Shaking

[Libra72]

I have a 1988 Jeep Cherokee, and i have this bad shake when i go on the highway. I would be driving along, and out of blue you could feel the steering wheel start to shake, and then all of a sudden the whole truck shakes horribly where i have to pull over to the side of the road so it'll stop (Only shakes at highway speeds) A small pothole could even set it off. I've read a lot of posts on here about the same problem, but none that really clearly gave an answer to the question. I have replaced the stabilizer shock in the front, the stabilizer bar in the front also is well greased, and seems to be intacked and in good condition, and the steering colum has been tightened. It's not warped rotors, the brakes are said to be in good condition, the tire pressure in all tires are fine, and the tires are all good. I could change the shocks, but why change those and spend the $$ if i don't need to, they seem fine! I guess my next thing to do is check the tied rod ends, and track bar ends, after that i'm at a cross road!!!! PLeeeeeease, can someone help!!!! Thanks for any replys! Peace!

[thinmints]

i have a 96 that had the same problem i replaced the steering shock and i still had the problem so i replaced the front shocks it wasnt as bad after i did that but if i hit a pot hole hard enough it would start up again. I took it to the dealer all the front end parts were good ,so the dealer swaped out my tires that i had on with a set of tires and rims from a 98 wrangler they had on the lot, they let me drive it a few days to see if i could get it to shake again.. well to my suprise it didn't the dealer says some cheap tires will cause the problem and that if i was to replace the tires it should fix the problem... i ended up finding a set of rims/tires from a 97 wrangler on ebay for $300 as soon as i put those on i havent had a problem since, you may want to try that if you can or you may end up going to a jeep dealer to see if they can help Good Luck

[Saudade]

Check your front end alignment and your wheel balance

[MagicRat]

This is the Jeep XJ 'death wobble'. It's very common and there is no definitive cause. Any number of front end problems can cause the same symptoms, so there is no definitive solution. As the other posts say, it requires careful diagnosis, for front end wear in ball joints and steering components, alignment, tires and wheels. I have also heard that wear and looseness in the front end control arms contributes to it, too.

I think the above advice is a good place to start.

Look at jeepsunlimited.com (in the Cherokee section). In that forum, there are so many death wobble threads, the solutions are given in a 'frequently asked question' section so newbies don't flood the forum with the same question.
Good luck.

[Libra72]

Thanks for the advice!

[Edbrooks]

Mine was identical. Had to come to emergency stop on shoulder several times after hitting a bump. Car almost uncontrollable. Replaced stabilizer shock and the track bar. Steady as a rock.