I recently bought an 89 Zuki Hardtop. It had a pretty good death wobble going from about 35 mph and kept going to about 42 mph. I went for the most obvious culprit and found tire pressure was between 10 - 15 psi all around. So I aired them all up to the specified 36 psi. I don't know if it was wishful thinking but it seemed to eliminate the problem. Now its a few days later and I still get a shadow of the old wobble around the same speeds. Sometimes it isn't as noticable when I take my time getting up to speed but most times I have my foot in it and it smooths right through. Are the tires so fawked from their previous condition? WTF?!?! How can I check the steering box and joints for slop? Are there any other points to check here? Could a drive shaft be it?

TIA - frosty :beer:

could be your drive line isnt balanced.
Check u-jounts & if any of those lil weights fell off

for sure the knuckle ( KINGPIN ) bearings are toast ( hammered into the races and probably rusted ) also check the felt seals around the knuckles

it may be a broken belt in the tires, take the rear ties and put them on the front and try it....... and i think 36lb. is too much...... we use 22-24 lb. in our stock zukis and 20 in my 31"s......:flipoff2:

read the thread steering woe's there are some good suggestions there. l8tr scott

Originally posted by tigger4x
I recently bought an 89 Zuki Hardtop. It had a pretty good death wobble going from about 35 mph and kept going to about 42 mph. I went for the most obvious culprit and found tire pressure was between 10 - 15 psi all around. So I aired them all up to the specified 36 psi. I don't know if it was wishful thinking but it seemed to eliminate the problem. Now its a few days later and I still get a shadow of the old wobble around the same speeds. Sometimes it isn't as noticable when I take my time getting up to speed but most times I have my foot in it and it smooths right through. Are the tires so fawked from their previous condition? WTF?!?! How can I check the steering box and joints for slop? Are there any other points to check here? Could a drive shaft be it?




first off: "stock 'zuki"
everything is stock? tires, wheels, shocks, suspension, steering etc etc???? no poorly welded spring perches that have screwed with the castor and so on?

-36 psi:eek: the "stock" tire pressure is supposed to be 22 psi front and rear, going up to 26 psi rear when fully loaded.
even if you have different wheels and tires (which is probably the case....) 36 is way too high, and 20 would be more than likely the best all 'round pressure for street driving.

personally, i have found increasing the pressure usually HELPS to make death wobble MORE pronounced, and the less psi makes it better.....
if the tires are aired up, there is less resistance to turning, and less resistance makes it easier for the whole steering system to move-or wobble, if there is something amiss in the set up.

i'm not saying this is always the case, just it makes sense for me.

what about your steering damper? when i did my spring over, and took off the swaybar, i also took off the steeing damper while i was at it. EEEEEK! major death wobble ensued.
i replaced the stock damper with an aftermarket one (just a cheap Monroe) and everything was sweet again.

just lately, i put in a Toy power steering set up, and was able to remove the damper. (actually i had to, the Toy pitman arm doesn't have the mounting points for the stock damper bracket on it, and i'm reluctant to weld on it or drill through it...)
anyway, for the first month or so, i was totally happy, no bump steer, no wobble, everything was beautiful.
came back from a local trail one day, and.....the freakin death wobble was suddenly back! :mad:

i replaced the 11 year old stock front wheel bearings, felts, seals etc. and death wobble still there. temporarily put the steering damper back on, and although the wobble is definately still there, the damper is doing it's duty, and damping the occillations.

i had swapped rear tires to front, and checked all my steering linkages too,(i have cross over steering) when trying to track down source of wobble, no luck.

*if* by death wobble, you mean the steering wheel turning quite violently left and right in an ever increasing cycle, like how i define it, i would highly doubt the drive shaft/s having anything remotely to do with it.
to me, there is a huge difference between "vibration" or "shaking" or "shuddering" which is usually what driveshafts are described as causing, and wheel "wobbling" where the front wheels rapidly go left and right (like on a shopping cart).
also "weave" or "wander" i would describe as loose or sloppy linkages-possible contributing to wobble, but not the sole cause.
(as evidenced by my wobble still being present, with perfectly torqued fasteners and cotter pins displaying no slop what so ever.)

the ONLY thing i haven't done yet, is to replace the kingpin bearings like Airzuki suggested. that should have been the first thing i did, but i figured on putting new bearings in everywhere anyway, just in different order.

the first thing I do when I get a new to me zuki is change the kingpin bearings....it always does the trick with the wobbles.....

at the same time you should change the felts and all the seals...and grease the birfields....this way you see what you got....

I had the front left tire lock up at 85km/h with my 31 boggers, we took a 30 ft skid sideways and lived to tell about it......now I make sure to get ride of the wobbles and grease the bearings...

....and when you do the kingpins, don't try to cheat, change the race at the same time as the bearings......



"Firts get your hands dirty and then you can get your zuki dirty!"

Originally posted by UZI 9mm

when i did my spring over, and took off the swaybar, i also took off the steeing damper while i was at it. EEEEEK! major death wobble ensued.
i replaced the stock damper with an aftermarket one (just a cheap Monroe) and everything was sweet again.


Well i'd have to say you have steering woes yourself ! You just masked the problem by the sounds of it. You shouldnt have wobble, period. Damper or no damper.

Originally posted by Stu
could be your drive line isnt balanced.
Check u-jounts & if any of those lil weights fell off

WTF you talkin about ? :flipoff2: :confused: :flipoff2:

Originally posted by Titanium


Well i'd have to say you have steering woes yourself ! You just masked the problem by the sounds of it. You shouldnt have wobble, period. Damper or no damper.

ya, i totally agree. woe is me:D

mind you, i can't think of a vehicle that didn't come with a steering damper from the factory....so I believe there is *some* inherent wobble in most designs, nature of the beast. some it's maybe just more pronounced than others.

Originally posted by Titanium


WTF you talkin about ?

Drive Shafts do have u-joints ya know (they could go bad):rolleyes:
they're also balanced, a weight could have fallen off

:flipoff2: fawker

Originally posted by Stu


Drive Shafts do have u-joints ya know (they could go bad)
they're also balanced, a weight could have fallen off

:flipoff2: fawker


drive lines will cause vibs, not death wobble...............fawker:flipoff2: :D

Originally posted by mud-magnet



drive lines will cause vibs, not death wobble...............fawker

oh :laughing: :laughing:

we all seem to have a different definition of speed wobble.
In my experience, death wobble is a VIOLENT shacking of the truck to the point it almost rips the steering wheel from your hands. You usually have to slow down and sometimes come to a complete stop to get rid of it.

Anything else is minor.

Yes, a real death wobble experience is always followed by a mandatory underwear check. If they are clean, it was vibration. If they are dirty, it was the death wobble :D

When I first bought my Samurai, it was stock. It had some shakes at highway speeds. My mechanic took a look at it, and said my wheel bearings needed to be replaced. I think you can check your wheel bearings yourself. Just jack the front up and see if the wheel is loose.

Originally posted by UZI 9mm


ya, i totally agree. woe is me:D

mind you, i can't think of a vehicle that didn't come with a steering damper from the factory....so I believe there is *some* inherent wobble in most designs, nature of the beast. some it's maybe just more pronounced than others.


FWIW, coily Samis came from the factory WITHOUT a steering damper. They also came with no wobble...

Mine still has NO wobble at all, even after lifting it around 10" and running with 35" SX. I can take my hand off the steering wheel at 80 km/hr and cruise.........:flipoff2: I do have a damper, tho...

I can´t even do that in my bone stock Jeep...:p

Originally posted by billj




Mine still has NO wobble at all, even after lifting it around 10" and running with 35" SX. I can take my hand off the steering wheel at 80 km/hr and cruise.......


what, permanent smug mode?
did i ever tell you how much i truly hate you?:flipoff2:


PS: jerk.:flipoff2:

Originally posted by UZI 9mm


what, permanent smug mode?
did i ever tell you how much i truly hate you?flipoff2:


PS: jerk.flipoff2:


Smug mode is turned on once a month, just to keep it in tip-top shape. Today´s the day...:cool:

And no, you never have before shown your true feelings towards me. Is this one of those "love / hate" thangs that you´ve been holding inside?!?!?:flipoff2:

JFA, ok?!?!? :flipoff2:

oh, go play in a nest of Tarantulas or something.
see what a Boa Constrictor looks like from the inside?
:flipoff2:


* DO you have to worry about that kinda stuff when out wheeling where you are?:eek:

Originally posted by UZI 9mm
oh, go play in a nest of Tarantulas or something.
see what a Boa Constrictor looks like from the inside?
:flipoff2:


* DO you have to worry about that kinda stuff when out wheeling where you are?:eek:


We have no tarantulas here but it´d be better if we did, rather than these poisonous bastids crawlin all over... Same with the snakes. Boas just squeeeeeze ya, there are about 05 other species that can take you out with just a small bite...

Actually, it´s not that bad. The key is to not wander off the beaten trail into the surrounding rain forest. But if ya gotta go pee or poop, then it´s best to make a lot of racket so that any beasties in the immediate area have time to flee before you step on ´em. That´s where the danger lies. None of these animals will attack a person outright, but if you corner one, they can fawk up your day...:p

And it´s always a good idea that someone in the group has a first-aid kit with anti-venom...

Just as long as you don't have to make them suck the poison out of your a$$:eek:

Tonto said to Lone Ranger after he gets back from the Doctor.
" Doctor says you going to die!"

:D :D

I got a death wobble on mine after my last trip. I think it is because of my tie-rod being slightly bent. Mine kicks in at about 30-40 I guess, I need a speedometer that works but that seems right and I just have to pull over stop and start again or it will shake the damn thing apart.

Originally posted by Lziffle73
I got a death wobble on mine after my last trip. I think it is because of my tie-rod being slightly bent. Mine kicks in at about 30-40 I guess, I need a speedometer that works but that seems right and I just have to pull over stop and start again or it will shake the damn thing apart.

Now that is Death wobble:D

Originally posted by mudlite


Now that is Death wobble:D



*sniff* *sniff* what IS that smell?
OH, MY GAWD. i've got death wobble.:D

Someone Please SHOOT this horse

Originally posted by UZI 9mm




*sniff* *sniff* what IS that smell?
OH, MY GAWD. i've got death wobble.:D


DOES IT HURT WHEN YOU PEE?






































LOOSEN THE GRIP!!!!!

:eek:

Okay, I went down to Checker/Kragen and got a listing of parts. What I wanna know is did I get the right stuff?!?

CR Bearing ... Part # FW138/517004 (includes the race)
CR Seal ........ Part # 19613/710098

When I asked for "felts" I got that :confused: look ... :rolleyes:

Are these the right bearings and seals for the Kingpin?!? I am almost gonna bet on Murphy's law that these are the wheel bearings. Can anybody help me out with the differentiating terminology between wheel bearings and the kingpin bearings so I know for sure i will get the right sheit. I just CAN'T pull this thing apart and find out they ordered me the wrong shtuff.

TIA :beer:

Are you sure it is the King pins? or are you just starting to rebuild your truck there? How much play is there in the king pins? have you checked all other points listed? toe in, mud in the rims, tire ballance, bend rim, bent tie rod.............??????????????

Don't just start replacing shat before you know what the trouble is.

just a guess but ya think you might have flat spots on the tires from being left at a low air psi ????????

Originally posted by tigger4x
....Can anybody help me out with the differentiating terminology between wheel bearings and the kingpin bearings so I know for sure i will get the right sheit.....
My advice is not to mess with Checker/Kragen. If anyone looks at you with the :confused: look, don't buy the stuff from them. I would go to Petroworks or Trail Tough and get their kit. Their bearings are quality, the kits are complete, and you are guaranteed to get the right thing the first time.

MUDLITE ... I have no idea if it is the kingpins or not. That is why I am hear asking for some ideas. I've never had to deal with it and am not looking forward do dealing with the birfs either!

ROCKRAT ... I have dealt with flat-spotted tires before and they make more of a consistant whump whump whump kinda sound from start to stop and not between specific speeds.

TUSKER ... I am not really worried about the :confused: look cuz I think it would be a lot like looking inna mirror at myself. I have no idea what "felts" are either. I know what window felts are though. I need a full set especially with monsoon season here. All I need is the right parts. So far i haven't had a problem with them yet. Lucky me I suppose. But for giggles what kinda $$$ does Petroworks want for the full kit?!?

Originally posted by Tusker
Yes, a real death wobble experience is always followed by a mandatory underwear check. If they are clean, it was vibration. If they are dirty, it was the death wobble :D



LMAO, and agree totally

Originally posted by tigger4x
... what kinda $$$ does Petroworks want for the full kit?!? TIA :beer:

DID YOU CHECK YOUR TOE-IN ? Often, this is the cause, you might need a little adjustment and you may not have to spend a dime. :eek:

:confused: Toe in?!? Of course I keep my toes in. I don't want them smashed on the rocks! ;)

But seriously, I will be getting my alignment checked out when I get my new 31s. But who knows how soon that'll be.:mad: I have to have the cashola for gears. A locker out back wouldn't hurt either.

Now the real question comes out ... do I really wanna keep the stock axles if I'm gonna do all this?!? Hmmmmm ... options???

Originally posted by tigger4x
:confused: Toe in?!? Of course I keep my toes in. I don't want them smashed on the rocks! ;)

But seriously, I will be getting my alignment checked out when I get my new 31s.

Now the real question comes out ... do I really wanna keep the stock axles if I'm gonna do all this?!? Hmmmmm ... options???

31's or stock, toe in makes a big difference, use a tape measure and get measurin...... If yoyr gonna run 31's, dont bother swappin diffs, they'll hold up just fine :flipoff2: