shaking jeep .. ????...help??

Question

1988 jeep wrangler
my jeep shakes violently around 45+mph..when i was on the freeway it started shaking horribly i thought my windows were going 2 shatter...when that happens its very hard 2 control...it stops when i slow down below 40 or so
is it my engine, axle?????..helP!!!!

Answer 1

Could be an unbalanced tire, a wheel bearing. You can take it to a mechanic and have them drive it and they will most likely be able to figure out what it is. Make sure you check out the mechanic first, and make sure they are reputable. Better get it fixed soon, because it does not sound safe to continue to drive this vehicle as it is. Good luck with your Jeep.

Answer 2

My first inclination is imfamous Death Wobble. Jeeps have narrow axels and road conditions effect alignment because they don't fit in the groves like normal cars. if you lift a jeep you change the geometry of the steering arms and drag links. this creates severe toe-in on the alignment. these two things combined make the tires litterally jump into convultions.

A lot of people have minor vibration and are scared they have death wobble, but trust me you know it once you experience it.

if you truck isn't lifted, check the ball joints by lifting one side of the truck and shaking the front tire. there should be very little movement.

next check the alignment! take a tape measure and measure the distance from the out side of the tire on the bumper side of the front tires, then the back. It should be 1/8" narrower in the front of the tire than it is in the rear of the front tire.

Answer 3

From a lot a past experience - check the track bar first. I had a 98 Grand Cherokee (same basic suspension/steering setup) and had a lot of the same symptoms you have. I replaced rotors, got alignment, rebalanced the tires, tie rod ends, etc. After a lot of headache, I called an experienced Jeep tech and he said track bar, and he was right. I replaced mine with an extreme duty adjustable track bar from Rubicon Express. Normally you have to replace the whole bar, but with the Rubicon Express one, you can replace the end when the joint is worn. More money, but well worth it.

Answer 4

Had this exact same problem, I thought I'd wreck if it kept up. Kinda scary on the interstate. Took it in and they told me it was the tires. Kinda made sense though, because once it got started, I had to slow down to get it to "catch up" and stop.

Are you running Goodyear's? I have never been a fan of Goodyear tires, but they came on it when I got it.

Sure enough, I changed over to some BF Goodrich's, and never had the problem again.

Make sure you have them rotated often, else you will have this problem. Once it's there, not much you can do but get a new set. I tried rotating them a few times, but never got it to stop.

Answer 5

my 89 jeep Comanche did the same thing. I had a hot spot on my brake rotor. It would shake and also pull to side that was bad. A dead give away is when it caught on fire. I changed out the rotors and the front brake pads and my problems where solved.

Answer 6

1992 jeep same problem the tie rods bad the joint and socket are wore out causing alot of sloppyness in the wheels causing it to shake really bad at high speeds even if your wheels were unbalanced it shount shake like that

Answer 7

Could be a separated fiber thread in the tire. It could be a front end problem like an "idler arm" that connects to your ball joints, or it could be the joints also.

Answer 8

If somebody regarded at thechronic line and you have a three in enhance. i'm questioning thechronic shaft is on the incorrect attitude with the rear diff. there's a particular gauge for to analyze on the attitude of the rearchronic shaft to the rear differential

Answer 9

Sounds like your tires. Have the balance of the tires checked asap! Or have your brake rotors checked.

Answer 10

99 jeep and mine done that and the ball joints were going out