89 Cherokee Shaking/Vibrating Please Help

[Greyson]

I've got an 89 Jeep Cherokee Limited, 4.0 Liter, 4WD, Automatic Transmission. It was a nice vehicle until about 2 months ago. It started to shake pretty bad at speeds of 45mph or higher. I took it too a mechanic and he said the rear end was shot and wanted $1200 to replace it. That was a bit steep so I did it myself. I found a used but in great condition rear and spent 9 hours learning how to remove and re-install one. So I figure ok, that's done! Now I can get back on the road. Well, nope... It didn't fix a thing. I still have the exact same problem but at least can rule out anything in the rear end as the problem.

When I say shaking, I mean bad enough to where it moves the people in the passenger compartment. And the dash sounds like it's going to fall out at any moment. Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?

I've searched and looked for a couple weeks now and I haven't found any real solutions. And I'm not about to go back to a mechanic who just wants to get in my pocket.

On a side note, I've had the Cherokee for about 4 years and from the start it's had an odd 'rubbing' noise coming from what sounds like the rear of the vehicle. The noise is speed dependant. The faster I go the faster the noise gets. Replacing the rear end didn't change that either. It still makes that noise. I don't know if there's any connection or not but I thought It was important enough to mention.

Recently (within a year or so) replaced parts:
Hubs & Shoes (rear)
Rotors & Pads (front)
Entire Rear-End Assembly
All 4 tires

Any and all help as soon as possible would be greatly appreciated.
Greyson

[KC0JYK]

My jeep was doing the same thing a while back. It is a five speed manual. When you got going about 45 mph in fifth gear, it started to shake very badly. Under the front there is a steering stabilizer that looks like a shock absorber. It looked like it was leeking so we replaced it and it seems to have fixed the shake. The stabilizer on our jeep was yellow

I would try to replace that and see if it fixes the shaking in your jeep.

[Greyson]

I looked at that shock in the front. It appears to be ok. It's not leaking anywhere or anything like that. Had a bit of splashed up mud on it but that was about it. Thanks though.

Greyson

[KC0JYK]

I think you should still try to replace it and see if it fixes the vibrating.

You also might want to see if the tires are balanced right or if the weights came off.

[gtmud]

I agree! Even though the stabilizer "looks" good it could still be bad. Take it off, compress it and see if it cames back at a decent rate. Another thing to look at would be your track bar, make sure the jionts are well greased.

[rotorfloat]

I would agree on the damper up front, all mine took was a carefully placed pothole and away it went. Careful not to let it go too long, all that banging around can oval the holes that your track bar mounts into, leading to nice sloppy steering.

[springhill_01]

I know this sounds too easy but I had a car that almost shook me out the door at about 50 mph. Turned out the problem was a broken steel belt on one of the tires. Didn't know it until it went flat one day, put on the spare and it drove smooth as glass.

[Edbrooks]

I agree. Just fixed similar problem on 88 4L. Replaced track bar and stabilizer shock. The old shock, now on my bench, has absolutely zero compression! The track bar ball joint was badly worn. Replace them both. They are inexpensive and easy to replace (does require a puller.)

[Greyson]

I replaced the steering dampener shock. Checked everything else, ball joints, tie rod ends, and all the other bushings. They were ok, but I still can't get the blasted thing to stop shaking. The steering itself is tight, feels good even. I went ahead and lubed everything under there while I was there, that didn't help either. Not that I expected it to but I was there...

Thanks for all the help. But I think I'm going to have to break down and take it back to a sheisty mechanic again. Doesn't look like I have much choice at this point.

Greyson

[MagicRat]

You have expreienced the single most common problem with Cherokees : Death wobble.

Search this forum and you will find dozens of threads about the same problem. It's so common, there should be a warning light on the dash.

Any significant wear, looseness or tire problems in the front end produces this. It is a maintenance issue. Replace all worn components, including control arm bushings and the problem will go away.