Jeep: Front Wheels alternately bouncing, death wobble, aftermarket rims

Question
When driving down the road on occasion my front wheels will start alternately bouncing so violently I have to slow down to get them to stop.  The times that this occurs is irradic.  Previously it only occured during highway driving when I hit a violent pothole in the road.  I have changed the shocks and just had tires rotated and balanced.  I am purchasing new tires today (my currents have 68,000 miles on them) and having a brake job completed on Friday.

I have to just baby it down the road as I can feel the oscillation coming on and have to back of the gas then drive thru it.

Again the feeling is alternate vertical bouncing of the right and left front tires.

Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Kyle,

Well, I can hazard a few guesses, but you didn't tell me the year or model of your Jeep. That said, I do have a few thoughts.

First, check the steering damper -- its the shock that mates the front differential to the track bar. Most failing ones are leaking, but I've seen one or two that didn't. Also, check the track bar itself for any play; there should be minimal movement. Then, check the ball joints for the same. These are *some* common problems for death wobble, but not nearly all of them.

Is the car lifted or have oversized tires? If so, the instability factor goes up. I've seen some aftermarket rims that won't completely fit the bolt pattern on the hub, and end up not torquing properly (the tech that balanced the tires would have noticed any problems). Lift kits are cool, but sometimes techs overlook re-tightening parts. Although common mods to Jeeps, they often take the vehicle outside of engineered safety zones. Regardless, this is a serious problem, and I've driven Jeeps that'll rattle the steering wheel right out of your hands. I'd get a reputable dealer or independent front-end shop to have a look at it.

Good luck!