Jeep Creep Q&A Column

In your Jeep Creep questions, please list your first and last names, your hometown, and your state/province/country, so that we can publish that information here. If you don’t provide this information, we may not be able to publish your question and answer. Don’t forget to be as complete as possible with the description of your Jeep and its problems, too. No Jeep recalls this month. See all of the posted recalls at www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm.—Jim Brightly

‘Nother Death Wobble

My ‘91 Cherokee Limited with a 6-inch lift and 33-inch tires has a horrible death wobble. All the joints are good and all are tight. I noticed that the previous owner broke one of the steering box bolts and I can see minor movement when I stand out the door and turn the wheel. It seems like the frame rail flexes. And I noticed the driver’s front tire is kicked in a bit more then the other side. Could this be the reason? Will a professional alignment and replacing that bolt be my repair?
91blackbox
Yucaipa, CA

With that high a lift and relatively oversized tires, you’re putting a strain on your steering assembly even in a parking lot. If you crawl rocks, you’re putting an even higher strain on the components so you need to brace it. You need a cross-frame brace running from the bottom of the gearbox to the opposite side frame rail. Take a look at the websites of 4-Wheel Parts and/or 4-Wheel Hardware and you find the brace you need. Once you have that brace in place, have the Cherokee professionally aligned and your death wobble will be gone!