Death Wobble on this immaculate '99 Jeep Cherokee! CAR WIZARD shows how to find it and the fix 

We purchased a barely used 2001 Cherokee Sport 4.0 and put almost 200,000 miles on it. In that time it got tires, brakes,oil changes,one tuneup and a serpentine belt. Hands down the most reliable vehicle we ever owned so far.

I've owned 3 of these. My daughter just turned over 180,000 miles on her 98. I'll argue that the steering stabilizer is a band aid and not a solution to death wobble, so a failed stabilizer would only reveal another problem, and would not be the primary problem. I've worked on hundreds of these and TJs, which have the same front end setup. No rear swaybar means it either has the Up Country suspension, or someone removed it at some time.

Car Wizard: " I DO NOT work on older cars!!" Also Car Wizard "Here is the latest old car I am working on!" Keep up the good work!

I lived not far from Papa's Jeep in New Britain CT. That dealership sold TONS of Jeeps throughout the state. I would see their dealership sticker on the back of many Jeep vehicles for decades. Nice to see this one survived. 😊

My daily driver is a 1998 Cherokee XJ Classic in Deep Amethyst Pearl (purple). Just had the rear leaf springs re-arched and a leaf added to them. This lead to getting some new, taller springs up front. That with my new, bigger tires and rims, gives it a certain badass look to it. Great, great car. 187,500 miles on it. Just keeps going. I do my own maintenances to it and I am, at best, a shade tree mechanic. It is extremely simple to work on. I hope to keep it forever. Perfect size with great power. I drive it with the rear seat folded down pretty much all the time. Had the death wobble taken care of. No biggie. I should also add that, because I live in the high desert of Nevada, I don’t have ANY rust on it. 😎 Love your videos, Mr and Mrs Car Wizard!

The track bar. I'll remember that thnk! The oil pan gasket is a very easy fix. Hell, even the valve cover gasket was a breeze to replace. I love this 4.0L engines 😊 get them while you can ppl!

99 is the best year for the Cherokees. Still had the 8.25 rear end and it didn't have the head gasket issues that the 00 had.

In addition to the death wobble, these are known for getting bad steering gearbox is where there is a lot of play in the steering. We fixed mine about 10 years ago and 100,000 miles ago put some Bill Steen shocks on it Cooper cover tires and it can still keep up with traffic on the interstate.

I finally figured out how to fix overheating problems on these engines! Fan shroud makes a big difference, when you pick out a thermostat never delete your thermostat and don’t go with a cooler thermostat either, go with an OEM 195 degree thermostat. I guess it lets the coolant stay in the radiator long enough to actually cool significantly better. I did all sorts of stupid stuff and this was the only thing that worked. Some of these do you have some sort of reverse flow cooling systems, which can be confusing.

Wizard! I live 10 minutes from Papa’s in New Britain CT. They are still in business. Bought a few jeeps there myself. Had a 2004 Jeep wrangler unlimited that had the death wobble. Couldn’t solve it so I traded it in for a 2011 Jeep GC. Love the channel and a hello to Mrs. Wizard.

The first XJ that I owned had to have the track bar replaced once in 248,000 miles. I caught it before the death wobble set in.

Papa’s CDJR is still in business. I live ten miles from there. They have several great car shows every year, and are very involved with the local car community and are big supporters of the Special Olympics.

When these were in production wrangler drivers would get PISSED when xj drivers did the wave.

One of my favorite jeeps 🤎🤎

Three years in a Jeep dealership in the 70's I never saw "death wobble" in a Cherokee or Wagoneer. Different sized vehicle than yours. The wobble was common in the CJ-5 and was most often the stabilizer unit. Jeep called the Cardin joint a constant velocity joint; it had no provisions for lubrication. Bad news if it failed. The flailing shaft frequently cracked the trans case.

Hi Wizard, I thought that all of the Jeep products are not good or reliable. But I guess there is a Gem in that rock group. Thank you.

Curing death wobble on a 24 year old Jeep usually involves renewing many components as they all contribute. The steering box can appear ok but replacement is often needed.

Bought my 2001 XJ a little over 4 years ago with 220k miles on the clock. It's now at 262k and counting (my daily driver). I've had death wobble a few times, can't seem to figure it out. Any more I just stay off the highway. Never happens below 50 MPH which is 99% of my daily driving. Living in the rust belt, it's tough to find one that isn't rusted out or made into a woods vehicle. I installed a 1.75" lift and 1x size larger tires for the "up country" look. Love this XJ (my 2nd Cherokee). Great video Wizard!

I love all of your videos on car repairs not too many people will take the time to thoroughly go over a vehicle such as you and Mrs. Wizard really I truly appreciate you taking the time out to do what you do I've learned a lot I know where to go now to have work done On my cars😀

I have an 01 XJ with 225,000 miles. Have owned it for 15 years and I love it so much. Bought it in 2008 when I was 18 I'm 33 now

Yes, Papa's is still in Business, I used to live in Connecticut until a year ago.

Had 2 Cherokees, an 89 and 2001 (final model year for the XJ) and got great service from both. Plenty of power and torque and great off-road capabilities. This definitely makes me nostalgic seeing Wizard's video! Thankfully never experienced the death wobble in either but I was aware that many Chrysler vehicles had that problem.

Had a 92 Cherokee Limited. Bought it because I needed a vehicle I could work on, that was capable of on and off road. Fixed the death wobble (tie rods and bushings), got in high quality motor mounts (which was fun *eyes rolling*) and changed the shocks on all 4 corners. Also ripped out the interior carpeting (massive mold issues) and put down Herculiner, repainted all the interior parts to a black with gold fleck and replaced the headliner with Alcantara. Seats were comfy as could be. Far better than my current vehicles. Ended up selling it because there were things I couldn't figure out. Great ride.

I had a 2001 XJ and it was my daily driver for 10+ years on jt. My dad currently drives it with over 250k miles on the ODO. Great vehicle but expect to replace items like heater cores, AC compressors, rear leaf springs, camshaft and crankshaft position sensor and the rear hatch wiring likes to break. Lastly the fitting that the oil filter screws into will eventually leak oil on the starter below. I also replaced my headliner

I've had two of these with death wobbles the fix was new shocks and a good tires. Did not have to change any suspension parts except for the shocks of course never had another problem with either one of them.

those 4 liter straight 6 engines were really cool. the last automobile motor manufactured in America with a flat tappet camshaft.

These older, late-1990's Jeep Cherokee's are very solid vehicles to own, because they last forever with proper maintenance. They only have the 4 L six-cylinder engine, which is a reliable engine for Jeep and other Chrysler vehicles. Anyway, I hope that the Car Wizard will have a minivan at his shop, preferably the 2006 Ford Freestar Limited with the 4.2 L V6 engine, which is a good engine from Ford to see, if the vehicle is well-maintained and if there are any small problems. He has not completed a video upload for a minivan just yet. I hope it comes 🔜. Thank you very much and have a great rest of the day.

If Jeep could make a vehicle this good, how come they made so many other dreadful models?

Yes, Papa's in New Britain CT is still around. I bought a Charger R/T from them in 2013 and currently have one of their Chrysler 200s.

The prices on these are going up and up, especially in clean original condition with lower miles. They are absolutely future collectibles.

WOW That XJ beautiful! Its like I'm watching mine being worked on by the Weezurd!

I know that you guys don’t really do much with tires but would it be possible for you to do a video on when or when not to replace all 4 tires when dealing with AWD vehicles? Also a basic explanation as to why all 4 should or should not be replaced (for example when you have 1 tire that is damaged beyond repair). With the sheer number of AWD vehicles out there now, shops may be taking advantage of customers when they claim a tire on their AWD vehicle cannot be repaired. I know you did a video on an AWD Cherokee with a roasted diff a while back.

I experienced the same thing on my ‘00 Wrangler. Except it was the upper (frame mounted) bushing which had been regularly bathed in used oil, rotting the rubber. A $9 urethane replacement killed the wobble, nothing in the next 100k miles. I would only get DW at 25-35 mph after hitting a bump in the road setting it off.

Had one in the UK. Quite rare over here but I got rid before the rust became terminal.

Like my father before me, I also am a huge Toyota fan and believe in the liability as well like father like son, became a Toyota technician..I don't say this often, but I agree 100% those 4.0 engines and XJ's and the older 4.0 wrangler were very well built and lasts.. It's a shame they don't make them like they used to. I heard the reason the 4.0 was ousted was because they couldn't get it to meet California emissions. Congratulations on your FJ40 purchase.

That is bang tidy. A seriously capable vehicle, that has been treated with some care by the looks of it. There are a couple of channels that run XJs, notably Matt's Offroad Recovery. It really makes the case for unibody: light, rigid and strong.

Mechanics / other Jeep victims (haha) out there currently dealing with this: Yes, first check all your control arms, tie rod ends, wheel-to-wheel alignments, etc. and then check for play in your chassis track bar. If a bushing or two needs replacing and you're looking for them, you come across track bars, you'll start noticing lots of people sell adjustable track bars. There's a reason for this, so be aware: Alot of the 90s and early '00s models WJs, etc. had front ends that were mis-aligned from the body FROM the factory. Not a root cause but it definitely does accentuate death wobble worse when it occurs. Take it in for a body to chassis front end alignment, see if you find that on yours. If you do, I'd snag one of those adjustable replacement track bars (and new bushings) take it back to the alignment shop with that in hand and see if they can help you out there. Took me some time to discover that, figured I'd share, hope it helps!

Such a clean design, why can't they make things like this now?

awwe I love the XJ.. my dad had a 1986 Cherokee Chief, but it had the garbage GM 2.8 L engine which I think they only did for 2 years or so

You don't need to park indoors to keep your car lookin good. I park my 96 Grand Cherokee under the carport. Mine is probably as nice as this one. It has about 150k on it,and its a 5.2L. Mine started to get death wobble awhile ago, I installed the better track bar that you were speaking of. It's adjustable too,except I didn't need to adjust it, as mine only has 1.5 in lift Iron Rock medium duty springs. I definitely recommend them and shocks. The aftermarket adjustable track bar gets rid of that pesky ball joint that's prone to failure. Another thing that is a good upgrade is a steering box stabilizer. That really makes the steering noticeably more responsive, and it'll save your steering box seal from leaking by eliminating flex. I know we're talking XJ here,but the front steering and suspension is nearly identical to the ZJ and alot of ZJ parts will swap right into an XJ. You can actually swap the ZJ steering components, drag link tie rods ...etc into an XJ. That stuff is hollow on an XJ,but solid on a ZJ.

99 Jeep sport 4.0 early model with distributor(166k), check for zero play on the rotor shaft, mine had quite a bit(.030), so I replaced it and idles smoother. Check front output shaft on transfer case(np242) for zero play, yes zero, mine has just a little which causes a grinding type noise if you listed closely due to noisy bearing. Replace control arm bushings upper and lower if you’re driving on road(62-68mph) and feel a little movement in steering wheel, after wheel alignment and all other repairs for death wobble. There is nothing cheap about a Jeep, even if you maintain it. Hope this helps.

I had a 95 Cherokee that I absolutely loved, 237,000+ miles on the odo. Loved that beast.

When I was a used car inventory manager I had a 2008 Wrangler unlimited 4X4 that had a 3inch lift from some cheapo depot company, and I had always thought that death wobble was a conspiracy theory. That is until I drove this particular jeep. 65ish mph and the whole front end literally started to hop up and down. The guy I was following called me and said the front wheels were visibly wobbling left and right. It was truly a terrifying experience, and now I am a true believer. Death wobble is a real thing.

That model helped to kick off the popularity of SUVs. Back in the 80s. Housewives flocked to them to keep themselves out of minivans. Which they hated the image of driving those. Minivans are hard to beat for their practicality, but the look isn't for everyone. Also the Jeep Wranglers got expensive on the used market, so it wasn't long before the younger crowd realized the Cherokee was the same thing with a longer drive shaft. So they started buying them up for off-roading.

Sold my old XJ last year because the frame had holes in it, but it was at 250,000 miles and ran incredibly well. That was my second one. Absolutely love these.

What a nice and clean interior!

Love these Jeeps, had one many moons ago. That 4.0 6 cylinder engine is pretty much indestructible.

That's a good looking Crown Vic in the background... two of the most bulletproof engines and overall vehicles in one video, well done.

I had a '98 Sport model. Had to replace the track bar at one point, but it only clunked --no wobble. I bought the car with 106K miles on it, drove it for 10 years, and put another 110K on it. Those miles were mostly trouble free, and the car did everything I asked of it. It was one of the best vehicles I ever owned. My next car was a 2008 Commander Limited, and it did most of the things that Wizard mentioned, and then some. It was nice to look at, but it was not the droid I was looking for. Like Wizard in his previous video, I wised up and traded the Commander in for an FJ Cruiser. It's 15 years old with 177K miles, but it's another fabulous vee-hicle. 👍😁

Hi Wizzard! I grew up in New Britain and Papa's Dodge is still there! My dad bought several cars, I think a 63 Dart. My neighbor had a '66 Charger. It was a great car.

I’ve had several XJ’s yes they are very reliable. They are cheap and easy to fix. Cheap or used to be cheap to buy. Here in California the prices are really high on the resale market. I’m starting to see a trend of people building up the WJ Grand Cherokee. Nice video.

Having been a 4X4 person since the 60's and having seen death wobble many times in many off-road vehicles, I think the destroyed busing you have found may be a result of the death wobble, not its cause. The two most common causes on solid axle vehicles were oversized tires and/or an improper lift kit installation that did not provide a proper dropped pitman arm. The adjustable track bars do not keep the front geometry as well as the proper pitman arm. Good luck.

No mention of the 0331 head issues? If you are looking at a 99-01 XJ, research the 0331 head issues. Then you can inspect for it before purchasing one. If it has been replaced with the updated TUPY version head, get the engine up to full operating temperature and double check the oil pressure at idle.

Brings tears to my eyes, I had an 89 Cherokee Laredo. I loved that darn Jeep. It was a demo model for a local Jeep/AMC dealer and was ordered with every option, no tinted glass, but had keyless entry. Beautiful, comfortable, cloth bucket seats. And A/C to freeze you on a 97 degree day. This was in the early 00's.

I've had 2 ZJs and 1 WJ with the 4.0 engines, great vehicles through 20 plus yrs.

Leaf springs over axle on the back, coils on the front. Very capable well built and mod friendly vehicles.

Hello "Wizard" Wish We were closer geographically, I'd bring all the cars to you. Thanks for the DW explanation, my '00 sport two-door will appreciate it. Weird commenting to U2bers- you are doing an amazing Job, Man. As well as "Mrs W!" Keep Up the Great Work!!

Papas is still going! I live about 30 minutes away and they primarily deal with Jeeps, Rams, and Dodge.

What the?!?! I just bought a Jeep a few days ago like this and was searching about this death wobble thing (mine doesn't seem to have it, but I am trying to learn all I can about it) and bammo, what's this Wizard? It's kismet, thank you!

I had a "98 Sport 4.0L 5-Speed, and my dad had a '99 SE 4.0L Auto. Before that my dad had a '90 4.OL Auto. We loved them! The '90 warped the head because of the crappy AMC cooling system. I wrecked my severely rotted one, and my dad's rusted to the point that it wouldn't pass NY inspection.

That's a nice one! But, another owner comment, this time on your claim about the four link: If you have stock arms and the link bushings get loose enough, it will start to death wobble at highway speeds. Pretty much anything in the front steering and suspension responsible for holding the axles and wheels firmly in place, if it stops doing that, can contribute to wobble.

Did anyone else see play in the driver outer ball joint?? With the age, I'd be prone to replace just about everything up front, all links, ball joints, tie rods. Make it enjoyable and SAFE for years to come. I still say you need to apply way more force than that to identify worn ball joints, etc.

I love seeing these as 2 doors. I always wanted one of those.

My brother in law got one of these for a few hundred bucks. Reason it was so cheap was the wonderful world of corrosion on the underside. He welded in a replacement floor pan and he's still got it rolling as an adventure truck with the 4.0 six cylinder. The aftermarket support for these is rather robust.

"David, give him your wallet." "What for?" "David. His got a screwdriver." "That's not a screwdriver." (Out comes Excalibur) "That's a screwdriver!"

Had the death wobble. Started with steering stabilizer. Tires balanced. Shocks. Ended up being my sway bar. Yes get an upgraded adjustable track bar. Good if they add a 2 inch budget boost as well.

Great videos, as always. A correction about the date codes on the tires: the first two digits represent the week the tire was made. So, on this vehicle, the tire was manufactured the 1st week of 2021. Also, always check the date code on the spare, it may be much older than the tires on the ground.

Cool car ! Also, can we please have a video about that Crown Victoria ?

I had one of these and loved it. I had the same issue at 30k it was a steering stabilizer

I had one in Salt Lake City in the 80's. It had plenty of torque to get me up LCC canyon to Alta and Snowbird. It was really comfortable on the highway driving up to Jackson Hole or down to Moab too.

Love to have it. Had a 91 long ado. The straight six is wonderful. These can also follow 4 wheeler trails 😊

I miss my 98 Cherokee more than any of my old cars.

Price are climbing for a clean. Rust free XJ. Especially the 4x4, 4.0 engine.

As an owner of a 300,000 mile 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, I can attest at these inline 6 are darn near bulletproof and very easy to work on not to mention very affordable to work on. Just a shame I live in a rust belt state. If you can do the AT5 transmission swap or the transmission mod to add the 5th gear, definitely worth it with the low end torque these engines have.

I owned a 96 for almost eight years. The most reliable vehicle I have ever had, and I've owned a lot of used ones over the last 45 years. I now drive a 95 Grand Cherokee that is a cream puff. I hope it is as reliable going forward because it has the same 4 liter but lots more comfort. The only downside is that the six cylinder works pretty hard, given the extra 700 lbs for the Grand. Pretty decent on the spur tracks off of the local forest roads. a 3' lift with Goodyear 30x9.50x15 KO2's is all I need. No death wobble with either model.

Lol, excaliber! I had an 89 Comanche XJ and it death wobbled. As soon as it happened, I instantly knew to call it death wobble.

I have a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4X4 with 175,000 that I have owned since new. I have the "death wobble" I have changed out ALL bushings and checked ball joints, replaced rear springs, front coil springs, all shock absorbers and stabilizer shock for heavy duty one. Only thing I haven't done is replace tires and steering box. I still have the death wobble which happens when I go over a bump in the road at about 55mph. ..... guess those are next on the list....sign!!! Mr. Wizard.... I am trying to be optimistic that your diagnosis turns out to be the answer for this really nice specimen of a Jeep Cherokee.... can you let us know if it really resolves the wobble?... Great show.... keep it up...

Straight 6 engines are usually pretty bulletproof

I owned that model in Amethyst Purple. I wish I still had it but I gave it my daughter for her first car she totaled it within a week. I look at them in the ads but they sell for top dollar her in Southern Texas near the beach.

I have the same 99 Cherokee I just inherited from my grandfather. It’s got 79k miles and I love it except it gets only like 13 miles per gallon.

This should be the Chapter 1 for every student in elementary schools and middle schools.

Cool! I saw this jeep in the last video and was wondering about it. I have a '99 Cherokee myself. Thanks for doing this video!

Gotta say: It's super tidy, and it's one of the reasons that I finally bought a Jeep. Bloody Judas goat of a car. Had ZJ and WJ models. Both did the wobble-thing. Scary as fuck. On the WJ, it was a mount at the rear, above the diff - like a 3-legged thing, with a central ball-joint. Fair bit of work to replace, but the car then handled enough to sell it. The ZJ just got sold. Rock Auto has the parts...

When Jeep's were built good.

330,000 miles on my 97 XJ. Owned it since new. Looks pretty much like this one, leaks in the same places too … 😎

I have a 98 Cherokee I’m finishing up a stroker build on…I love the look and simplicity of these guys. Thanks for this video and this 99 Cherokee is in insanely excellent condition.

I have had and built multiple XJs they are fantastic cars I had 2 that had death wabble 1 I upgraded my track bar because the bushings in the old ones were warn out and that fixed it the second one I upgraded and replaced every possible part in the front end with new and updated parts drove great for about 10 miles then got deathwabble I had it aligned twice still didn't go away so my last attempt to fix it was replace the tires that were less than 2 years old and had maybe 10K Miles and were in great condition i put new tires on it and never got deathwabble again... I put the old tires on the other xj just to see and no deathwabble. I still have no clue what fixed it But $1000 In front end parts and new tires was the answer

I have owned one of these for nearly 2 years and have never, ever had to take it into a shop. Everything on these things is cheap and easy to replace. The engine is almost as simple as a 12v Cummins. Of course once you start lifting them you'll want to get a bunch of supporting mods (beefed up track bar and steering stabilizer, unibody stiffeners, etc) but they are incredible vehicles. Glad this one's been so well preserved. Most of the XJs in my area (besides mine and my mom's 83k mile '96) are beat down and have numerous miles. But each and every one still manages to start up on the first crank.

I had a 4.0L Cherokee Limited for a long time. Terrible gas mileage but that engine will outlast three bodies. Great vehicle.

I love that Crown Vic in the background.

I love my 01 XJ. Just turned 200k and got there with only basic maintenance. Very easy to work on

Very nice original Jeep. That drivers side tire did look like it had a little bit of play in it though. As much as all original is nice a really good set of shocks can really improve the ride.

When I was a used car inventory manager I had a 2008 Wrangler unlimited 4X4 that had a 3inch lift from some cheapo depot company, and I had always thought that death wobble was a conspiracy theory. That is until I drove this particular jeep. 65ish mph and the whole front end literally started to hop up and down. The guy I was following called me and said the front wheels were visibly wobbling left and right. It was truly a terrifying experience, and now I am a true believer. Death wobble is a real thing.

My dad's first gem Grand Cherokee is sitting in the back yard at 300k miles. Been sitting for years. Transmission went out. My dad tried to convince me to get a newer one as my first car. Boy glad I dodged that bullet. He is too.

My 2001 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 sport had a death wobble at 52 mph and above. My mechanic diagnosed that the front drive shaft bushing was wore so he removed it and sent it out to have a bushing pressed in and that did it.

I have another idea for the Car Wizard to do the next six used vehicles with these engines and/or transmissions, that you should buy with decent help from friends, family members, acquaintances, as well as from online for the next video upload on Thursday. The six used vehicles with these engines and/or transmissions to buy will be the 2007 to 2009 Kia Sorento EX 4WD mid-size SUV with the 3.8 L V6 engine and the five-speed automatic transmission (alternative to the first-generation Toyota Highlander), the 2001 to 2004 Chrysler Town and Country LXi minivan with the 3.8 L V6 engine and the four-speed automatic transmission (alternative to the second-generation Honda Odyssey), the 2004 to 2006 Mitsubishi Galant mid-size sedan with the 2.4 L four-cylinder engine and the four-speed automatic transmission (alternative to the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord), the 2017 to 2021 Mazda CX-5 (non-turbo) AWD crossover with the 2.5 L four-cylinder Skyactiv engine and the six-speed automatic transmission (alternative to the third-generation Toyota RAV4 and the second-generation Hyundai Tucson), the 2011 to 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander 4WD compact SUV with the 3 L V6 engine and the six-speed automatic transmission (alternative to the first-generation Honda CR-V) and the 2006 to 2008 Hyundai Azera GLS full-size sedan with the 3.8 L V6 engine and the five-speed automatic transmission (alternative to the Ford Crown Victoria and the Buick Park Avenue). Thank you very much and have a great night. There will be more Car Wizard videos that will be interesting to upload.

Balancing the tires fixed my death wobble. Overheated it, blew a hole in #1 piston, blew he gasket between #s 2 & 3, still ran. Gonna throw some new pistons in it and keep her on the road, just cuz

Papa's is still in business! Current New Britain resident and I drive by it almost every week 😊

Awesome! I had one and now miss it.

The passenger side bolt hole for the track bar commonly gets wollered out causing play in the track bar even when replaced. There are lots to fix that. I personally tacked in a couple washers to hold the bolt firmly in place. That corrected my issue.