pay out the nose.
thanks
TB

One thing i did notice however was during the winter when it got really cold out, this wasnt much of a problem (40 and below). when spring came around however on the warmer days it came back

[elkepelka]

Originally Posted by jeramy_T

One thing i did notice however was during the winter when it got really cold out, this wasnt much of a problem (40 and below). when spring came around however on the warmer days it came back

We are having a similar problem, only ours happens when whatever it is warms up (and yes, it happens when the weather is warmer for us too). Ours also is occuring worse when we are making a left turn or u-turn, and going at a slow speed. If we go thru the turn quickly, it isn't a problem. Much worse on the drivers side and feels as if we have a flat tire. Also seems pretty noisy to those outside of the car, as I get funny looks from people. Our mechanic cannot figure it out. We've gone thru the obvious, checked the tires, checked alignment, brakes are brand new, new axel boots. Given the miles and age of the car, I don't want to have to put a lot of $ into it (oh yeah, ours is also a '95)

[richpinkham]

How long has is been since you replaced the Shocks on the front as it sounds like that may be the prolbem since it only affects it when its warm or after driving a while. The oil in the shocks warm up and dont work as well as they do when very cold.
Check it out as its a cheap and simple fix
good luck

[nadia241978]

good news...I took my 95 into the dealer, and got a FULL brake job...they claim the problem was the calipers...the problem does seem to be corrected, but like you guys were saying, the weather is getting colder! The best I can say is that the loose feeling in the steering wheel is gone when I hit a bump!

[jquinn77]

I have a 93 GC and had the same problem, when I got to 45 to 50 miles an hour the front end started shaking terribly. Sometimes it would start automaticaly or it would happen when I hit a bump. I took it to a front end shop and was told that the back brakes were not working at all causing the front brakes to do all the work. After time the calipers started sticking causing the problem. I thought the guy was nuts. After a couple of months I decided to bite the bullet and replace the calipers. To my surprise calipers are $12.99 at Autozone. I did nothing to the back brakes and just replaced the calipers. Everything was fantastic for about two months and it started doing it again. Replaced the calipers again and fixed the back brakes and have not had the problem since.

[noodlelegs]

I have had two problems with my 2001 grand cherokee limited.

The first was when I would hit a bump in the road WHILE slightly turning, the steering wheel would kinda pull away from me. THAT was the steering dampner, cost like $100 to fix, not a big deal.

The next problem I just started experiencing within the last week. The first time I noticed it was right after slightly going off road on some GRAVEL (for cryin out loud), up around 30-50mph my jeep started shaking, i thought it was going to blow up. after driving a couple miles like that it gradually went away.
then recenty i was just driving along at like 50mph, i tapped my break, then let me jeep coast, and all of the sudden it starts VIOLENTLY shaking, steering wheel throwing out of my hands, car shaking this way and that. i was like, holy crap.
took it in to dealer, they say my calipers, brakes and rotors all need replaced, and the problem is coming from my calipers, brakes and rotors being severly warped.... even though i wasnt applying the break when it was shaking. i take the jeep in to get fixed in a couple days, if anyone wants to know how it turns out, email me or send me a message.