Death wobble issue resolved

U

unpolire

Member
Mar 22, 2008
12
1
SoCal
Recently my 1997 Discovery SE developed a sudden front end vibration that I have seen described as a "death wobble" and for good reason: I literally thought that the front wheels or front axle had become disconnected from the vehicle. This happened at freeway speeds making it even more terrifying. Immediate trips to tire shops to check for unbalanced tires or broken front end components revealed nothing. Replacement of tires made no improvement whatsoever. A new steering stabilizer made it worse. Consulting online forums revealed that the panhard rod bushings and tie rod ends were the culprits. OEM parts were obtained, but removal proved the bushings in perfect condition. BUT in removing the panhard rod, I found the sole cause: a broken tie bar!
A forged part, the threaded shaft broke clean off with nut and washer. Since I have not seen this mentioned before, I bring it up for thought and remedy. Never off-road, broke from metal fatigue at 150K.
 
p m

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,651
869
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
unpolire said:
Recently my 1997 Discovery SE developed a sudden front end vibration that I have seen described as a "death wobble" and for good reason: I literally thought that the front wheels or front axle had become disconnected from the vehicle. This happened at freeway speeds making it even more terrifying. Immediate trips to tire shops to check for unbalanced tires or broken front end components revealed nothing. Replacement of tires made no improvement whatsoever. A new steering stabilizer made it worse. Consulting online forums revealed that the panhard rod bushings and tie rod ends were the culprits. OEM parts were obtained, but removal proved the bushings in perfect condition. BUT in removing the panhard rod, I found the sole cause: a broken tie bar!
A forged part, the threaded shaft broke clean off with nut and washer. Since I have not seen this mentioned before, I bring it up for thought and remedy. Never off-road, broke from metal fatigue at 150K.
Click to expand...
What is a tie bar?

If your tie rod or any of the tie rod ends were broken, it would be not a death wobble but instantaneous complete loss of steering. I suspect you broke it when you were changing the TREs.
 
U

unpolire

Member
Mar 22, 2008
12
1
SoCal
p m said:
What is a tie bar?

If your tie rod or any of the tie rod ends were broken, it would be not a death wobble but instantaneous complete loss of steering. I suspect you broke it when you were changing the TREs.
Click to expand...

The tie bar connects the steering box to the upper Panhard rod frame support. It broke off due to classic metal fatigue after careful analysis afterwards by an aerospace engineer. My tie rod ends and all bushings were fine. The tie bar is mentioned in the Rave manual as it is how you "set" new tie rod ends after replacement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom