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BigJimnyMeet (North) 2024 (12 Jan 2024)


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First time buyer. Concerned about death wobble. Need advice.

  • Lambert
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30 Dec 2018 07:54 #199694 by Lambert

ILIV wrote:

Lambert wrote: I'm a farmer and I use my Jimny off road every day and I look at a service life on the kingpin bearings of about 2 years. My other Jimny is essentially a road car and I expect to get around 4 years to a set of the bearings. This is based on me being particularly sensitive to steering wobble and changing components at the slightest hint of wear. What I'm trying to say is that death wobble isn't a massive problem and once fixed tends to stay fixed for a goodly amount of time. Also don't forget that forum's are a focal point of any little thing that can affect any car and they also attract people looking for solutions not necessarily the vast majority of owners who are having a fault free ownership.


Hey Lambert! Thanks for chiming in. I appreciate the service life figures. Gave me a good idea of what to expect. I find this information highly valuable. BTW, is your Jimny that you use for off-road is modded at all? I mean, does the DW problem affect both cars no matter if they are in stock configuration or not?

I agree, people tend to complain more about problems and we often see a skewed picture as a result. I'm well aware of this phenomenon. That is why I said that I was confused somewhat because I actually had read numerous owner reviews and while people mentioned various problems that one might run into with Jimny I haven't seen a single report of a DW.


Both mine are essentially standard cars with the exception of the farm one having had it's deteriorated suspension replaced with much more robust but still standard dimension components. As in Ermintrude is not an off road monster she is just a bit tougher to withstand the work she does every day basically anything that has died through the constant heavy use has been replaced if possible with a better quality version but things like the tyres are still a road bias all seasons pattern and as much as I need to there isn't anywhere on my hill farm I can't get within 10 metres of.

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30 Dec 2018 09:41 - 30 Dec 2018 09:42 #199699 by Busta

ILIV wrote:
Thanks for the reply, Busta. As I said, I don't really know all that much about cars. Let alone pecularities of 4x4's.

So, are you saying I should not expect an ideal, vibrationless steering from a Jimny, or a Jeep for that matter? Whereas in FWD/RWD road cars it should be quite ideal just because those cars are different by design?


Yes, precisely that. I certainly wouldn't let death wobble put me off buying one, and there's simple steps you can take to minimise the lesser steering wobbles if that does bother you. But if you want a completely refined, pillow smooth ride then don't get a 4x4 with solid axles.
Last edit: 30 Dec 2018 09:42 by Busta.

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30 Dec 2018 10:50 #199706 by Max Headroom

ILIV wrote: It appears that in principle the problem is very similar across all these brands: loosened/weared parts of suspension and wheel imbalance in general.


Exactly; prevention is better than cure, so proper maintenance is the order of the day and releatively inexpensive on the Jimny.
I really think you may have focussed on this particular trait of 4x4s and become uneccessarily worried by it.
I'm confident you will be fine.


IF IT AINT BROKE, KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS

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31 Dec 2018 00:14 - 31 Dec 2018 00:15 #199745 by Jimx5
Having looked at the condition of that Jimny in your picture, it looks very well maintained.
I doubt there would be any steering wobble, and it's not the end of the world if there is.
Last edit: 31 Dec 2018 00:15 by Jimx5.

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31 Dec 2018 10:44 #199767 by Max Headroom

Jimx5 wrote: Having looked at the condition of that Jimny in your picture, it looks very well maintained.
I doubt there would be any steering wobble, and it's not the end of the world if there is.


Yes - I completely agree with all of that [Smiley Thumbs-up Needed Here]


IF IT AINT BROKE, KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS

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05 Jan 2019 13:01 #200050 by me101
Hi, fairly new to Jimnys myself - had mine just over a year. Bought mine with 57k on it, and had DW at 40mph. Dealer replaced kingpins and this seemed to cure. After 6mths, got it again! Having replaced bushes on the front (inc panhard rod) this seems to have rectified. Cheers

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05 Jan 2019 18:16 #200061 by Max Headroom
Was that a bit of a "wobble" or the dangerous and uncontrollable "tries-to-throw-you-off-the-road " kind of wobble?

...Only I'm under the impression that any wobble is being called DW


IF IT AINT BROKE, KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS

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05 Jan 2019 20:20 #200068 by me101
For me, is was a lot more than a wheel out of balance! Really bad shake at around 40mph, and I would not go over 50. Putting my off road tyres on made it worse.

2007 Little Jim with cheap mods!
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05 Jan 2019 21:28 - 05 Jan 2019 21:29 #200071 by Max Headroom
From what I understand of this phenomenon, at least on the standard set-up cars, king pin bearings and panhard rod bushes seem to be the fix


IF IT AINT BROKE, KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS
Last edit: 05 Jan 2019 21:29 by Max Headroom.

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06 Jan 2019 15:31 #200075 by Rhinoman

ILIV wrote: how do you reliably verify if a Jimny suffers from the DW? From what I have read, in some cases it goes away and reappears. That is, it is not consistent.


Some vehicles suffer a wobble that can be caused by a number of different problems. If you want to see if it has a 'Death Wobble' then drive it on an uneven road at around 50MPH - if it shakes so badly it feels like its going to fall apart and you can't see where you're going then it has a DW. You'll see more references to it on sites like this one because heavier wheels and tyres and lifted suspension make everything a bit less stable. In my case a mildly annoying wobble turned into a DW when I fitted aftermarket front Panhard rod bushes.

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06 Jan 2019 15:33 #200076 by Rhinoman

Max Headroom wrote: Was that a bit of a "wobble" or the dangerous and uncontrollable "tries-to-throw-you-off-the-road " kind of wobble?
...Only I'm under the impression that any wobble is being called DW



Exactly.

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06 Jan 2019 20:39 - 06 Jan 2019 20:42 #200090 by Scimike
As said above all wobble is being incorrectly called "Death Wobble". But it is a fact that the Jimny has a "resonance" at about 45 mph at which point a steering shake can manifest itself (avoiding the term wobble). Depending upon the condition of the collective steering components AND any changes from standard this resonance can vary from nothing to "Death Wobble". For future clarity can I suggest a new measurement unit, the JDW (Jimny Death wobble). The scale will be 0 to 10 for steering shake and 11 for a Spinal shaking death wobble. :laugh: :laugh:

My Jimny had a JDW of 3, but a steering damper has masked this feature. See how this helps to give a "feel" of the problem.:silly:

Hang onto the wheel people.

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Last edit: 06 Jan 2019 20:42 by Scimike.

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